5 Players Who Are Top Buyout Candidates After the 2024 NHL Playoffs

The NHL's 2024 buyout window will officially open 48 hours after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final.

It is almost a given that somebody across the league is going to get bought out of their current contract for one reason or another. It could be for salary cap-related purposes, performance purposes, or a combination of the two.

Nobody ever really wants to reach this point, because buyouts can be especially costly for the team depending on the structure of it and how much it will impact the salary cap moving forward.

The Minnesota Wild are still paying the price for the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, eating up more than $14 million in salary cap space for players who are playing elsewhere this season.

With all of that said, let us take a look at five of the more prominent buyout candidates as the Stanley Cup Final is set to begin on Saturday evening.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, Los Angeles Kings

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: Pierre-Luc Dubois #80 of the Los Angeles Kings celebrates a goal against the Ottawa Senators in the third period at Crypto.com Arena on March 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The potential of a Dubois buyout depends largely on when the buyout window opens, and if it comes before his 26th birthday on June 24.

If it does, the Kings could potentially buy out the remainder of Dubois' contract at one-third of its current price and give them a pretty manageable salary cap hit over the next 14 years. That might seem outrageous, but the buyout would never result in a dead cap hit of more than $3.8 million in any individual season through 2037-38. It would not top $1.6 million over the next two years in result in some significant salary cap savings during that time.

The fact this is even being discussed as a possibility is kind of outrageous given that Dubois just signed his eight-year, $68 million contract with the Kings a year ago.

But the first year of that contract was so disastrous performance-wise (only 16 goals, 24 assists, and 40 total points in 82 games) that the Kings are almost certainly going to be looking for some way out of this deal.

They could potentially trade him before July before his no-trade clause kicks in, but that would require another team to be willing to take on that contract.

The buyout might be an extreme measure, but it might also make sense if the window opens in time.

If the buyout window opens after June 24 any buyout would result in half of the contract value. That is far less advantageous for the Kings and makes a buyout far less likely.

So this really comes down to the timing of the Stanley Cup Final and when the window opens. The Kings might be cheering for a short Stanley Cup Final series here.

Ryan Johansen, Philadelphia Flyers

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DENVER, COLORADO - FEBRUARY 20: Ryan Johansen #12 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates with his teammates after scoring against the Vancouver Canucks in the third period at Ball Arena on February 20, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Whether it is because of a buyout or a trade, it seems extremely unlikely that Johansen will play for the Flyers during the 2024-25 season.

He was acquired as part of a trade deadline deal with Colorado that sent defenseman Sean Walker to the Avalanche, and never actually suited up for the Flyers.

Johansen has a complicated and rocky history with Flyers head coach John Tortorella dating back to their days in Columbus, and it seems that time has not buried that hatchet.

He is in the final year of his contract, and a buyout would only cost the Flyers $1.3 million against the cap in each of the next two seasons. Given the state of the team's current rebuild, that would not be a terrible number to have on the books.

Johansen played in 63 games for the Avalanche during the 2023-24 season, scoring 10 goals with 13 assists (23 total points) in 63 games. At his peak in Columbus and Nashville he was a legit top-six center, but has not performed at that level in a couple of years.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, San Jose Sharks

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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 7: Marc-Edouard Vlasic #44 of the San Jose Sharks skating during the first period against the Arizona Coyotes at SAP Center on April 7, 2024 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Andreea Cardani/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Sharks are in the middle of a massive rebuild that has already seen them jettison several prominent players in recent years.

Brent Burns, Timo Meier, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl have all been dealt, and Vlasic is one of the few remaining core players still remaining in San Jose.

He still carries a $7 million per year salary cap hit the next two seasons, and he is simply not performing at that level.

Given his contract, his recent performance, and his trade protections a trade does not seem like a very realistic option at this point. Especially since the Sharks have no more salary retention spots available to use this season.

That might put a buyout on the table.

A buyout would save the Sharks more than $3 million in salary cap space this season, more than $2 million next season, and carry a marginal dead cap number of just over $1.5 million in each of the two seasons after that. That is a pretty manageable number for a team in a rebuild that is not even close to the salary cap ceiling.

Josh Anderson, Montreal Canadiens

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MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 06: Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) plays the puck during the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Montreal Canadiens game on April 06, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Anderson's seven-year, $38.5 million contract with the Canadiens has been one of those deals that seemed like a huge risk at the time, and nothing has changed in the years since it was signed.

He has scored just 66 goals in 268 games over four years with the Canadiens and is coming off a nine-goal, 20-point season in 78 games.

He still has three more years on his current contract, and it does not really seem to be an easily moveable contract.

A buyout would save the Canadiens more than $5 million against the cap this upcoming season and $3.2 million next season.

It would eventually result in a $1.7 million dead cap number between the 2027-28 and 2029-30 seasons. While that is not ideal, neither is paying him $5.5 million per season over the next three seasons to struggle to score 10 goals.

Jack Campbell, Edmonton Oilers

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EDMONTON, AB - NOVEMBER 04: Edmonton Oilers Goalie Jack Campbell (36) makes a save in the second period of the Edmonton Oilers game versus the Nashville Predators on November 4, 2023 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. (Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

When the Oilers signed Campbell to a five-year, $25 million contract two years ago the expectation was that he would be the goalie to help get them to the Stanley Cup Final.

Well, the Oilers are in the Stanley Cup Final, but it has nothing to do with Campbell's play.

Following a brutal debut season in Edmonton, he found himself relegated to the American Hockey League for most of the 2023-24 season and now his long-term future with the Oilers seems to be in doubt.

A buyout might be the most prudent option for Edmonton this offseason.

The Oilers have to always be concerned with the salary cap ceiling, and a Campbell buyout this offseason would save them $3.9 million next season, $2.7 million the year after that and then $2.4 million in 2026-27. After that, they would only have a $1.5 million cap hit per season for three years as part of the buyout.

Whether Stuart Skinner is the long-term answer or not, it is pretty clear Campbell is not going to be that player either. There is probably not much of a trade market to be had that does not bring back another unwanted contract, so a buyout might be the way to go.