Speculation: Who will get bought out this offseason?

[MuckOG]

Depending on if the Wild address their need at center this summer, I could see Victor Rask being bought out.

 

[milehigh11]

Id say the last resort is 4-4-1.

That will never happen. Sakic would have never offered 2 2nd rd picks for Toews without knowing if EJ's issue was solved. Avs will most def go the 7-3-1 route and Seattle will more thank likely select between donskoi or graves

 

[hmc1987]

lol ok because of something in junior it must of happened again

He had like half a dozen problems w/ racism in juniors...suspended once for it

But go on and defend your Trump brother XD

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

I'm a little confused... I feel like those are all reasons why he wouldn't waive. Phaneuf refused to waive, I am just saying that I could see EJ doing the same.

Why would EJ's long term and well documented loyalty to the team be a reason why he'd suddenly be selfish and refuse to help Sakic keep the best team possible?

For that matter, why would he force Sakic into making a tough decision that could effectively end EJ's NHL career AND cost him millions of dollars? What was the worst that Ottawa could reasonable do to Phaneuf? Trade him to one of the 12 teams he approved? Not exactly the same situation there either.

 

[82Ninety42011]

Virtanen,

The structure of his contract actually encourages a buyout:
Jake Virtanen Contract Buyout Details - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

Thankfully Virtanen's won't cost us much but Loui Eriksson is not really worth buying out sadly. We save 2 million (really 1 if we just send him down to AHL) this year and lose 1 next year when his deal would be done anyway.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Why would EJ's long term and well documented loyalty to the team be a reason why he'd suddenly be selfish and refuse to help Sakic keep the best team possible?

For that matter, why would he force Sakic into making a tough decision that could effectively end EJ's NHL career AND cost him millions of dollars? What was the worst that Ottawa could reasonable do to Phaneuf? Trade him to one of the 12 teams he approved? Not exactly the same situation there either.

If there is a threat of a buyout, you are probably right. If not, EJ may fear he would get claimed and, for that reason, not waive. I'm not saying it's logical - it wasn't logical for Phaneuf to expect he might get claimed, either. But if he thinks he has even the slightest chance of being claimed, loyalty is superseded by self-interest - which, as you pointed out, is to stay in Colorado.

I am not saying he won't waive... I am just saying that nothing is a given until it comes to pass.

 

[StreetHawk]

Why would EJ's long term and well documented loyalty to the team be a reason why he'd suddenly be selfish and refuse to help Sakic keep the best team possible?

For that matter, why would he force Sakic into making a tough decision that could effectively end EJ's NHL career AND cost him millions of dollars? What was the worst that Ottawa could reasonable do to Phaneuf? Trade him to one of the 12 teams he approved? Not exactly the same situation there either.

EJ last season was still logging big minutes for the Avs. He has been injured for the majority of this season. I doubt that he would think his game will have fallen off to the point that Seattle would not claim him last off season.

The thing for EJ and the Avs is whether EJ makes sense keeping on the roster at $6 mill. With a full nmc he can’t be moved and shouldn’t waive if he doesn’t want to.

if I am EJ I’m not waiving unless sakic personally and publicly guarantees me that he won’t buy me out. This isn’t enforceable of course, so if the Avs go ahead and do that at some point, the Avs have to take the hit in reputation amongst players, if EJ does them a solid and waives.

If EJ doesn’t make sense keeping around then it probably makes sense to buy him out and move on. Or they have to find a landing spot for him and retain part of the contract or give up an asset to move him.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

If there is a threat of a buyout, you are probably right. If not, EJ may fear he would get claimed and, for that reason, not waive. I'm not saying it's logical - it wasn't logical for Phaneuf to expect he might get claimed, either. But if he thinks he has even the slightest chance of being claimed, loyalty is superseded by self-interest - which, as you pointed out, is to stay in Colorado.

I am not saying he won't waive... I am just saying that nothing is a given until it comes to pass.

I agree that there's no guarantees until the paperwork is signed, but I don't think there's a reason to worry in this case. If his goal really is to stay in Colorado, the only way that possibly happens is if he waives his NMC. Otherwise, he'll be asked to provide his 19 team list for Sakic to try to find a way to trade him (likely with retention and a sweetener) or bought out. So, his self interest and loyalty both work in the Avs favor, not against each other.

As for Phaneuf, are you sure it wasn't logical for him to worry? Vegas selected Methot from Ottawa. Why wouldn't they have possibly taken the significantly better Phaneuf instead?

