Every season, the first of two buyout windows opens 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final concludes. So, beginning later today, NHL teams have until 4 pm CT on June 30 to buy out a player’s contract. There is a second 48-hour buyout window for players who file for arbitration and have a salary cap hit greater than $4 million.
All contracts are eligible to be bought out, but a player must be placed on waivers first. It is very rare for one of these players to be claimed, because a team can wait until he’s bought out and then likely sign him at a discounted rate. Any player with a no-movement clause can skip the waiver process. If a player over the age of 35 is bought out, their original cap hit remains each season, so there is no relief.
The Chicago Blackhawks have two buyout candidates in Andre Burakovsky and Andrew Mangiapane, but it remains to be seen if they will use this option.
Buyout is an Option
Burakovsky’s first season in Chicago took a turn for the worse after he suffered a likely concussion in late November. He had seven goals and 15 points in his first 17 games and looked to be a good fit with Connor Bedard. But he never regained that production when he returned from injury and struggled mightily down the stretch.
To make matters worse, head coach Jeff Blashill kept rolling the struggling Burakovsky out there on the top line, night after night. It wasn’t just that he wasn’t producing; he was also a turnover machine on many nights, causing far more harm than good. So, the idea of buying out Burakovsky sits well with much of the fan base.
Mangiapane was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach out west. He had a goal and an assist in his 10 games with the Blackhawks and missed the last few games with an injury. He filled a role in the bottom six, playing with some energy and grit, something this team is lacking.
If you were to buy out the final year of Burakovsky’s contract, the Blackhawks would have a $3 million cap hit this season, saving $2 million, and a $1.25 million cap hit in 2027-28. Buying out Mangiapane’s final year saves the Blackhawks a total of $333,000, with a $2.93 million cap hit this season and $333,000 the following.
The Likelihood of a Buyout
Buying out either player isn’t about saving salary cap space, as the Blackhawks have plenty of that. It would be more about opening up roster spots for a young player. In Burakovsky’s case, it would also be a way to make sure Blashill isn’t tempted to keep him in a top-six position anymore.
However, the likelihood of either player getting bought out isn’t great. Right now, the Blackhawks are just over $12 million below the salary cap floor. Granted, much, if not all, of that will be taken up by Bedard’s new contract. So, both players could be kept around just to keep the Blackhawks above the floor, which they have to stay at throughout the season.
If either or both are bought out, that could be a sign that general manager Kyle Davidson is working on something big in either free agency or the trade market. Bringing in a player or two and adding salary makes it easier to shed either contract.
If both Burakovsky and Mangiapane are back next season, it isn’t the end of the world. There is no way Burakovsky can be as bad as he was last season. If he is properly used as bottom-six depth scoring, he can be useful. The additions of Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov should help in keeping him down in the lineup. Mangiapane can play on the fourth line and make the team harder to play against, as Blashill wants. If he sits in the press box for half the season, so be it.
