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Under a compliance buyout, Sekera would be still get paid his money over time, but that money would not count against Edmonton’s cap, making it easier for the Oilers to bring in new and costly talent but stay under the cap.

Who might get bought out?

Who might the Edmonton Oilers and other teams buy out if there’s a compliance buyout scheme this year?

That will come down to numerous factors, with perhaps the most important factor being the willingness and ability of a team owner to pay out a buyout, then replace that salary on the team. Given the financial hit folks are taking right now, some owners may not be willing to do so.

Edmonton owner Daryl Katz has never been reluctant about spending, spending and spending even more in order to support his Oilers. He’s spent on expensive contracts for American Hockey League players, dumping weak NHLers in the AHL, front-loading contracts, extra managers and scouts, and buyouts of Sekera, Benoit Pouliot, Lauri Korpikoski, and Eric Gryba.

Will Katz be willing to buy out one or two more expensive contracts this summer? If so, which player or players should be bought out on the Oilers? And on other teams?

I don’t profess to be any kind of expert in evaluating the talent on other NHL teams. I don’t watch them nearly closely enough, nor do I do video analysis of their scoring chance plays, as I do with the Oilers.

But this back-of-the-envelope look at buyout candidates might well identify some obvious candidates. I’m looking at a player’s age, his contract and term, then doing a quick stat analysis looking at his totals and rankings for total points, points per 60 even strength and total time on ice.