Contract buyouts: CH fans’ three favorite targets

Today marked the opening of the first buyout period for NHL teams.

The Canucks opened the ball by buying out Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a move that will hurt the Coyotes for years to come.

In Montreal, the players most likely to be bought out are Brendan Gallagher, Mike Hoffman and Joel Armia. In fact, the three amigos are the CH’s most sought-after names on Cap Friendly.

Do I see any of the three being bought out? No. After a contract buyout, the team must pay two-thirds of the amount to be paid to the player over double the number of years. With this information, we can forget about Brendan Gallagher. Kent Hughes isn’t going to handcuff himself for another eight years. Gally has four years left on his contract. And his salary footprint will be too high for that many years.

I invite you to look at the bold characters in the screenshot below :

Another reason why Hughes won’t be buying out contracts is because he doesn’t need the extra cash this year. Montreal won’t be competitive for another season, and Hoffman and Armia’s contracts expire after next season. It’s not impossible that one (or both) of them could be bought out, but it’s unlikely.

In fact, nearly half of you answered “none” to our poll.

The Habs GM is more likely to acquire a bad contract a la Sean Monahan than to get rid of one, say.

And anyway, buyouts aren’t very popular among general managers. Teams have a maximum of three possible buyouts. In Montreal, one of these buyouts is occupied by a certain Karl Alzner. The defenseman will handcuff the team for one last season. He is worth $833,333 on the payroll.

Last summer, only seven players had their contracts bought out. In less than 24 hours this summer, one has already been.

If a takeover of Gally is impossible or almost impossible, a takeover of Armia and Hoffman would make more sense. But the question arises in Hoffman’s case: would you rather have a salary footprint of $1,666,667 for the next two years or $4.5 million for this season alone? Once again, Hughes doesn’t need salary room right now…

Let’s not forget that the salary cap is likely to go up next season, which could influence his decision.

In gossip

– I can’t wait for the draft.

The Matvei Michkov file… a real hot potato! 🥔🔥 pic.twitter.com/Pif0SzakLQ

– Field hockey 360 (@hockey360) June 17, 2023

– Where will he be selected?

🇺🇸 PROSPECT PROFILE: OLIVER MOORE 🇺🇸
American center Oliver Moore is one of the top skaters in the 2023 draft, and he could be a steal in a few years! pic.twitter.com/82OSTxcm5H

– Field hockey 360 (@hockey360) June 17, 2023

– Really?

– He won’t be making the decision alone.

– Wow.