Speculation: Will Washington use a buyout on Orpik?

[Nico the Draft Riser]

Washigton is looking to re-sign John Carlson who is expecting a hefty pay day. they currently cannot fit him under the cap next season with what comes off the books naturally, so some recommend a buyout of Orpik's contract.

problem there is it only has one year left up until 2019. Is it really a good idea to ise a buyout on a soon to be UFA? Especially with that Oshie contract and who knows what Carlson gets. How desperate is Washington to sign Carlson?

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[Jared Dunn]

I think they could probably move his whole contract if they attached a 2nd or a couple 3rds, he's still a serviceable veteran somewhere for a year.

I don't know if Washington would prefer that or a buyout though

 

[StreetHawk]

I think they could probably move his whole contract if they attached a 2nd or a couple 3rds, he's still a serviceable veteran somewhere for a year.

I don't know if Washington would prefer that or a buyout though

Orpik has zero trade protection, and his actual salary is $1 million less than the cap hit.

So, it’s just a matter of what makes sense for them. Remember, you would still need to replace his spot on the roster. So, if a bowey or johansson takes his spot on an elc, then you really get $4.5 in cap savings from a trade or $2 million from a buyout based on the capfriendly calculator for next season.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

A few things here. Yes, they can resign Carlson without moving Orpik. Beagle likely won't be resigned and either Holtby or Grubauer will be moved, so with the cap going up to $78-82mm they have the room. No, they will not buy Orpik out. If they didn't buy him out last year when they lost Johansson for peanuts due to the cap crunch they're sure not going to buy him out with one year left. They also won't need to pay a lot to move him if they do want to move him. He's fine as a 3rd pair defenseman -- so long as you pair him with a NHL-caliber partner -- and he can eat PK minutes. He's better at this point in their respective careers than Karl Alzner who made stupid money as a UFA last year; some team who needs a veteran presence and a serviceable defenseman would take him. He actually might make sense in Buffalo given they're losing Gorges and with all of the locker room stuff happening there.

 

[canuckslover10]

Canucks have cap space with some picks im sure a deal could be had