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How Do Buyouts Work?

What are the pros and cons? And do Dallas Stars fans really have anything to fear (or hope for) regarding their high cap-hit players?

Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

So, buyouts are weird.

You basically pay a player to not play for your team. And, until recently, I — like many others — only focused on the buyout number that affects a team’s available cap space. PuckPedia even offers a handy buyout calculator to break down the impact of a team trying to get out of a contract early.

But here’s the thing: That number only tells half the story.