NHL Free Agency 2023: Matt Duchene, Blake Wheeler Among Contract Buyouts

Jack MurrayJun 30, 2023

The tight NHL salary cap is causing casualties as the league approaches Saturday's start to free agency.

All-Stars, captains and playoff heroes are among the early buyouts, and some of the dead-cap hits are ugly.

Matt Duchene

The 2009 third overall pick has had an interesting career. His production has been solid, as he has scored 316 goals and 744 points in 976 games. His 22 goals and 56 points were second among Nashville skaters and first among forwards on the team last year.

However, his teams have consistently underperformed in the playoffs, and his next organization will be his fifth in 14 years. He also has largely not lived up to his $8 million contract signed ahead of the 2019-20 season, although his 86-point 2021-22 shows that he still has a lot left.

The Predators took on a significant amount in dead cap to get this buyout done, but this will likely make the veteran available on a relatively affordable deal for a contender.

Blake Wheeler

A 13-season tenure that overlapped with a relocation is over, as the Winnipeg Jets bought out their onetime captain. Wheeler had just one season remaining on his five-year, $41.2 million deal signed in 2019 and will now be able to go to a contender needing an imposing presence.

The 6'5", 225-pound winger has 312 goals and 922 points in 1,118 career games and has led teams to the playoffs eight times in his career. He had 21 points in 17 games during the Jets' 2017-18 run to the Western Conference Final.

His production has slowed with age, but he still can be a 50- to 60-point scorer in a top-six role.

Mike Reilly

Mike Reilly's tenure in Boston was tumultuous, but he will finally get an opportunity to crack an NHL roster again.

He was acquired by the Bruins at the 2020-21 trade deadline, and the team decided to bring him back on a three-year, $9 million deal that extended through 2023-24. He struggled to produce in year one and spent the majority of the '22-23 season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins.

Shedding his salary will give the Bruins some much-needed cap relief, but the 29-year-old should have a market on a cheap contract. He had 26 points in 36 games in the AHL in '22-23 and is worth taking a flier on for a team that could put him on a two-way contract.

Kailer Yamamoto

This development is surprising after Detroit acquired the young forward alongside Klim Kostin just a day before sending him on his way. A first-round pick in 2017, Yamamoto signed a two-year, $6.2 million deal ahead of the 2022-23 season after putting up a 20-goal, 41-point sophomore season in '21-22. His production lagged in the first year of his new deal, and Steve Yzerman could not find the room to develop him with the team's budding core.

As a first-time unrestricted free agent at 24, the 5'8" Yamamoto will surely have a market as a potential young developmental piece. The buyout will have Detroit paying him through 2024-25.