Minnesota Wild reportedly buying out Thomas Vanek

In July 2014, the Minnesota Wild signed left winger Thomas Vanek to a three-year, $19.5 million contract. Two-thirds of the way into Vanek’s campaign with the Wild, they are reportedly going to buy out the rest of his contract.

General Fanager reported that Vanek’s buyout salary cap hit will come out to $1.5 million, which will save the Wild an estimated $5 million.

The Wild now have around $14.7 million in cap space to use however they please. They’ll likely use it to resign forward Jason Zucker and defender Matt Dumba, but the options for the Wild are open at left winger.

Before coming to the Wild, Vanek bounced around the NHL, playing for the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadians, and the New York Islanders. In his year before the contract, he scored 27 goals and 68 points in just 78 games.

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In Minnesota, Vanek’s production dipped considerably, perhaps due to some legal troubles he had while a part of the franchise. In two seasons with the Wild, Vanek averaged .60 points per game and .25 goals per game, a fairly steep drop from his .83 points per game and .42 goals per game he averaged with the Sabres.

It’s arguable that Vanek might just be past his prime as a hockey player. He’s been in the NHL since 2003, and has outlived the average shelf for forwards in the NHL. Despite his off-ice issues while in Minnesota and his dip in production, Vanek might be a solid option for teams looking for an okay forward at a discount.

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