Canadiens set to buy out free-agent bust Karl Alzner

Another buyout is on the docket, as the Montreal Canadiens have placed Karl Alzner on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. With two years left on his deal, Montreal will incur cap penalties for the next four seasons. Those charges will look like this:

• 2020-21: $3,958,333
• 2021-22: $1,958,333
• 2022-23: $833,333
• 2023-24: $833,333

Alzner, 32, was actually signed to the longest contract on day one of free agency just three years ago, inking a five-year deal with the Canadiens that carried a cap hit of $4.625M. That deal, which was considered extremely risky right from the start, resulted in just 95 games played for Montreal.

In 2017-18, Alzner spent the entire season in the NHL, suiting up for all 82 games and averaging more than 20 minutes a night. Unfortunately, those minutes weren’t all that effective, with the defensive defenseman recording just 12 points and poor possession statistics. By the next season, he was buried in the minor leagues, where he has spent the majority of the last two years.

That risky deal turned into an albatross for the Canadiens, though the team was never really in cap trouble as Montreal slowly rebuilt the team around a younger core. Now that the Habs are ready to start competing again, getting at least some of the Alzner money off the books was an obvious choice.

Still, because of the front-loaded nature of the deal, the Canadiens will not receive much relief this season. They do however save quite a bit of actual money, paying Alzner just $833K in each of the next four seasons.

It’s hard to see an NHL future for the veteran defenseman, though perhaps at a much lower cost another team would take a chance on him as a depth option.