Carolina Hurricanes: Potential Compliance Buyout recipients

The Carolina Hurricanes could be getting Compliance Buy-Outs due to COVID

With a lot of rumors still flying around the NHL, there’s still a question as to whether compliance buyouts will be given out. If so, who is it used on?

With strong rumors that the NHL salary cap will remain stagnant in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, there’s a strong chance we will see compliance buyouts handed out to the NHL teams to help them remain cap compliant. This could be essential for some teams that are pushed right against the cap.

I know that one of the most frequently asked questions with compliance buyouts is “what are they?” So, I’m going to lift this word for word from the NHL and NHL players association’s collective bargaining agreement and then explain it because they’re not so good at putting the words together and them making a lot of sense.

“Any player receiving a compliance buyout receives two-thirds of the remaining contract across twice the remaining term of the deal”. This is almost identical to a normal buyout. If you need an example of a normal buyout in Carolina Hurricanes history, I would point you to the man who seems to be making money until the end of time, Alexander Semin.

“But his salary-cap charge to the team is wiped clean”. This means there’s no cap penalty for it. Using Semin as the example again, he makes 2,333,333 from the Hurricanes and will do until the end of next year. That counts against the cap for the Hurricanes. With a compliance buyout or amnesty buyout, that cap hit doesn’t exist. The player is just gone. They go into free agency.

It is important to note that any player that receives a compliance buyout cannot be re-signed by that team for a calendar year. This is to prevent teams from abusing the system, otherwise, teams would just use them to remove bad contracts and sign better ones.

So, with that in mind, it will take careful deliberation to determine who will receive a compliance buyout from this current group of Carolina Hurricanes. There are some obvious candidates and some who are maybe more reaches. But there is a case to be made for each of the players I plan on mentioning, and you can yell at me for it to your heart’s content.

So, compliance buyouts. I’m going to work on the basis there is only going to be 1 per team, however, there were 2 last time (in 2013-14) due to the lockout. This isn’t the same, but it’s close enough to expect the possibility of compliance buyouts. So which Canes could we see gone?

Brady Skjei

Newcoming Carolina Hurricanes Defender Brady Skjei is another option

Next up is Brady Skjei. I know what you’re thinking. 7 games are not enough to evaluate a player’s skill level. However, historically Skjei has struggled and with him making 5,250,000 for the next 5 years. There’s more to be said about Skjei too.

He’s widely considered a bad contract (mainly by Ranger fans, go figure). But to be honest, that’s not why I’d consider him for a compliance buyout. It’s more because of where he plays. Skjei is one of 5 D men under contract for next season, with two youngsters battling for the final spot. But with Skjei gone, no one is left out, and the team may be better for that.

Skjei is also majorly an offensive defender. Carolina has 2 other offensive D men on the roster, as well as one winning all sorts of awards for his offensive capabilities down in Charlotte. That kind of player isn’t needed so much anymore. When the Canes start next season healthy, their D core will be the deepest and best in the NHL. Freeing up that roster spot may be important.

Skjei isn’t someone that needs to be on a roster for that roster to be solidified as a Stanley Cup contender. Skjei also has been known to have severe lapses in his own zone in the times you need him to be at his absolute best. He was known in New York for cracking under pressure despite being good for the majority of the time.

This isn’t to say that Skjei doesn’t have a place on this team under different circumstances, but when you are the number 5 defender on the deepest D core in hockey and you make more than five million dollars a year, it’s the perfect combination for a compliance buyout. It’s nothing against Skjei, it’s just a perfect storm of everything else around him.

Obviously, it’s not a good look to use a compliance buyout on someone you just used a 1st round draft pick to acquire from a division rival, but should management get the chance, it may begin to feel like it’s necessary. Skjei isn’t someone who’s going to aid this defensive core more than some of the others on it.

Jake Gardiner

Carolina Hurricanes may consider parting ways with Jake Gardiner too

A lot of people have complained that he’s had a bad season, but I think this was extremely harsh on Jake Gardiner. While he hasn’t hit the heights that were expected when he took the trip down from Toronto to join the Carolina Hurricanes back end, he’s not by any means been a liability. So why is he in the potential compliance buyout candidates?

This is just a maths problem. One of 5 defenders under contract for next season and one of five left-handed shot defenders in competition for a spot on the back-end, Gardiner again has some stiff competition for his spot on the roster. Primarily an offensive defender, Gardiner also has competition in that regard with three other OFD under contract next year.

Gardiner did manage to tally four goals and twenty assists for 24 points in 68 games before the season was cut abruptly short. Throughout his career, this is what the Minnesota native averages. Shame on everyone that just yelled at their screen “if that’s what he brings to the team, why isn’t he the first candidate?”

Gardiner has had a very adventurous time during his brief career in Raleigh. Often criticized for not being the most natural skater, Gardiner has been polarising. A lot of people believe he’s a good asset to have, and the others seem to believe he’s a liability. It’s no secret that Gardiner has had his struggles this year, but there’s also been a lot of promising performances.

Gardiner also has a 7-team no-trade clause in his contract. This means that should Carolina need to off-load him, he’s going to reject all the bottom feeder teams. This could mean the difference between being forced to hold onto him, and being able to free up cap space, or a roster spot. It’s another factor to consider when contemplating who should stay and who should go.

Overall, I just don’t see the point in using a compliance buyout on Gardiner. Some better candidates make more and produce less who would be better suited to use a compliance buyout on. Feel free to yell at me about why I’m wrong.

Question for Cardiac Cane Readers: Who do you think the Carolina Hurricanes should use a Compliance buyout on should they receive one?