Waivers, Releases and Buyouts
Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 10:04 pm
1. Waivers
Players who are 23 years of age or older as of September 16th (i.e. in their sixth+ season since their first year of draft eligibility) are subject to waivers upon demotion to the AHL. This replaces the previous rule of 24 years of age or older as of the demotion date, so that players are eligible for waivers sooner, but their eligibility does not change during the season.
All players on waivers must be posted under Official Waiver Wire Thread, in the Transactions section of the forum. Players are available for claiming for a period of 24 hours from the initial post. GMs must post a reply in the thread to claim a player off waivers. Waiver priority is based on the previous season’s standings until November 15th, and from then, the current season’s standings. There are no limits on the number of waivers or waiver claims.
Waivers begin on Waiver Day, typically a day in October prior to the first game of the season. On Waiver Day, rosters are frozen for a period of 24 hours, and all players on the farm are eligible to be claimed for waivers. For the remainder of the season, waivers are tracked with the daily transactions page. All GMs must post their waivers during the season. Once the regular season ends, GMs may choose to place players on waivers, but do not need to do so.
Players picked up from the waiver wire must spend at least 7 days on their new team's pro roster before being demoted again.
If a player is waived again before 7 days have elapsed, and no other team claims them, their original owning team may choose to reclaim them directly to their farm roster without having to waive them once more. This discourages nuisance waiver claims.
2. Buyouts
All buyouts must be posted under the Bought-Out Players (Buyouts), thread in the Waiver Wire section of the forum. General managers must indicate the current contract with money and term.
A player on a team's buyout list cannot be re-signed or acquired in any way by that team for the duration of his time on that list. Unlike in the NHL, buyouts last (by default) for the duration of a player's remaining contract rather than being spread over twice the remaining number of seasons.
Buyouts for players with contracts extending beyond the current season, or with salaries $800k, may not be posted after the trade deadline.
a. Current Buyout Formula
Starting with the 2021 offseason, buyouts cost 75% of a player's remaining contract, minus a one-time discount of 300k (i.e. not annual). So, a 600k, 1y contract will cost 450k-300k = 150k to buy out; a 1M, 1y contract 750k-300k = 450k, and a 2M, 2y contract 4.0M - 300k = 3.7M, or 1.85M annually. Buyouts with a total cost of over 1M may be spread over one extra year beyond the player's contract length; otherwise, the buyout is spread over the remaining period of the player's contract.
b. Previous Buyout Formula
The previous buyout formula will remain valid until the 2021-22 regular season begins, after which it may not be used and will only remain for posterity:
Players signed or acquired by the previous GM: Teams will not be held entirely responsible for the decisions of their previous GM. The following chart shows the buyout percentages:
Up to $2,499,999 = 40%
$2,500,000 or more = 20%
Players signed or acquired by the current GM: General managers will be held accountable for their decisions by paying higher buyout costs. The following chart shows the buyout percentages:
Up to $2,499,999 = 50%
$2,500,000 or more = 75%
Players who are 23 years of age or older as of September 16th (i.e. in their sixth+ season since their first year of draft eligibility) are subject to waivers upon demotion to the AHL. This replaces the previous rule of 24 years of age or older as of the demotion date, so that players are eligible for waivers sooner, but their eligibility does not change during the season.
All players on waivers must be posted under Official Waiver Wire Thread, in the Transactions section of the forum. Players are available for claiming for a period of 24 hours from the initial post. GMs must post a reply in the thread to claim a player off waivers. Waiver priority is based on the previous season’s standings until November 15th, and from then, the current season’s standings. There are no limits on the number of waivers or waiver claims.
Waivers begin on Waiver Day, typically a day in October prior to the first game of the season. On Waiver Day, rosters are frozen for a period of 24 hours, and all players on the farm are eligible to be claimed for waivers. For the remainder of the season, waivers are tracked with the daily transactions page. All GMs must post their waivers during the season. Once the regular season ends, GMs may choose to place players on waivers, but do not need to do so.
Players picked up from the waiver wire must spend at least 7 days on their new team's pro roster before being demoted again.
If a player is waived again before 7 days have elapsed, and no other team claims them, their original owning team may choose to reclaim them directly to their farm roster without having to waive them once more. This discourages nuisance waiver claims.
2. Buyouts
All buyouts must be posted under the Bought-Out Players (Buyouts), thread in the Waiver Wire section of the forum. General managers must indicate the current contract with money and term.
A player on a team's buyout list cannot be re-signed or acquired in any way by that team for the duration of his time on that list. Unlike in the NHL, buyouts last (by default) for the duration of a player's remaining contract rather than being spread over twice the remaining number of seasons.
Buyouts for players with contracts extending beyond the current season, or with salaries $800k, may not be posted after the trade deadline.
a. Current Buyout Formula
Starting with the 2021 offseason, buyouts cost 75% of a player's remaining contract, minus a one-time discount of 300k (i.e. not annual). So, a 600k, 1y contract will cost 450k-300k = 150k to buy out; a 1M, 1y contract 750k-300k = 450k, and a 2M, 2y contract 4.0M - 300k = 3.7M, or 1.85M annually. Buyouts with a total cost of over 1M may be spread over one extra year beyond the player's contract length; otherwise, the buyout is spread over the remaining period of the player's contract.
b. Previous Buyout Formula
The previous buyout formula will remain valid until the 2021-22 regular season begins, after which it may not be used and will only remain for posterity:
Players signed or acquired by the previous GM: Teams will not be held entirely responsible for the decisions of their previous GM. The following chart shows the buyout percentages:
Up to $2,499,999 = 40%
$2,500,000 or more = 20%
Players signed or acquired by the current GM: General managers will be held accountable for their decisions by paying higher buyout costs. The following chart shows the buyout percentages:
Up to $2,499,999 = 50%
$2,500,000 or more = 75%