The NHL’s first buyout window opens today, and teams have until 4 p.m. CT on June 30 to use them to create space ahead of free agency. If the Pittsburgh Penguins decide to pursue one, keep your eye on forward Mikael Granlund, The Athletic’s Rob Rossi said this morning.
Rossi notes that buyouts weren’t encouraged by previous ownership, but now, under Fenway Sports Group, interim general manager Kyle Dubas will have the freedom to pursue one if he so chooses. Pittsburgh acquired Granlund in a March 1 trade with the Nashville Predators and would essentially be throwing the 46th overall pick they gave up for him (and the cap hit of his buyout) down the drain. Granlund, who has two seasons remaining at $5MM per season, had just one goal and four assists in 21 games with Pittsburgh after the trade, as they missed the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. Per CapFriendly, a buyout would provide $4.17MM in savings next season and $3.17MM in 2024-25. Pittsburgh would then be hit with a $1.83MM penalty in 2025-26 and 2026-27.
Heading further north in the Eastern Conference:
- Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ preference with Auston Matthews is to get him locked into a max-term extension rather than a short-term payday. While Friedman couldn’t comment on the likelihood of that happening, he did say there’s been a heightened sense of urgency from both Matthews and the Leafs to get an extension done so the team can move on to other offseason business. Friedman said that after Matthews had a successful meeting with new general manager Brad Treliving in Arizona last week, he’s “even more confident” a deal will get done this summer.
- Staying in Toronto, Treliving and head coach Sheldon Keefe are deep in the process of interviewing candidates to replace former assistant Spencer Carbery, TSN’s Darren Dreger said today. Carbery had spent the past two seasons on Toronto’s bench before the Washington Capitals named him their next head coach earlier this spring. Dreger also mentioned that although Treliving and Keefe have spent time getting to know each other since the former’s hiring, no extension talks have begun yet for Keefe, who’s entering the final season of his contract.
Matthews is such a tough situation. The Leafs are too stacked with expensive contracts, but you don’t exactly find guys like Matthews every day either. Longer term with lower cap hit makes sense, but I feel like one of the other big contracts has to go for Toronto to make a Cup run.
If I’m a Leafs fan though, I’m hoping and praying they don’t do another Clarkson or Finger panic buy on July 1st…
Ron Hextall masterclass
Hard to fathom how a players game can drop off so dramatically in just a year like Granlund’s did. Hextall out did himself on that one.
It was more the course of 2.5 years if one looks at his Evolving Hockey advanced stats or Jfresh’s microstats rather than statline.
Hextall is just that clueless.
Wild should look and see if they could get Granny back for cheap.
He can play wing and center and should be able to do very well with kaprizov and zucc not to mention he was a fan favorite here in Minnesota