NHL Rumours: Buyout Candidate for the St. Louis Blues

Welcome to NHL Rumours! A Stanley Cup Champion has been crowned and the off-season has begun. Rumours will now be fast and furious. Today’s rumour pertains to buyout candidates, specifically for the St. Louis Blues.

 

NHL Rumours

Buyout Candidate for the St. Louis Blues

Rumour: Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff published a list of players whose contracts could be bought out by their current team. He mentions Mathieu Joseph as someone the Blues could buyout. Seravalli explains that buying out Joseph’s contract would help the Blues save additional money from their cap. Joseph has one year left on his contract and is owed $2.95 million. If the Blues bought out Joseph’s contract, the Blues would owe Joseph $750k this season and $1.1 million in 206-27. This would save the Blues $2.2 million on next season’s cap.

Analysis: The Blues acquired Joseph in a trade last season. Joseph was not overly impressive last season. He scored four goals in 60 games for the Blue Note. Despite having experience in the Stanley Cup Final, Joseph just did not have much of an impact for the team. With the plethora of young players seeking spots in the lineup, as well as players who could join the team in the summer, getting Joseph off the roster certainly is understandable.

 

Is A Buyout Necessary?

Analysis: The Blues acquired Joseph in a trade last season. Joseph was not overly impressive last season. He scored four goals in 60 games for the Blue Note. Despite having experience in the Stanley Cup Final, Joseph just did not have much of an impact for the team. With the plethora of young players seeking spots in the lineup, as well as players who could join the team in the summer, getting Joseph off the roster certainly is understandable.

Is A Buyout Necessary?

General managers typically do not like buying out contracts. Doug Armstrong especially seems to not. In his time as the Blues general manager, Armstrong has never bought out someone’s contract. He finds a way to move the contract via trade and even a contract termination in one instance.

 

In this situation, a buyout does not seem be necessary. The money the Blues will save this season may not be worth the process of a buyout.

 

Furthermore, the Blues are not facing the salary crap restraints they have in years past. They are likely to have an additional $6.5 million to spend when Torey Krug goes back on long-term injured reserve.

 

Other Means of Moving Joseph

If the Blues are interested in moving Joseph, they could do so in a trade. However, a trade with Joseph as the main piece may not be a good idea. When the Ottawa Senators traded Joseph to the Blues, they also gave a up a draft pick so the Blues would take on the full salary. For a team retooling, giving a draft pick may not be a good idea, even if it is a mid-round pick.

If the Blues trade Joseph, it likely will be done as part of a bigger trade. Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk have emerged in trade rumours. Should one of them, or someone else, be traded, Joseph could be included as part of the package.

 

The Blues could also put Joseph through waivers to see if a team will claim him. If not, Joseph will go to the American Hockey League.

 

At the End of the Day

If the Blues want to move on from Joseph, a buyout is not the answer. Furthermore, it seems a trade may have their own drawbacks.

 

Worse case scenario, the Blues have Joseph for one more year then they can let him walk in free agency. And there is always the chance Joseph emerges into a player the Blues want on their roster. We will just have to wait and see.