Buyout Period (Jun 30)

The last day for the first buyout period of the summer is technically today, where teams can put players on waivers to buy them out on July 1st, making them a free agent and two teams took advantage of that on Saturday. The Minnesota Wild placed forward Tyler Ennis on waivers for the purpose of a buyout, out to remove the last year of his deal from the books.  The 28-year old was due $4.6 million in the 2019 season, but the buyout will save the Wild over $2.4 million this season.

Ennis only had 8 goals and 22 points in 72 games for the Wild last year, far from where his expectations would have been at the start of the season.  He'll try and find himself a new home, starting tomorrow.

As expected by many this morning, the Montreal Canadiens have indeed bought out newly-acquired goaltender Steve Mason, relieving themselves of the full hit of his final year of his current contract, worth $4.1 million.  The Canadiens acquired forward Joel Armia for the added cost of the buyout of Mason, which isn't a terrible add to do so, especially since the Canadiens are rocking a lot of cap space, heading into this silly season.  Mason's buyout will cost the Canadiens under $1.4 million for both seasons, not a terrible load on their overall spending.

Mason was ranked 59th among all goalies in hockey pool points, registering 13 points in 13 appearances for the Jets, eventually losing out the number one job to Connor Hellebuyck.