Buying him out at the end of next season would save two years on the cap hit as I understand it. Seems like a simple decision to me.
It really only saves one year of the cap hit. Technically it saves two years, but if we buy him out after this year, he's on the cap until 2025. If we buy him out after next year, he's only on the cap until 2024.
Having his buyout on the cap for one extra year is a lot better than him possibly f***ing us next year by being on the team and killing us in games. We need two serviceable goalies on the roster all of next year, if possible and only having one serviceable goalie on the roster until just before Christmas, was just one very painful costly factor this season. At the very most, he might still be serviceable, but even if he is serviceable, he's too much of an injury liability to be #2 on the goalie depth chart next year.
He really shouldn't be on the team next year. If you can't LTIR him (players have been LTIR'd for much less and much more questionable conditions) then just eat the buyout. We're not a cap team next year very likely and he's gonna be on a buyout anyway by 2020-2024, unless there's an amnesty buyout after next year. Just let it be done with.
Each game from Blackwood is really just more nails for the coffin, but I think the book was already written before that.