Adam Proteau of The Hockey News answers some emails and this buyout question is one I receive on a regular basis...

Was the two amnesty buyouts per team a one-time provision in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, or can teams continue to buy out players annually?

This must be a trick question, because the answer is neither. The NHL’s amnesty buyouts were implemented in the wake of the 2013 CBA, but allowed the two buyouts per team to be used either last summer or in the summer of 2014.

The grand majority of franchises still have both buyouts to use if they so desire; only four teams (Chicago, Montreal, Philadelphia and Toronto) have used both, and only seven teams (the Islanders, Rangers, Detroit, Minnesota, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, and Washington,) have used one. So it’s fair to expect that we’ll see more buyouts – and teams potentially making trades with organizations like the Flyers or Leafs to use their buyout on an acquired player in exchanged for a dumped contract or unwanted asset.

That isn’t to say teams can’t buy out players after this summer. The difference is, the normal buyout rules apply, – meaning the amount of contract term remaining at the time of the buyout is spread out over twice the number of years, and two-thirds of the money remaining is paid out and (and this is the most important part) counts against the cap.

read on for more Q & A...