Contract Termination
Are there specific conditions that must exist for a team to terminate a player's contract? The Rangers signed Tony DeAngelo to a two-year deal, and just put him on waivers. If he isn't claimed, and they don't want him, can they terminate his contract, or buy him out somehow?
Answer
Contracts can be terminated if both the player and team mutually decides on a termination and the player clears waivers. This often happens for non-NHL players that wish to go play in Europe, so both sides agree to terminate. When the player does not want to terminate (like in DeAngelo's case), the contract can only be terminated if the player does something to violate it. This is very rare. Even if a player refuses to report and play, usually the contract is still valid but the player is suspended and the contract does not count against the cap. A buy-out can only happen in the off-season during the 2 buyout windows.
