PITTSBURGH – With every offseason in the NHL comes questions of possible contract buyouts, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are a team in need of quick change on their roster. President of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has said he doesn’t like buying out deals, but that doesn’t mean they’re impossible.
While it’s unlikely for the Penguins this offseason, a few names could be in play as buyout candidates. The salary cap is expected to go up, and each of these buyouts would be short-term plans that wouldn’t cost the Penguins much.
Matt Nieto
The 2023-24 season was an unfortunate year for Matt Nieto. He joined the Penguins on an affordable deal but quickly lost his momentum. Nieto appeared in 22 games and picked up just one goal before going on long-term injured reserve.
Nieto’s recovery took longer than expected, and setbacks following knee surgery kept him off the ice for the rest of the season.
There is only one year left on Nieto’s contract, which earns him $900,000 annually. If the Penguins were to buy him out, it would come in at just $300,000 for the next two seasons. However unlikely a buyout is, that’s an affordable option for the Penguins.
The likely outcome for Nieto is either Dubas finds a trade partner for the 31-year-old, or if he still isn’t back to full health, he spends the 2024-25 season on LTIR again.
Noel Acciari
Dubas defended Noel Acciari and his season during his final press conference of the year. Acciari isn’t known for offense but can bring a tremendous defensive mindset to the fourth line.
However, an Acciari buyout could help clear some cap space for bigger lineup moves. The Penguins want to get younger and may have to spend a ton of money for certain targets. Buying out Acciari would cost $583,333 for
That’s not a bad cost, even if it is a little long. There is a gap, however, for the 2025-26 season, when the Penguins would be hit with a $1,083,333 cap hit for the buyout. By that time, the retained salary on Jeff Petry would come off the books, keeping everything as stable as possible.
Lars Eller
Lars Eller arrived in Pittsburgh on a two-year deal and did his job as a third-line center. However, part of the Penguins plan is to add more youth to the lineup and Eller is a sneaky candidate as one of the team’s oldest players. Having just turned 35, maybe the Penguins want to go in a different direction.
A buyout for Eller wouldn’t cost too much, as he is about to enter the final year of his contract. If the Penguins decide to go in this direction, it would cost just $816,667 for two seasons.
It’s important to note that a buyout for anyone is unlikely, and Dubas will always look at one as a last-ditch effort. Buyouts won’t enter the Penguins vocabulary until all other options have been exhausted.
That being said, guys who struggled this past season like Ryan Graves, Reilly Smith, or even Tristan Jarry are probably not being bought out. Their buyouts are either too long or too expensive.
