NHL Notebook: Looking at the top buyout candidates when the window opens

Just 24 hours after the Stanley Cup is lifted high, the first buyout window of the summer opens.

And while there’s no signs at this point in time of the Edmonton Oilers utilizing the window like they did last year to get out from Jack Campbell’s contract, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other teams itching to do so.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli dove into seven of the top candidates to have their contracts bought out. While it may be a surprise to some, there’s two players from the Chicago Blackhawks on Seravalli’s list: defenceman T.J. Brodie and centre Joe Veleno.

Here’s what Seravalli said about why Chicago could look at moving on from them:

Suddenly, the Blackhawks have a crowded blueline – and there’s no more room at the inn for Brodie, who struggled in his only season in Chicago. This one isn’t about salary cap savings, because that isn’t an issue for Chicago and there isn’t any here with Brodie’s signing bonus due, but simply about roster space. In fact, the Hawks might eventually need to move another one of their younger defensemen either to capitalize on surplus value or for waiver consideration.

Veleno is the only player on the board this year under age 26, which would allow for a one-third buyout as opposed to two-thirds, providing significant cost savings. It also isn’t a guarantee that he is bought out, as he filled out the lineup last season after a deadline trade from Detroit in exchange for a more expensive Petr Mrazek. But Veleno is still a candidate as Chicago sorts out what their forward group looks like next season and beyond. There are cost savings to be realized to the tune of $1.2 million in real cash.

The other players to fill out the list? New York Islanders winger Pierre Engvall, who has five years left on his deal, Dallas Stars defenceman Matt Dumba, who didn’t play a single game in the playoffs, St. Louis Blues winger Mathieu Joseph, Detroit Red Wings defenceman Justin Holl and San Jose Sharks defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

Seravalli had a few others that are under consideration, too. The Pittsburgh Penguins could look to buyout goaltender Tristan Jarry, though it’s cost prohibitive, while the Blues’ Nick Leddy could be a trade candidate. Lastly, the Toronto Maple Leafs could look to buyout forward David Kampf, but a signing bonus could change that.

Other news and notes…

• Could this be a summer of major movement around the league? Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin thinks so, highlighting a few key reasons why: a $7.5-million jump in the salary cap, many teams with oodles of cap space, multiple contenders reaching desperation mode in their search for a trip to the Stanley Cup, Mitch Marner “shifting the NHL’s power balance,” and Connor McDavid’s impending extension which Larkin sees as setting a new benchmark for superstar talent.
• The Maple Leafs named Derek Lalonde an assistant coach on Friday, hiring him to replace Lane Lambert, who left the Six this spring to become head coach of the Seattle Kraken. Lalonde rejoins a team for the first time since he was fired by the Detroit Red Wings last December. He’s spent time coaching in many ranks across North America, with his greatest achievements coming as a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20 and 2020-21 as an assistant coach.