Francois Beauchemin contract bought out by Avalanche

Avalanche fans don’t have Francois Beauchemin to kick around anymore.

The Avs Thursday morning announced they have bought out the final year of the veteran defenseman’s contract. Beauchemin had one year left on a three-year, $13.5 million contract. Despite buying out the final year and $4.5 million left on the deal, the Avs will still have to absorb that $4.5 million cap hit toward this season’s payroll.

That’s because Beauchemin was 35 when the deal started, and the NHL has a rule that states teams must absorb the cap hit of players at that minimum age, even on a buyout. But the Avs do get two “benefits” from the buyout: For one, they only have to pay Beauchemin $3 million in hard cash, and…