When general manager Joe Sakic signed then-35-year-old Francois Beauchemin to a three-year, $13,500,000 free agent contract during the summer of 2015 it was a mistake. But it would be an even bigger mistake if the final year of his contract weren’t bought out during the NHL’s two-week window beginning this Thursday.
You see, there’s an expansion draft June 17th for the incoming Vegas Golden Knights and any player with a no-movement clause in his contract (like Beauchemin), according to the league’s collective bargaining agreement, must be protected. Now, if the 37-year-old blue liner were still an effective NHL hockey player, you wouldn’t think twice about it.