When it comes to NHL-wide contract buyouts, Jesperi Kotkaniemi often comes to mind.
After all, not only would it be easy to buy him out at 1/3 of his contract, but the impact on the payroll would be less than $1 million per season.
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.
Across the NHL, there are many candidates, and this has hockey fans flocking to Cap Friendly to see whether or not it would be difficult to buy out certain contracts.
And Cap Friendly, on Twitter, has come up with a list of the most visited buyout pages.
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.
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?
– 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?
– Matvei Michkov doesn’t mind rumors.
– I can’t wait to see him in the pros.
– World Championship: who helped his cause with Team Canada?
More must-reads: