Potential Bruins Buyout Candidates

By: Brendan Pounds | Follow me on Twitter / X @BOSunofficialGM

The First Buyout Period is here, and the Bruins have until June 30th to buy out any players currently under contract. The most recent example of the Bruins exercising a buyout was Mike Reilly in 2023, where they bought out the last year of his contract. This saved the Bruins $2.66 million in 2023-24, but accrued a $1.33 million penalty in 2024-25. PuckPedia has a Buyout Calculator that perfectly breaks down the impact of buying out specific players.

Before we dive in, let’s get a basic understanding of how buyouts work. First, only players on Standard Player Contracts (SPCs) are eligible. The player must also be placed on waivers for the purpose of contract termination. If the player is claimed, the full contract is picked up by the claiming team and is not eligible to be bought out (this rarely happens, but happened with Barclay Goodrow in 2024). If a player has a full no-movement clause (NMC), the player can agree to forgo waivers before being bought out, which allows them to have more selection over where they may want to go.

After a player clears waivers, they can be bought out. Now, this isn’t some made-up figure that the two sides negotiate through. The buyout amount is a calculation determined by the player’s age and contract, and is calculated for each year individually. Here’s what that looks like as an equation, as defined by the current CBA:

Cap Penalty = (AAV + Signing Bonus) – Total Salary + Annual Buyout Cost

Total Salary = Base Salary + Signing Bonus

Annual Buyout Cost = 2/3 of remaining Base Salary / twice the remaining years on contract for players aged 26+ OR 1/3 of remaining Base Salary / twice the remaining years on contract for players under 26

Since the way a contract is structured is an essential factor in the calculation (and who likes to do math for fun anyway if you don’t have to?), I highly recommend using the PuckPedia Buyout Calculator. So, who might the Bruins consider this year for a buyout? Let’s dive in:

Goaltender, Joonas Korpisalo

Probably the first candidate people think of is Joonas Korpisalo, after vocalizing his displeasure with playing time last year. A critical aspect in determining whether or not a team may want to buy out a player is the number of years remaining on a contract, since the cap penalty is accrued over twice the remaining years. Here is what a Korpisalo buyout would look like, who has three years remaining on his current deal:

A Korpisalo buyout this year would have cap implications for six years. Even with the cap expected to rise significantly over the next few years, the Bruins are a team that likes to spend to the upper limit, so I think it would be in their best interest to avoid a six-year penalty. In addition, the Bruins wouldn’t be saving much cap space beyond years one and two when considering that the backup goalie position would need to be filled.

For example, if the Bruins were to sign Michael DiPietro or Brandon Bussi as the backup for a two-year, $950K contract, the Bruins would save a decent amount in Year 1 (~$1.5 million), a little in Year 2 (~$758K), and likely nothing in Years 3-6. For those reasons, I’m “out” on a Korpisalo buyout. I think it is more likely the Bruins keep Korpisalo for at least another year.

If they desperately wanted to move him, it may come at the cost of attaching a pick (maybe a third-rounder) or a prospect if they can’t find a taker. In my opinion, if they can’t find a taker, they should just keep him. That way, they can keep their assets and have an affordable, veteran backup goalie.

Forward, Casey Mittlestadt

If you’re looking for a sneaky buyout candidate this year, that could be Casey Mittlestadt. Here’s what that would look like with two years remaining on his current contract:

Do I think this will happen? No, but it’s an option. Some of Marco Sturm’s first words since becoming Head Coach were that he wanted to play with pace and be strong on pucks. While Mittlestadt certainly brings offensive upside, his defense may not be a fit. However, I think Mittlestadt’s offensive potential holds some value on the trade market (especially if some salary is retained), and it is more likely that the Bruins will find a trade partner or try him on the wing before they explore a buyout.

That said, if they have a vision for this team for next year without Mittlestadt, they have the option to do so, and can open up a good amount of cap space for the next two years, especially if they believe in the development of Matt Poitras as a possible 2C replacement that is already in-house.

Outside of those two candidates, I don’t see other possible buyout options this year or for the foreseeable future. Six of the seven contracts the Bruins have that are over $5 million in AAV are signed for at least the next five years, with Mittlestadt being the only exception. I don’t expect anyone to be bought out this summer, but my best guess would be Mittlestadt if it happens. However, in that instance, I would expect a trade to occur before a buyout.

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