On Friday, the Calgary Flames bought out Michael Stone. The move was the sixth buyout conducted by general manager Brad Treliving since joining the Flames. But while the number of buyouts sounds daunting, the circumstances surrounding them are all fairly varied.
Shane O’Brien
Originally acquired in a trade with Colorado in 2013, O’Brien had a rather blah 2013-14 season with just three assists in 45 games before being booted to the AHL. With a $2 million cap hit, it didn’t take much thought before Treliving cut ties and bought him out in the summer of 2014 rather than having a big ticket veteran clogging up the AHL for another season.