Seven NHL Buyout Candidates: Will The Leafs Buy Out Reaves' Contract?
The 2024-25 season is over as the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup again. However, there is still plenty of work ahead for all 32 GMs as the buyout window opens on Friday.
The buyout window will remain open until June 30, according to PuckPedia.
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Last season, six players were bought out of their contracts. One of those six was defenseman Nate Schmidt, who won the Cup with the Panthers on Tuesday.
Here are seven potential buyout candidates for the remainder of the month.
Pierre Engvall, LW, New York Islanders
Newly appointed GM of the New York Islanders, Mathieu Darche, has a decision to make on Pierre Engvall's contract. Two years ago, former Isles GM Lou Lamoriello signed Engvall to a whopping seven-year contract at $3 million per year.
The term of his contract doesn't match his offensive production and value. This past season, the left winger played 62 games, scoring eight goals and 15 points. In addition, he averaged 11:49 of ice time for the Islanders, one of the lowest averages among the team's forwards. He cleared waivers twice as well.
TJ Brodie, D, Chicago Blackhawks
After three straight years of finishing last in the Central Division, GM Kyle Davidson and the Chicago Blackhawks are under pressure to show some progress. Buying out defenseman TJ Brodie is an option for the team.
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Brodie, 35, is going into the last year of his two-year contract that gives him $3.75 million per season. He played 54 games and didn't play after March 1. In addition, he averaged the least amount of ice time in his 15-year career at 15:38 per game.
Philipp Grubauer, G, Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken's Philipp Grubauer is in a similar situation to Jack Campbell after the Edmonton Oilers bought out his contract last off-season.
Grubauer, 33, posted a career-worst 3.49 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. It got to the point where he was sent down to the AHL in February and played seven games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
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Grubauer has two more years left on his contract while he earns $5.9 million per year.
Ryan Reaves (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
Ryan Reaves, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
Ryan Reaves, 38, has cemented himself as one of the most respected enforcers in the modern game, but he is regressing.
He had just one fight in the regular season, a tilt with Mathieu Olivier of the Columbus Blue Jackets. In his 15-year career, he never went an entire season with just one fight, according to hockeyfights.com. He also averaged 7:48 of ice time and had two assists in 35 games.
Around the trade deadline, he was sent down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies for cap reasons. A buyout for Reaves might be the way for the Leafs to shave off some more money.
Matt Dumba, D, Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars defenseman Matt Dumba is a candidate for a buyout because the team could use any salary cap space they can get. The 30-year-old D-man is going into the last year of his contract, worth $3.75 million. He had a goal and 10 points in 63 games, and he didn't play in the playoffs.
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Captain Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene and Mikael Granlund are pending UFAs that they could lose on July 1. There have also been rumors that GM Jim Nill could look to trade Jason Robertson to clear even more cap space.
Justin Holl, D, Detroit Red Wings
Justin Holl is another right-shot defenseman going into the final year of his contract. The Detroit Red Wings signed him to a three-year deal at a $3.4-million cap hit in the 2023 off-season.
Detroit hasn't made the playoffs in nine years, and GM Steve Yzerman needs to make some tough decisions. Buying out Holl would free cap space and a spot on the Red Wings' blueline, an area where they struggled lately. For the past two seasons, the Wings are 26th in goals against.
David Kampf, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Buying out Kampf is another cost-cutting option for the Leafs.
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Kampf is a solid bottom-six center who can kill penalties and win faceoffs. However, he earns $2.4 million for the next two seasons. The Leafs also acquired Scott Laughton at the trade deadline, who took Kampf's spot on the roster during the playoffs.
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