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Islanders buy out Brendan Witt’s contract

Brendan Witt

New York Islanders’ Brendan Witt skates with the puck in the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

AP

Last week we told you about how the Islanders put Brendan Witt on unconditional waivers and now the team has made it official, declaring they were buying out Witt’s contract. Witt was due to make $2.5 million next season, the final year of a two-year, $6 million deal. According to Cap Geek, the buy out will cost the Islanders $1.33 million this year and $833,333 next year.

Money isn’t a worry for the Islanders as they’re well below the salary floor, so eating a contract doesn’t affect them. As for Witt and where he could end up next, both Los Angeles and Chicago are in the market for defensive help, perhaps they might take a strong look at Witt to see if he can provide what they’re looking for.

Los Angeles in particular is in need of stay-at-home defensive help and they don’t exactly fear aging tough guys, they did employ Sean O’Donnell the last two seasons. One huge catch there is that O’Donnell was always a plus player on the plus/minus scale. Brendan Witt’s last two seasons in plus/minus: -18 and -34. Granted those numbers came on sub-par Islanders teams, the -34 came on the team that ended earning the #1 pick over all in 2009, but Witt’s physical presence might come in handy on a back line that will be missing Matt Greene for a little while.