Holl Vulnerable As Red Wings Consider Buyouts Friday

Many Detroit Red Wings fans will be talking about defenseman Justin Holl Friday regardless of the decision GM Steve Yzerman makes about his future.

The NHL buyout period starts Friday and runs until June 30 at 5 p.m. Teams must place a player on waivers first for the purpose of buying out his contract. If Holl shows up in waivers Friday, it means the Red Wings will have an additional $2 million-plus in cap space. Just as important, it opens up a roster spot for a free agent signing, a trade acquisition or rookie Axel Sandin Pellikka.

If Holl isn’t on waivers, some fans will vent on social media because Holl and his $3.4 million contract have been a source of fan consternation since he was signed by Yzerman.

Coaches lauded Holl for how he played (plus-1 over the final 21 games) in the latter stages of the 2024-25 season. But fans had long before made up their mind about him.

As an over age 26 player, the Red Wings can buy out the last season of his deal for two-thirds value. Under the terms of the CBA, they can spread the cap space hit over two seasons. That drops his $3.4 million cap hit to $1.133 million for each of the next two seasons. That puts the cap savings for this season at $2.267 million.

That would give Detroit $22.467 million in cap space.

Tarasenko Vulnerable

Holl and forward Vladmir Tarasenko have been the only Detroit players listed on league stories about potential buyouts. Tarasenko is coming off a disappointing 11-goal season and he has one year left on his contract with a $4.75 million cap hit.

In his postseason address, Yzerman sounded as if he was bringing back Tarasenko.

“His play was better probably than his production,” Yzerman said. “…I would say he was frustrated not being able to produce. I think that affected his attitude and affected his play. But overall, you try to reassure him that you’re doing a lot of good things out there. Don’t let the missed chances or the inability to score affect your play.”

But that was two months ago. Today, Yzerman undoubtedly has a better idea of what he might be able to accomplish in the free agent or trade markets. If he buys out Tarasenko, his cap hit goes down from $4.75 million to $1.583 million.

The other potential buyout would be Erik Gustafsson, who has one year left at $2 million. His puck-handling skill, combined with his low salary makes him less of a buyout candidate.