That said, as I wrote earlier this morning, it’s unlikely. In my opinion, the club is waiting for another year (which would also be 1/3 of his contract) before making an official decision.
I’d be willing to bet you a steak that Jesperi Kotkaniemi won’t be bought out. – A source for Elliotte Friedman
That said, KK isn’t the only one who could be bought out.
While Kotkaniemi is the most visited, Brendan Gallagher is also among the eight most “popular” options. So many people are wondering how hard it would be to do it or not.
The first NHL buyout period opens the later of June 15th or 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends. Here are the most popular buyouts based on users running the CapFriendly Buyout Calculator and Armchair-GM:
1. J Kotkaniemi #CauseChaos
2. I Mikheyev #Canucks
3. J Campbell… pic.twitter.com/t5qkYbc1oT– CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) May 24, 2024
It’s important to remember that Kent Hughes, in a press conference at the end of the Habs’ season, stated that the Habs had no intention of buying out a contract this summer.
But that didn’t stop fans from going to see what it would be like. And as we can see, the cap hit of $4.66 million in 2026-2027 isn’t exactly appealing right now.
I think he’ll end his career on LTIR instead of being bought out… but we’ll see in due time.
Pierre-Luc Dubois is not on the list. Is this because the Kings’ GM said he wouldn’t be bought out? After all, Kent Hughes said the same thing about his players… and that doesn’t stop the search.
In a gaggle
– How will he be received?
It’ll be interesting to see how the former Padre will be received at Petco Park. https://t.co/9KiV6bYm1u
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) May 24, 2024
– A false tweet circulates: no, Marc Bergevin has not been named GM of the Hurricanes. But why does the father of Nick and Hurricanes prospect Ryan Suzuki think this is funny?
Hilarious. Never do that to me again
– Rob Suzuki (@RDSuzuki) May 24, 2024
– Matvei Michkov doesn’t mind rumors.
WELL, WELL, WELL
New #LetsGoFlyers Matvei Michkov interview where he says he doesn’t pay attention to rumors he’s leaving for the NHL and that he has a great relationship with SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg: pic.twitter.com/5X5IzNCbus
– Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) May 24, 2024
– I can’t wait to see him in the pros.
“I’m proud of my development this season” – Owen Beck https://t.co/RSVb7YbAQJ
– Radio-Canada Sports (@RC_Sports) May 24, 2024
– World Championship: who helped his cause with Team Canada?
New, for @TheAthletic: Five Canadians making a case for inclusion in the best-on-best tournaments to come with their performance at IIHF World Hockey Championship.https://t.co/fhh5CIidKahttps://t.co/fhh5CIidKa
– Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 24, 2024