NHL Free Agency: Mike Cammalleri, Jussi Jokinen, others bought out
Mike Cammalleri and Jussi Jokinen were among those who got a buyout on the day before NHL free agency begins. Here’s a full list of the players who got bought out.
June 30 tends to be a pretty hectic day for the NHL. That’s the day before free agency begins, meaning it’s the final countdown for teams to get ready for the start of the offseason. A lengthy list of players, including Mike Cammalleri of the New Jersey Devils and Jussi Jokinen of the Florida Panthers, saw their respective teams buy out the remainder of their respective deals.
Ryan Murphy and Lance Bouma got bought out by the Calgary Flames. The latter isn’t that surprising, as he’s become a surplus player in Alberta. Bouma had just seven points last season as a fourth line center. Murphy was acquired in the Eddie Lack trade, but this is a better outcome for him. Now the young defenseman can choose where he wants to go.
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Jimmy Hayes from the Boston Bruins isn’t a huge surprise. He was a healthy scratch for much of last season and ended up with five points in 53 games. His buyout will save the Bruins $1,733,33 next season, but cost them $866,667 in 2018-19. Mark Stuart is also not a huge surprise, especially considering the blue line depth of the Winnipeg Jets. Devante Smith-Pelly is a tad bit of a surprise. While the talented forward didn’t have a great year for the New Jersey Devils, his talent suggested he might stay around.
Cammalleri and Jokinen are the two huge surprises on this list. Both will become free agents. Cammalleri in particular should draw interest. He’s a proven forward who can score, even if he was a healthy scratch at times for the Devils last season. Cammalleri had 31 points in 62 games last season, his second straight season that he failed to reach the 40 point plateau after reaching it in his previous nine full seasons.
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Jokinen had 28 points last season in 69 games, his lowest total since the 2008-09 season. He should be a quality addition to another team, albeit at a price smaller than his $4 million cap hit would have been this season.