More buyout news is surfacing prior to the NHL Draft and free agency as it’s being reported that the Minnesota Wild are likely going to buy out forward Thomas Vanek.
According to Michael Russo, Vanek has been informed by the team of their intention to relief the remainder of his contract from their cap by buying out the 32-year-old.
By buying out Vanek, the Wild will open significant cap space for them to make a move heading into free agency.
Vanek's buyout will provide $5 million in cap relief next season and give the #mnwild a cushion to clearly add salary…14M in space now
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) June 24, 2016
In 11 seasons in the NHL, Vanek has 649 points (316g-333a) in 817 regular season games. In two seasons in Minnesota, he’s tallied 93 points (39g-54a) in 154 games. In the playoffs, he’s scored 34 points (20g-14a) in 63 career games but is yet to win the Stanley Cup.
Prior to joining the Wild, Vanek was offered a long-term deal from the New York Islanders in which he turned down to Minnesota where he played his college hockey from 2002 to 2004.
Vanek had a number of successful seasons in Buffalo before he joined the Islanders and Canadiens in the 2013-14 season. Since then, he’s spent the past two years in Minnesota playing just four games of playoff hockey and really flying under the radar.
The buyout could make him a viable option for a team looking for a cheap depth player.
