The NHL's buyout period saw the contracts of six players bought out, and in this file, we look at where those players are headed, where some of them still could wind up playing and what they could do next season.

The NHL’s buyout period has come and gone, and six veterans wound up having their contracts cut short in the name of salary cap prudence. Who are they? And what are their expectations for this coming season with their new employer? The answers come below, in alphabetical order, along with their new team (where applicable):

1. Cam Atkinson, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

In his two years with Philadelphia, Atkinson had a 23-goal, 50-point season with the Flyers in 2021-22, but his numbers fell to 13 goals and 28 points this past season. That wasn’t nearly enough offense to justify his $5.875-million contract which had one year left to go when Philly GM Daniel Briere bought him out.

Now as a member of the Lightning, the 35-year-old Atkinson won’t get back to the form he showed in 2018-19, when he netted 41 goals for the Blue Jackets. But on the Bolts, he can be an above-average middle-six winger – and at the low cost of only $900,000, he could be a very cost-effective asset. Atkinson is close to the end of his career, but Tampa GM Julien BriseBois felt comfortable bringing him in on a short-term basis, and the move could pay off in the Lightning’s favor.

2. Adam Boqvist, D, UFA

Boqvist is still only 23 years old, but he was a spare part in Columbus last season, and his NHL salary of $2.6 million was deemed too much for the Blue Jackets. The lack of offers for a valuable right-shot blueliner is rather telling for Boqvist’s NHL future, and the Swede might wind up going home to play in 2024-25. But who knows – with an injury here or there, another NHL team might step up and pay him a relatively small amount of money to continue his NHL career.

3. Jack Campbell, G, Detroit Red Wings

Noted good guy Campbell has had a rough go of it in recent years, and following the 2023-24 campaign, the 32-year-old goaltender had the final three seasons (and $15 million) of his contract bought out by Edmonton. Campbell has latched on with the Red Wings on a $775,000, one-year contract.

Campbell is currently fourth on Detroit’s netminding depth chart behind veterans Ville Husso, Alex Lyon and new Wing Cam Talbot, so unless there are significant injuries and/or underwhelming performances by the three goalies ahead of him, Campbell is likely to be an American League player, the same way he was an AHLer for most of 2023-24. He may get perhaps one final opportunity to prove himself an NHLer, but that opportunity won’t come soon.

4. Nate Schmidt, D, Florida Panthers

Somehow, despite being bought out by the Winnipeg Jets for the final year of a contract that paid him $5.95 million per year, Schmidt fell upward, landing with the Cup-champion Florida Panthers on a one-year, $800,000 deal. The 32-year-old blueliner will be a third-pair D-man for the Panthers, and he’ll have every chance to show he’s still got lots of game left in him.

Schmidt wasn’t a total disaster with the Jets, but like every contract on this list, his deal was simply too rich for teams squeezed by the cap. He’s now on a better team than Winnipeg, and as a third-pair D-man, on the defending champs, he may just be in the best position possible for him.

5. Jeff Skinner, LW, Edmonton Oilers

The final three seasons of Skinner’s gigantic contract with the Buffalo Sabres was bought out as many expected, and the 32-year-old winger chose the Oilers as his new team on a one-year, $3-million contract. That’s quite the haircut on his 2023-24 salary of $9 million, but at long last, and for the first time in his 14-year NHL career, Skinner will finally know what Stanley Cup playoff hockey looks like up close as a member of the Oilers.

Certainly, playing on the same team as phenoms Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl should boost Skinner’s goal totals from the 24 he had with Buffalo last season back to the 30-35 goals he generated annually for the Sabres in seasons prior. Skinner will be under more scrutiny than he’s ever experienced in his NHL days, but Edmonton doesn’t need him to do all the heavy lifting – instead, he can be a secondary producer of offense, and that should suit him just fine.

6. Ryan Suter, D, UFA

The 39-year-old Suter has been one of the better NHL defensemen in his 19 seasons, but he’s also had his contracts bought out twice in the past three seasons – first, by the Minnesota Wild in 2021, then by the Dallas Stars in June. The fact that no team has signed him in the couple of weeks since his latest buyout is a negative comment on where he sits competitiveness-wise, but Suter might still have one last NHL gasp left if the right circumstance presents itself. Suter’s experience may be valuable to a team seeking a third-pair blueliner, but retirement is also an option for him.