It only frees up cap for next year. Look at the buyout schedule for years 2-4.

BUF accepts

Still gives them time to go after Eichel and figure out cap later. Rask is off the books next year and they could move someone else out. Youre right the buyout cap hits are pretty big years 2-4 though

I dont know if I agree with the decision to buy them out but I dont think they would do that unless they were gonna use the cap space to add someone good. If it was just about the expansion draft I think they wouldve just traded a guy like Dumba rather than buyout 2 huge contracts

Yeah I can’t imagine it was all done just to protect Dumba. That would be a very expensive way to go about that. Almost certainly some additional moves coming. But regardless, you know you have 13M, 15M and 15M of dead cap for years 2-4. Plus probably 14M in Fiala and Kap. Then another 14M in Spurge and Brodin. Add in Eichel at 10M and it’s hard to even field a team.