[News] UPD: Mason Raymond officially bought out

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by wwkayaker

Not a chance Gaudreau goes to Europe.

Only because there's no chance the Flames would treat him so stupidly.

[Strange Brew]

As a fan I can't really get behind this move. Buying out a UFA signing from 2 years ago and now taking on salary a year after his deal would have been done. I simply can't believe the Flames need the cap space this year and will be closer to being a contender next year when they will have some dead money. I am confident the primary reason is the real cash savings the team will experience which I understand is meaningful to ownership but means nothing to me as a fan.

Too bad this deal didn't work out. Treliving has done lots of good things but the signing and the buyout get an F from me. Maybe he didn't have a choice on the buyout...

[btimbit]

Probably been Raymond's biggest critic, but I do hope he can find another NHL contract. By all accounts he's a great guy and took his assignment to the AHL like a champ

[AcGold]

I figure it was a calculated choice. That small amount of cap-space opens up a lot of options. We are in the mix for a number of ufa right wingers because of the moves Treliving made. Potentially he figures this years crop is substantially better than next year and wants to make a move.

[Stay Golden]

Raymond to be bought out Whoo rah!

[Hack&Lube]

I wish I could just buy out my mistakes...

[Jason14h]

I wish I could just buy out my mistakes...

I wish when I performed poorly people would buy me out!

[Caged Great]

Not a fan of the move personally as it eats a million next year. At least the Flames only have 4 million tied up in bad contracts next year.

Hopefully they use the 5.5 million freed up from Smid/Raymond for good things.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I wish I could just buy out my mistakes...

think of it like divorce

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I wish I could just buy out my mistakes...

Or send them to the farm!

[Alberta_Beef]

I refuse to celebrate this move even though it is right for the Flames, this could be the end of Raymond's career and by all accounts he is a good guy.

[Caged Great]

Right now, the Flames have 26 million in cap space. Assuming 14 of that goes to Gaudreau/Monahan, then the 12 they have will need to be used for 2 RW. The rest of the spots can be filled internally.

[Jason14h]

I refuse to celebrate this move even though it is right for the Flames, this could be the end of Raymond's career and by all accounts he is a good guy.

They didn't shoot him! They gave him 2 million to become a FA! We could all be so lucky

[thymebalm]

Do they actually have to buy him out if he clears? What is protocol here? Can you be put on these waivers and not be bought out?

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by thymebalm

Do they actually have to buy him out if he clears? What is protocol here? Can you be put on these waivers and not be bought out?

If these were regular waivers, yes. These are unconditional waivers. Their only purpose is for buyouts AFAIK.

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Right now, the Flames have 26 million in cap space. Assuming 14 of that goes to Gaudreau/Monahan, then the 12 they have will need to be used for 2 RW. The rest of the spots can be filled internally.

The assumption being that the Flames will be a max cap team and get the $3.5M in relief from Smid? Let's see if the $22M in actual space can be spent first.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by thymebalm

Do they actually have to buy him out if he clears? What is protocol here? Can you be put on these waivers and not be bought out?

I don't think they're required to buy him out, but there's no other reason they would have put him on waivers today.

[dissentowner]

I lost all hope for Raymond when he was asked at the beginning of last season if he did anything special to prepare for the upcoming season and he said "no".

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by getbak

I don't think they're required to buy him out, but there's no other reason they would have put him on waivers today.

According to the CBA, if you want to buy a player out, you have to put him on unconditional waivers. (Ignoring the loophole about NMCs.) It doesn't say the reverse – that if you put a player on unconditional waivers, you have to buy him out.

Unconditional waivers only exist for buyout purposes, and can only be used during the buyout period(s), but the CBA does not require a team to complete the process once started. A GM could presumably change his mind after the player clears – though I don't know why he would.

If there is a rule that forces the Flames to buy out Raymond now, it must be in the NHL bylaws or some other document not available to the public.

[thymebalm]

Is there a history of players being plucked off unconditional waivers by another team or not being bought out after passing them?

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

According to the CBA, if you want to buy a player out, you have to put him on unconditional waivers. (Ignoring the loophole about NMCs.) It doesn't say the reverse – that if you put a player on unconditional waivers, you have to buy him out.

Unconditional waivers only exist for buyout purposes, and can only be used during the buyout period(s), but the CBA does not require a team to complete the process once started. A GM could presumably change his mind after the player clears – though I don't know why he would.

If there is a rule that forces the Flames to buy out Raymond now, it must be in the NHL bylaws or some other document not available to the public.

Unconditional waivers can happen any time. They are also for the purposes of mutual termination of a contract or loaning a waiver eligible player to Europe.