With the salary cap going down this summer, a special provision was made in the new CBA, allowing teams the opportunity to buyout two roster players without the normal cap penalty associated with it. As news leaks out of Philly that Danny Briere looks to be one of the first casualties, I thought I'd take a look at some other potential players that will be looking for a new city to play in next season.
(Note: the buyout period begins 48 hours after the Stanley Cup is presented and extends to the opening day of free agency)
1. Ilya Bryzgalov - Philadelphia Flyers: You gotta feel bad for Paul Holmgren on this one. Long has the Flyers GM searched for a franchise goalie, the likes of which hasn't been seen in Philly since Ron Hextall. The addition of Bryzgalov, who emerged as a star in the Phoenix organization and won a cup in Anaheim, was thought to be the solution. However his first season in the orange and black was mediocre, while his second was even worse. He's been an inconsistent, $5.6 million dollar distraction for the franchise. While it's not certain they'll cut and run on Bryz just yet, he's certainly a leading contender to get bought out.
2. Thomas Kaberle - Montreal Canadiens: There is no doubt that Kaberle is not the player he once was, but this season he sunk even further. His time in the league, and certainly his time in Montreal, appears to be done. At 35 years old, Kaberle wants to prove that he still has something left in the tank, especially as a power play quarterback, but it isn't going to be as a Hab. Kaberle managed to suit up only 10 times this season, and was a healthy scratch the rest of the time. He makes $4.25 million for only one more year, and with Montreal tight against the cap, this one seems like a no brainer.
3. Mike Komisarek - Toronto Maple Leafs: Once thought to be a top four defenseman with great toughness, Komisarek has descended to a below average AHLer. He managed only 4 games in the NHL this season, was sent down to the Marlies and was even a healthy scratch there. Though only 31 years old, Komisarek might get a chance with another NHL team, but the one year and $3.5 million left on his contract is surely to get dumped by the Leafs organization, especially since "buried" contracts will count against the cap going forward.
4. Vincent Lecavalier - Tampa Bay Lightning: It's been a slow fall from grace for the Bolt's captain, but Lecavalier may have finally played himself out of town. It's hard to remember now, but Lecavalier was once one of the premier players in the league, scoring 52 goals and 108 points in 2007, as well as leading Tampa to it's only Cup in 2004. Accordingly, Lecavalier was given a monster contract and has since failed to live up to it. He hasn't broken the 30 goal barrier since 2008, and finished this season with a uninspiring 10 goals. It's not that he's an awful player, but his play doesn't come anywhere close to validating his $7.7 million cap hit for 7 more years. It will be a tough separation if it happens but, I believe, the only way that Tampa can get their cap situation under control.
5. Dany Heatley - Minnesota Wild: This is another tough one, it's hard to lose a multiple 50 goal scorer for nothing. However Heatley, like Lecavalier, is a shadow of the player he used to be. His offense totals have been on a downward trend since 2010, and he finished this season with just 11 goals and 21 points in 36 games. Again, not awful production, but nowhere close to being worth the $7.5 million cap hit. However unlike Lecavalier, Heatley only has one year left on his deal. Additionally, the Wild have multiple UFAs and RFAs they need to sign this summer and in the future, so Heatley was likely to be gone anyways. At only 32 years old, it seems as though Heately could benefit from (yet another) fresh start.
6. Ville Leino - Buffalo Sabres: I will say this for Holmgren, he sure dodged a bullet on this one. Leino somehow managed to translate a 19 goal, 53 point season in Philly into a six year, $4.5 million dollar contract with Buffalo. The Sabres thought he could be a quality second line center for them. What's Leino done since joining them, you ask? 10 goals, that's it, in two seasons. Leino is barely a 4th line center anymore, yet he's getting paid to produce. I'm guessing that GM Darcy Regier is thankful he's been given a way to correct this mistake.
7. Keith Ballard - Vancouver Canucks: Since Ballard was acquired by the Canucks prior to the draft in 2010, it's been problem after problem for the defenseman. First he found his spot in the line-up taken just a few weeks later when the Canucks signed Dan Hamhuis in free agency. Then he had difficulty adjusting to coach Alain Vigneault's systems in Vancouver and was often a healthy scratch. A $4.2 million healthy scratch. With a changing of the guard in Vancouver coming this offseason, Ballard seems the most likely target for the Canucks to jettison.
8. Roberto Luongo - Vancouver Canucks: That is, unless the Luongo situation in Vancouver can't get sorted by any other means. The emergence of the younger, cheaper and (arguably) better Cory Schneider has made Luongo expendable. The Canucks would desperately like to trade him, though his $5.3 million salary for the next nine years makes that nearly impossible, and the Canucks may be forced to buy him out. Through trade, termination or buyout of Luongo's contract, the 34 year old goaltender absolutely will not be in Vancouver next year.
9. Brad Richards - New York Rangers: Are you beginning to notice a pattern? Yet another former top star who has fallen from grace. Though the hiring of Alain Vigneault as coach may have bought Richards a reprieve for one season, his time in New York seems to be rapidly ending. He's been only average for the Rangers since coming over from the Stars, but in this year's playoffs he was a disaster. Only one goal in 10 games while getting scratched twice was an embarrassing performance from the former Conn Smythe Trophy winner. The Rangers have already forked over $42 million in actual dollars to Richards in two seasons, and seem as though they don't want his $6.6 cap hit on the books for another seven years.
10. Rick Dipietro - New York Islanders: This one is so obvious, it probably doesn't even need to be on the list. When Dipietro first signed his 15 year, $67 million dollar contract way back in 2006, it seemed as though the Islanders had locked up their franchise goalie. While it's true he's committed long-term, Dipietro has been anything but the savior in net for New York. Due to consistent injury problems and inconsistent play, he's been limited to only 50 games in the last five years in the NHL. In fact, last year he was even relegated to the AHL, starting 18 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and looking underwhelming while doing so. While it's known that the Islanders have wanted out of Dipietro's contract for a long time, there may be a new wrinkle to consider. Because of each team getting not one but two amnesty buyouts, there's a good possibility that the Islanders could entice a rich club who doesn't need both their buyouts to actually remove Dipietro's contract for them. It may cost them a prospect to make it happen, but the ends of abolishing his contract justify the means.
No comments:
Post a Comment