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

I agree that there's no guarantees until the paperwork is signed, but I don't think there's a reason to worry in this case. If his goal really is to stay in Colorado, the only way that possibly happens is if he waives his NMC. Otherwise, he'll be asked to provide his 19 team list for Sakic to try to find a way to trade him (likely with retention and a sweetener) or bought out. So, his self interest and loyalty both work in the Avs favor, not against each other.

As for Phaneuf, are you sure it wasn't logical for him to worry? Vegas selected Methot from Ottawa. Why wouldn't they have possibly taken the significantly better Phaneuf instead?

Methot was quite clearly better than Phaneuf at that time; Phaneuf had 4yrs left at $7m while showing clear signs of slowing down. Within 6 months, he was dealt for $5mil in dead cap with $1.75m retained. Methot, on the other hand, returned Vegas a 2nd... no way Vegas would have gotten anywhere close to that for Phaneuf, who was dealt for less than that a few years earlier - before he lost a step.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

EJ last season was still logging big minutes for the Avs. He has been injured for the majority of this season. I doubt that he would think his game will have fallen off to the point that Seattle would not claim him last off season.

The thing for EJ and the Avs is whether EJ makes sense keeping on the roster at $6 mill. With a full nmc he can’t be moved and shouldn’t waive if he doesn’t want to.

if I am EJ I’m not waiving unless sakic personally and publicly guarantees me that he won’t buy me out. This isn’t enforceable of course, so if the Avs go ahead and do that at some point, the Avs have to take the hit in reputation amongst players, if EJ does them a solid and waives.

If EJ doesn’t make sense keeping around then it probably makes sense to buy him out and move on. Or they have to find a landing spot for him and retain part of the contract or give up an asset to move him.

Big minutes or not, EJ's play has been declining for the last few years as age and injuries catch up to him. Even when he's fully healthy, he's really a 2nd pairing guy at this point, which makes his $6m cap hit an issue. Plus, he has a long injury history, which makes him even riskier to select. If I'm making the choice for Seattle, he's barely part of the conversation, even last off-season. Give me promising youngsters who can outplay their contracts, not old guys who might, if you're lucky, be worth around half of their cap hit.

As for keeping EJ at $6m, I don't really have a problem with it. We have enough high talent kids on ELCs that it doesn't really hurt us, and it expires when MacKinnon needs a new deal, so it's a built in safety net of sorts.

I also think Sakic would probably make that guarantee, assuming EJ agrees to be LTIRetired if he can't recover from his injuries and resume playing at an NHL level. Otherwise, I agree that the Avs will need to move on.

 

[StreetHawk]

Didn’t realize EJ had a mntc of 12 teams he won’t go to. Likely he puts down all 7 Canadian clubs plus NJ, Buf, Det given their situation over the next 2 seasons. That’s 10 teams.

then it’s 2 more teams.

EJ is straight salary of $6 mill each season so there is real money here.

it may make more sense to buy him out and eat the $2 mill in dead cap and replace him with a low cost Dman and use the remaining $3 mill elsewhere and hope that the cap rises after these next 2 seasons.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Methot was quite clearly better than Phaneuf at that time; Phaneuf had 4yrs left at $7m while showing clear signs of slowing down. Within 6 months, he was dealt for $5mil in dead cap with $1.75m retained. Methot, on the other hand, returned Vegas a 2nd... no way Vegas would have gotten anywhere close to that for Phaneuf, who was dealt for less than that a few years earlier - before he lost a step.

In 2016-17, Methot played under 20 minutes per night for 68 games and had 12 assists. Phaneuf played over 23 minutes per game for 81 games and scored 30 points. I agree his contract was problematic and he was slowing down, but he was clearly still the better player on the ice, so there was some logical reason for him to worry about potentially being taken at the time.

I also agree that Methot was the smarter choice in hindsight, but only because he got flipped for a 2nd which was then traded in the package for Stone. But that doesn't mean Phaneuf shouldn't have worried about waiving.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

Didn’t realize EJ had a mntc of 12 teams he won’t go to. Likely he puts down all 7 Canadian clubs plus NJ, Buf, Det given their situation over the next 2 seasons. That’s 10 teams.

then it’s 2 more teams.

EJ is straight salary of $6 mill each season so there is real money here.

it may make more sense to buy him out and eat the $2 mill in dead cap and replace him with a low cost Dman and use the remaining $3 mill elsewhere and hope that the cap rises after these next 2 seasons.

