It's the first big step of the off-season, just after the NHL Draft, of course.
According to well-informed experts, five players could be bought out in the next few hours, including a name you know well.
Among these five targeted players, one has already officially been bought out, and that's the defender of the Vancouver Canucks, Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Here are the four other names to seriously watch.
- Joel Armia, from the Montreal Canadiens
- Mike Reilly, from the Boston Bruins and formerly from the Montreal Canadiens
- Matt Murray, goaltender of the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Ryan Suter, from the Dallas Stars
Last year, seven contracts were bought out. We can therefore expect a similar number this year.
In this list, Mike Reilly's name is a surprise given that the Bruins refused a third round pick for his services at the trade deadline, but apparently, things change quickly.
Credit: TVA Sports
And via Rumeursdetransaction.com
POLL | ||
JUIN 18 | 962 ANSWERS Three players have just been targeted for a contract buyout including a surprise Which one would you buy out first? | ||
Armia | 244 | 25.4 % |
Hoffman | 316 | 32.8 % |
Gallagher | 256 | 26.6 % |
None | 146 | 15.2 % |
List of polls |