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Yashin Independence Day: Former Islanders captain finally comes off the books

The Islanders acquired Alexei Yashin at the 2001 Draft. Fourteen years later, they have stopped paying him.

The Blackhawks's victory in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final puts an official end to the 2014-15 NHL season, which was the final year of Yashin's buyout. The Islanders made the decision in 2007 to cut loose their captain, and had been paying him between $2.2 and $4.7 million annually ever since.

For a few years, Yashin's buyout made him one of the team's highest paid players, despite the fact that he wasn't actually playing for them.