The Arizona Coyotes have placed forward Zack Kassian and defenseman Patrik Nemeth on waivers for purposes of a buyout, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Kassian is entering the final year of a four-year contract he signed with the Edmonton Oilers prior to the 2020-21 season. The contract carries an AAV of $3.2 million and he would be owed $2.3 million in real dollars for the last year of the contract. The buyout will cost $766,667 annually in real money over two years. The cap hit will be $1.6 million for the first year and $766,667 the second year.
Kassian was traded to the Coyotes from Edmonton along with the 29th overall pick in 2022 and second-round and third-round picks. The Oilers received the 32nd overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft. The 32-year-old veteran struggled mightily this season, scoring two goals and zero assists in 51 games with a -18 rating.
Nemeth signed a three-year deal worth $2.5 million annually with the New York Rangers during the 2021 offseason. He was traded along with two second-round picks to the Coyotes in exchange for Ty Emberson almost exactly one year after being signed. The buyout will cost the Coyotes $1.1 million in real dollars over the next two years with a $166,667 cap hit in year one and a $1.1 million cap hit in year two.
In 75 games this year, Nemeth scored zero goals and five assists, while playing 17:46 minutes per games. These two buyouts signal that the Coyotes are attempting to turn the corner from a rebuilding franchise to an improving team.
The Coyotes now have three players in the buyout slot. Nemeth, Kassian and Oliver Ekman-Larsson will be costing the Coyotes money against the cap for the next two years and in OEL’s case the next eight years.
In his career, Nemeth has scored 10 goals and 70 points in 504 games played. Kassian has 92 goals and 203 points in 661 games.
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