The first buyout window of the offseason is about to close and the Pittsburgh Penguins are still holding forward Mikael Granlund and his contract.
Penguins new president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas stated that he doesn’t like using the option of a buyout unless it’s a last resort.
That mindset was shown with Dubas’ approach to Granlund who many believed was an easy buyout candidate.
Had Dubas bought out Granlund, just over $4 million would have been relieved from the Penguins’ salary cap for the first year, then just over $3 million for the next three seasons.
With $15 million in cap space already, those few extra millions in cap space could have gone a far way in rebuilding a roster that can contend.
With the first buyout window about to close, a number of players around the NHL were bought out of their deals including Matt Duchene, Blake Wheeler, and Kailer Yamamoto.
Maybe Dubas has a different trick up his sleeve, but as of right now, all of Granlund’s $5 million is still sitting on the Penguins’ roster.
Other popular buyout candidates on the Penguins' roster included defensemen Jeff Petry and Jan Rutta.
The Penguins are reportedly shopping Petry around the NHL, but no buyouts are expected from the team this offseason.
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