Five Potential Candidates For Contract Buyouts

Just 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is awarded, whether it’s Tuesday night in Sunrise or Friday in Edmonton, the first official player movement window opens with the commencement of NHL contract buyouts or terminations.

NHL General Managers will have the opportunity to rid their clubs of bad contracts to free up much-needed cap space.

Players will first be placed on unconditional waivers before NHL teams can buyout their contracts. Those possessing contracts containing whole-no-move clauses can have them terminated upon mutual agreement with their existing teams, thereby forgoing the waiver process.

On average, six to seven players’ contracts are bought out each season. The 2024 offseason contract buyouts included Cam Atkinson (PHI), Adam Boqvist (CLB), Jack Campbell (EDM), Nikolai Knyzhov (SJ), Nate Schmidt (WPG), Jeff Skinner (BUF), and Ryan Suter (DAL).

While it’s tough to project which players will receive contract buyouts in advance of Noon ET, July 1, when NHL free agency opens, here’s a list of five potential candidates:

*Note: all figures provided by Puckpedia.

Five Potential Contract Buyouts This NHL Offseason

Andre Burakovsky F Seattle Kraken

Signed by the Kraken three seasons ago to a five-year contract off the throes of a 61-point campaign with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22, Burakovsky has played in only 171 games for Seattle due to sustaining various injuries.

With two seasons remaining on his existing deal containing a $5.5M cap hit, incoming GM Jason Botterill may elect to buy out Burakovsky’s contract. Playing 79 games last season, Burakovsky tallied only 10 goals and 37 points.

Cap hits of a potential buyout would appear like this:

2025-26  $1.958M

2026-27  $3.2M

2027-28  $1.458M

2028-29  $1.458M

Matt Dumba D Dallas Stars

With only $4.96 million of cap space remaining and 16 of 23 current roster spots filled, according to the Capology website and Puckpedia, the Stars have very little wiggle room to make offseason additions.

A healthy scratch for all 18 of the Stars’ playoff games, Dumba is a prime buyout candidate with one year remaining on his $3.75M cap hit, actual salary $3.5 M.

A contract buyout of Dumba’s final year would provide $2.33M relief next season and add $1.16M in 2026-27. But the priority is now for the Dallas Stars.

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Pierre Engvall F New York Islanders

In what was one of Isles former GM Lou Lamoriello’s oddest signings, one of newly-named GM Mathieu Darche‘s early moves may be to buy out the remaining five years of Engvall’s seven-year deal, containing a $3M AAV.

Placed on waivers twice last season, Engvall garnered just 15 points in 62 games for the Islanders. While a buyout results in a lengthy cap hit, only $1M would carry over each of the 10 seasons.

Mathieu Joseph F St. Louis Blues

Dealt by the Ottawa Senators before the start of the 2023-24 campaign, offensively, Joseph was a disappointment with the Blues, recording the fewest points (14) of his seven-year NHL career over a full season, while appearing in only three playoff games.

Heading into the final year of his deal, Joseph’s contract is back-loaded with $3.3M in actual salary owing; however, his cap hit is $ 2.95 M.

A possible buyout will provide the Blues with savings of $2.2M, lowering the 28-year-old’s cap hit to a paltry $750,000 next season and $1.1M in 2026-27.

Jesper Kotkaniemi F Carolina Hurricanes

While the Carolina Hurricanes have a substantial amount of cap space available, $28.4 million to be exact, the expectation is that they’ll be highly involved in the Mitch Marner sweepstakes, among others.

General Manager Eric Tulsky also has an opportunity to free up even more dollars for years to come if the club contemplates a buyout of Kotkaniemi.

Just three seasons into an eight-year contract containing an average annual value of $4.825M, Tulsky and the Hurricanes have a rare opportunity to trim two-thirds of the soon-to-be 25-year-old’s $25.4M outstanding.

Any player aged 26 or younger can be bought out for 66.7% of their contract value.

A potential contract buyout would lower Kotkaniemi’s cap hit to $841,333 for the next 10 seasons.

The Finn hasn’t found his groove with the Canes since originally being acquired via an offer sheet presented by Carolina when he was a restricted free agent with the Montreal Canadiens in the summer of 2021.