The potential of a Dubois buyout depends largely on when the buyout window opens, and if it comes before his 26th birthday on June 24.
If it does, the Kings could potentially buy out the remainder of Dubois' contract at one-third of its current price and give them a pretty manageable salary cap hit over the next 14 years. That might seem outrageous, but the buyout would never result in a dead cap hit of more than $3.8 million in any individual season through 2037-38. It would not top $1.6 million over the next two years in result in some significant salary cap savings during that time.
The fact this is even being discussed as a possibility is kind of outrageous given that Dubois just signed his eight-year, $68 million contract with the Kings a year ago.
But the first year of that contract was so disastrous performance-wise (only 16 goals, 24 assists, and 40 total points in 82 games) that the Kings are almost certainly going to be looking for some way out of this deal.
They could potentially trade him before July before his no-trade clause kicks in, but that would require another team to be willing to take on that contract.
The buyout might be an extreme measure, but it might also make sense if the window opens in time.
If the buyout window opens after June 24 any buyout would result in half of the contract value. That is far less advantageous for the Kings and makes a buyout far less likely.
So this really comes down to the timing of the Stanley Cup Final and when the window opens. The Kings might be cheering for a short Stanley Cup Final series here.