He's already been replaced by several low cost dmen, and have a few more good RHD prospects coming. Plus, we can put him on the LTIR if he can't return healthy. No reason to create dead cap space with a buyout if we don't need to.

 

[Mersss]

That will never happen. Sakic would have never offered 2 2nd rd picks for Toews without knowing if EJ's issue was solved. Avs will most def go the 7-3-1 route and Seattle will more thank likely select between donskoi or graves

Except EJ has no reason to waive. Why would he waive his chance of being on a cup contending team? no reason too...

Oh yeah, avoid getting bought out... Doesn't matter, he'll be able to sign anoter 2year 3M$ deals on another contender, make more $$ this way, and still have a chance to a cup

 

[StreetHawk]

He's already been replaced by several low cost dmen, and have a few more good RHD prospects coming. Plus, we can put him on the LTIR if he can't return healthy. No reason to create dead cap space with a buyout if we don't need to.

That would depend on the nature of his injuries and his desire to keep playing. Perry got bought out at age 34 and signed low cost deals with Dal and Mon to keep playing.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

With the Sharks, it depends on what their actual direction is. If they're trying to compete next year and need every bit of cap space to do it then yeah you would buy them out if no trade is available. If they're trying to rebuild/refresh, they can keep Vlasic since he's solid on the 3rd pairing and bury Jones until they are serious about competing.

Pretty much this. Buying them out is pointless if the team is not planning to compete next season (rebuild/refresh). Jones needs to be buried at worst because I feel like he is a morale-sucking vampire for the team every time he is in net. Vlasic is fine as a 3rd pairing D-man.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

That would depend on the nature of his injuries and his desire to keep playing. Perry got bought out at age 34 and signed low cost deals with Dal and Mon to keep playing.

It's a concussion that he suffered in January and is still dealing with the effects.

Erik Johnson “wants to play” but symptoms persist

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

In 2016-17, Methot played under 20 minutes per night for 68 games and had 12 assists. Phaneuf played over 23 minutes per game for 81 games and scored 30 points. I agree his contract was problematic and he was slowing down, but he was clearly still the better player on the ice, so there was some logical reason for him to worry about potentially being taken at the time.

I also agree that Methot was the smarter choice in hindsight, but only because he got flipped for a 2nd which was then traded in the package for Stone. But that doesn't mean Phaneuf shouldn't have worried about waiving.

That evened out in the playoffs... most of the discrepancy was due to Phaneuf playing PP. No hindsight needed, every Sens fan felt the same way at the time - Methot was more important than Phaneuf.

During that ECF run, especially, Phaneuf was exposed as being on the downswing. Certainly, if Phaneuf had risk of being taken, so too does Johnson.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

That evened out in the playoffs... most of the discrepancy was due to Phaneuf playing PP. No hindsight needed, every Sens fan felt the same way at the time - Methot was more important than Phaneuf.

During that ECF run, especially, Phaneuf was exposed as being on the downswing. Certainly, if Phaneuf had risk of being taken, so too does Johnson.

No one is saying there isn't some risk for EJ, because you're right, there is a non-zero risk that EJ gets taken if he waives. But, there is a 100% chance he's either traded or bought out if he refuses. If his goal is to stay with the Avs, there's only one way that potentially happens. And with a 26 year old, 6'5" 220 lbs 2nd pairing/PKing D available in Graves, I simply can't see any logical reason why Seattle would even consider the older, more expensive and more injury prone/currently injured 2nd pairing/PKing D in EJ. There are at least a couple of logical reasons why someone might have taken Phaneuf instead of Methot, so I struggle to call them even remotely comparable.

 

[Oblivion Beckons]

People really don't want EJ waive because they think it means that the Avs will trade Toews or Girard to avoid losing them in expansion for free.

 

[5 Hole]

With any luck Keith Yandle. Can’t wait to see this guy leave FL.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Not sure I see the point. Barely saves them any money and they're not coming anywhere near the cap this upcoming season. If they don't want him they can just bury him.

Yeah the most likeliehood is Yzerman buries his a** in Grand Rapids.

 

[Vitto79]

He had like half a dozen problems w/ racism in juniors...suspended once for it

But go on and defend your Trump brother XD

I’m Canadian thank goodness !

 

[BargainBinSpecial]

The guy with the no brainer is the guy who brought him to Montreal......just a horrible deal for the habs....losing Sergachev and getting zero back...brutal.

Definitely will become yet another worst trades in Habs history.