NHL Free Agent Rumors: Top 15 Contracts That Should Be Bought Out
Everyone makes mistakes. In the NHL, there is not always certainty that contracts are going to pan out.
Thankfully for the general managers, they're able to take a mulligan of sorts. Sure, a contract buyout still costs money, but in the grand scheme of things, the money the teams are saving against the cap could be worth the trouble.
Here's a list of 15 players and their contracts that I believe should be bought out. I think that management will be thinking long and hard about their decisions and wouldn't be surprised if several of the players become unrestricted free agents.
All the buyout information I used was thanks to capgeek.com and its very useful Buyout Calculator.
Jody Shelley, Philadelphia Flyers
1 of 15
The Philadelphia Flyers are hard up for cap space.
Looking up and down the lineup, it seems as if enforcer Jody Shelley should be the first player to go.
In this new NHL, the role of the enforcer is becoming less and less useful. A tough guy could be a tough sell.
Buying out Shelley's contract could be an easy way to gain some valuable room.
Jason Blake, Anaheim Ducks
2 of 15
Jason Blake's best years are behind him. He is a $4 million cap hit for the Anaheim Ducks, a value that he is certainly not worth.
The 37-year-old had the worst season of his career, registering just 32 points including 16 goals.
It may be time for the Ducks organization to either ask Blake to hang up his skates or to take matters into their own hands.
Cam Barker, Minnesota Wild
3 of 15
The Chicago Blackhawks did a pretty good job in shedding cap space when they traded Cam Barker's rather large contract to the Minnesota Wild, getting prospect Nick Leddy and veteran Kim Johnsson in return.
Unfortunately for the Wild, Barker hasn't panned out. The defenseman just isn't worth the money that he is getting paid.
Minnesota is not a playoff team. Without some leeway in the salary cap department, they may be treading water for a long time.
Buying out Barker's contract would be a good first step in the right direction.
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Jean-Pierre Dumont, Nashville Predators
4 of 15
J-P Dumont has been an extreme disappointment for the Nashville Predators.
He scored a career-low 10 goals for the Preds last season and still has one year remaining on his contract, $4 million that the team would surely like to have at their disposal.
With Shea Weber certain to be commanding a huge figure in this, his restricted free-agency year, the Preds can use all the cap space they can get.
Chris Drury, New York Rangers
5 of 15
Chris Drury is the most likely player on this list to be bought out. His production is nearly non-existent and with the New York Rangers in the Brad Richards sweepstakes, they are in desperate need to shed some cap space.
Drury can be a very useful third or fourth-line center, but his current contract will be nearly impossible to move.
That leaves Glen Sather and the Rangers with very few options, a buyout seems the most viable at this point.
Jiri Hudler, Detroit Red Wings
6 of 15
When Ken Holland and the Detroit Red Wings lured Jiri Hudler back from the KHL and signed him to a two-year deal, there is no way that they were anticipating the drop in his performance that occurred.
After scoring 54 points in the same number of games for Dynamo Moscow, Hudler only registered 37 points in the 73 games he played with the Wings this past season.
That doesn't seem good enough for a team with a winning pedigree such as the Detroit Red Wings.
Wojtek Wolski, New York Rangers
7 of 15
Wojtek Wolski just can't seem to mesh with any locker room that he ends up in.
Whether it's a lack of effort or he just doesn't care, Wolski just isn't the kind of guy who you want on your team.
He's been giving his third chance in two seasons with the New York Rangers, but it didn't really work out.
I'm sure if it meant more room for Brad Richards, the Rangers would be glad to part ways with Wojtek.
Pavel Kubina, Tampa Bay Lightning
8 of 15
Pavel Kubina has always been known for his offensive upside as a defenseman. Even though his defensive game has left a lot to be desired, he's made up for it by chipping in with his production.
Until this past season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, that is.
Kubina only scored four goals combined with 19 assists, probably not exactly what Steve Yzerman and the Lightning were looking for.
Kristian Huselius, Columbus Blue Jackets
9 of 15
Kristian Huselius is damaged goods. It is unfortunate; when healthy, Huselius is quite a talented player.
I'm not sure that he is worth the risk for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Huselius is a $4.75 million cap hit.
The Blue Jackets may be better suited in cutting their losses and trying to find some players who are more durable with the cap space that they would save.
Jochen Hecht, Buffalo Sabres
10 of 15
Although Jochen Hecht is known primarily as a defensive forward, I'm sure that Darcy Regier and the Buffalo Sabres would like to have seen a little bit more from him offensively.
The 29 points that Hecht registered in 67 games was a disappointment.
Hecht has one year left on his contract and is a $3.525 million cap hit.
Michal Rozsival, Phoenix Coyotes
11 of 15
It's no secret that Michal Rozsival makes too much money. He is in the final year of a four-year, $20 million contract—quite the chunk of change for a no-more-than-decent defenseman like Rozsival.
The Phoenix Coyotes acquired him in a trade with the New York Rangers (for Wojtek Wolski, no less).
Buying out his contract would be the best idea, in my opinion. It would free up some money to sign RFA defenseman Keith Yandle.
Sean Avery, New York Rangers
12 of 15
Sean Avery could be another of the New York Rangers' casualties.
With the impending Brad Richards sweepstakes and the necessity to re-sign Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan (both RFA), Sean Avery's $3.875 seems exorbitant.
Avery gets paid a lot of money for a guy who doesn't even dress 82 games per season.
I don't care how much of a pest he is, 24 points in 76 games just isn't worth the headaches.
Besides, the Dallas Stars would be quite happy not having to pay as much of Avery's salary!
Colton Orr, Toronto Maple Leafs
13 of 15
Colton Orr didn't play a single game for the Toronto Maple Leafs after he suffered a concussion during a fight in late January.
I, personally, don't see the necessity of Orr. Sure, the guy can fight (maybe), but there are other cheaper players who can fight too.
If I was Brian Burke, I wouldn't risk it with Orr.
Antero Niittymaki, San Jose Sharks
14 of 15
I'd think that $2 million is too much money for a backup goaltender to be paid.
Such is the case with Antero Niittymaki.
He was used sparingly in the second half of the season after Antti Niemi found his game. He started 24 games all season long.
Doug Wilson and the Sharks should look for a cheaper alternative.
Keith Ballard, Vancouver Canucks
15 of 15
Although Keith Ballard has four years remaining on his contract and buying it out would double his time on the Vancouver Canucks' books, it may be the best thing Mike Gillis can do.
Ballard is a $4.2 million cap hit. While he is making that kind of money against the cap, it would be nearly impossible to sign playoff hero Kevin Bieksa or offensive threat Christian Ehrhoff, both impending unrestricted free agents.
I think fans of the team would take either of the two defenseman over Ballard in a heartbeat, and I'd like to think that Canucks' management would as well.
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