Simpleton
Joined: Jun. 2017
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 502
Buying out Neal this summer will save Edmonton $3,833,333 x 3 and then cost $1,916,667 for the next three. A trade with salary retention might make more sense, especially if Neal can avoid a buy-out for a couple more seasons.
If Holland retains $1,500,000 and adds a sweetener like Puljujarvi, or Konovalov (who probably becomes available if Holtby is signed) $4,250,000 x 3 for a guy that is likely to score close to 20 goals, as a power play specialist, should be sell-able to a team that is struggling to score and has some cap space. That's a deal New Jersey might be interested in, possibly Columbus (although they may not be interested in Puljujarvi or Konovalov), less likely are Detroit and Ottawa.
That deal would save Holland $4,250,000 AAV as long as Neal remains playing through his current contract. If the other team decides to buyout Neal, the Oilers carry $500,000 AAV until Neal's contract is paid-out. He moved Lucic last summer, so anything is possible.