Buyouts were the right move for the Flames

Photo Credit: Sergei Belski / USA Today SportsThe smoke has settled and Lance Bouma and Ryan Murphy are no longer members of the Calgary Flames. One of the common refrains we’ve seen on social media is questions about what the benefit of buying out the two players rather than merely burying their contracts in the American Hockey League. In a few key ways, the buyouts were the smartest move that the Flames could make if they had no plans for either player on their National Hockey League roster.

Buyouts versus burying

Under the CBA, buyouts are functionally the “get out of jail” card for general managers to wriggle out of bad deals. They’re particularly useful in terms of players younger than…