Arizona Coyotes buyout two roster players including former 15 goal scorer
Moments ago, NHL insider Chris Johnston broke news that the Arizona Coyotes are buying out the contracts to two of their roster players, veteran journeymen Zack Kassian and Patrick Nemeth.
Kassian and Nemeth were owed $3.2M and $2.5M respectively, both until the end of the 2023-24 season. Obviously, these players brought a veteran presence and a steady lineup role, but could not perform to the value of their inflated contracts. In 52 games this season, Kassian recorded just two points, and Nemeth only notched 5 assists in 75 games.
The Coyotes acquired these contracts, in part, to get their roster to the salary cap floor. Now buying them out could be a sign the Coyotes are ready to move away from the perpetual rebuild, and pay some younger players to fill out a more competitive roster.
With the NHL in its compliance buyout period, more buyouts across the league are possible as teams look to free up cap space for trades and signings during the offseason.
| POLL | ||
Are you surprised these players got bought out | ||
| Yes | 20 | 18.7 % |
| No | 76 | 71 % |
| Kassian is a surprise | 11 | 10.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
