As the Penguins' offseason begins, there are a number of questions that need to be answered when it comes to the roster for next season.
One question: Will Jack Johnson, who is signed for the next three seasons, be with the team after this summer?
There were no compliance buyouts included as part of the new collective bargaining agreement, which means that any buyouts that take place this summer will have salary cap ramifications. The NHL's first buyout window will open Sept. 25 (or the start of the Cup Final, whichever is later) and run through Oct. 8 (or six days after the Cup Final ends, whichever is later).
There may be a way to move Johnson and his $3.25 million cap hit this summer. I don't think that a buyout should be the way to go about that.
It just doesn't make sense financially.
Because Johnson is older than 26, the Penguins would be responsible for two-thirds of the remaining salary. The amount of time a team has to pay out the remaining salary is equal to double the amount of time remaining on the contract at the time of the buyout.
Because Johnson has three years remaining on his deal, that means that they'd be paying out two-thirds of his remaining salary over the next six seasons.
The cap hit for each of the six seasons would vary.
For the first two seasons 2020-21 and 2021-22, the cap hit from the buyout would be $1,166,667. In 2022-23, the cap hit would be $1,916,667. For the final three years of the deal, the cap hit would be $916,667.
That's a significant cap hit that the Penguins would have to deal with for six years.
Another suggestion that gets floated is assigning Johnson to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which doesn't exactly provide much cap relief either, just over $1 million. He'd still add $2 million toward the cap to play in the AHL, and he'd still count toward the Penguins' 50-contract limit, of which they typically operate close to the max. That's not going to happen.
If Johnson is to be moved this summer, the best bet would be to do so via a trade, even if the Penguins would have to retain $1 million or so in salary. It's the option that makes the most sense financially and roster-wise.
Would they actually be able to find a taker, though? That's a different story.
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