NHL Buyout Tracker: Flyers move on from Cam Atkinson
The NHL’s first buyout window is now officially open and will run through Sunday, just before the market opens to free agency.
How much of a buyout charge a team gets depends on the player’s age.
If a player younger than 26 is bought out, the amount will be one-third of the remaining contract value, but if they are 26 or older the buyout amount will be two-thirds of the remaining value.
According to CapFriendly, here is how a buyout can be calculated:
1. Multiply the remaining salary (excluding signing bonuses) by the buyout amount (as determined by age) to obtain the total buyout cost.
2. Spread the total buyout cost evenly over twice the remaining contract years.
3. Determine the savings by subtracting the annual buyout cost from Step 2 by the player’s salary (excluding signing bonuses).
4. Determine the remaining cap hit by subtracting the savings from Step 3 by the player’s Annual Average Salary (AAV) (including signing bonuses).
There will be a second buyout window later this summer, but those will only be allowed for teams that have one or more players file for arbitration. And the only contracts that would be eligible to be bought out in that second window would be ones with a cap hit greater than $4 million.
Here you’ll find the latest players who have been bought out, including the details of why and what the remaining cap impact is on their former teams.
CAM ATKINSON, PHILADELPHIA FLYERS
Contract status at time of buyout:
One year, $5.875 million cap hit
Notes: A long-time Columbus Blue Jacket and one-time 41-goal scorer for the team, Cam Atkinson was traded to Philadelphia on Day 2 of the 2021 draft in exchange for Jakub Voracek. In his first year with the Flyers, Atkinson scored 23 goals in 73 games, however a neck injury forced him to miss the entire 2022-23 season. This past season, Atkinson scored 13 times in 70 games and was made a healthy scratch on occasion. Now, the Flyers decided to buy out the final season of his contract, saving just over $3.5 million against the cap and making the 35-year-old an unrestricted free agent.
Cam Atkinson buyout picture, per CapFriendly
RYAN SUTER, DALLAS STARS
Contract status at time of buyout:
One year, $3.65 million cap hit
Notes: A huge minute muncher for much of his career, Suter averaged 18:56 for the Stars in 2023-24 and fell to the third pair. The 39-year-old joins a short list of players who have been bought out twice, joining Tony DeAngelo. Suter had previously been bought out by the Minnesota Wild in 2021, a charge that is still on their books today.
