BUYOUT FAQ

Teams are permitted to buyout a players contract to obtain a reduced salary cap hit over a period of twice the remaining length of the contract. The buyout amount is a function of the players age at the time of the buyout, and are as follows:

• 1/3 of the remaining contract value, if the player is younger than 26 at the time of the buyout
• 2/3 of the remaining contract value, if the player is 26 or older at the time of the buyout

As explained above, the buyout is spread out over a period of twice the remaining length of the contract. The team still takes a caphit, and the caphit by year is calculated as follows:

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 players salary (excluding signing bonuses)
4. Determine the remaining caphit by subtracting the savings from Step 3. by the players Annual Average Salary (AAV) (including signing bonuses)

The above calculation is performed for each year of the buyout, meaning the buyout caphit is not necessarily the same for each year. It is also possible that the buyout caphit can be negative, meaning the team receives a credit.

Buyout Period

The buyout period begins the later of June 15 or 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends. It concludes on June 30 at 5pm ET.
For the 2021 off-season, the buyout period begins 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Final ends. It concludes on July 27 at 5pm ET.

Compliance Buyout

During the buyout periods in 2013 and 2014, teams were permitted two compliance buyouts (also known as amnesty buyouts). The formula above is applied to determine the monetary amount paid to the player; however, they do not count against the cap.

Compliance buyouts were only permitted to be executed on a contract that was entered into on or before Sept. 15, 2012. They were also permitted to be performed on a 35-plus contract.

For one season following a compliance buyout, players were not permitted to rejoin the team which performed the buyout (this restriction does not exist for normal buyouts).

Waivers

A player can only be bought out after clearing unconditional waivers. A waiver-claim by another team pre-empts the buyout process. If a player has a no-movement clause, the player can reject the option of waivers and proceed to the buyout process.

35-plus Contracts

A buyout of a 35+ contract that is two years in length or longer and:

1. Has a signing bonus in the 2nd or later year, OR
2. Is front-loaded

Will not benefit from a reduced cap hit.

The cap hit will remain structured as it was before the buyout. The benefit of a 35+ contract buyout with no cap hit reduction is that the player that the player will not count towards their 23 roster limit, and the salary owed to the player is reduced by 1/3

Signing Bonus

Signing bonuses are paid to the player regardless of a buyout. Therefore, as explained in the buyout caphit formula above, signing bonuses are excluded in the equation when determining the total buyout cost, and are included in the AAV value when determining the remaining caphit.

Signing bonuses therefore decrease the buyout caphit savings. In the case of players with significant signing bonuses, such as David Clarkson, the remaining caphit decreases minimally. Due to this, Clarkson's contract has been referred to as a buyout-proof contract.

Buyouts Outside of the Regular Period

Clubs whom have 1 or more arbitration filings may be permitted to perform a buyout outside of the regular window. This gives teams another opportunity to become cap compliant following an arbitration case.

Clubs are permitted to perform a buyout outside the regular period during the 48 hour period beginning on the third day after the final of [CBA 13(c)ii]:

1. Settlement of the Club's final arbitration case, or
2. Receipt of the Club's last arbitration award

Requirements:

1. A buyout can only be performed on a player who was on the clubs reserve list at 3:00pm on the most recent trade deadline
2. The player must have a cap hit of at least $4,000,000 for the 2023 offseason

There is an exception to this buyout period (CBA Reference: Section 11.18; 12.3) if the arbitation was Club-elected (as opposed to player-elected) and the player did not receive a qualifying offer. In this case, a minimum of two arbitration cases are necessary to trigger the buy-out period outside the regular window.

The number of arbitration filings required to open the buy-out window outside the regular period are as follows: