Even buyouts have fantasy implications, and there have been a few of them in this offseason. Let's examine what the important ones could mean to the player and the team that decided to part with their contract.  

Kyle Turris

Perhaps surprisingly, the Predators decided that Turris producing at half a point per game or less for $6 million per season wasn't going to cut it. In 2019-20, he got lost in the shuffle as one of eight Nashville forwards that played at least 55 games and produced between 0.45 and 0.55 points per game. David Poile is doing some housecleaning here, as another one of those forwards (Nick Bonino) has been traded and two more (Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith) are expected to leave as UFAs.

The Preds are saving money by swapping Bonino for pending RFA Luke Kunin. However, the Turris buyout could really signal that the Preds are clearing the needed cap space to make a run for Taylor Hall.

Fantasy Impact: Wild Trade Kunin to Nashville for Bonino

As for Turris, expect him to be signed as a depth forward somewhere on a short-term inexpensive deal.

Henrik Lundqvist

Eventually something had to give in the Rangers crease, and King Henrik became the odd man out. The Lundqvist buyout all but cements 24-year-old phenom Igor Shesterkin as the starter next season, with Alexandar Georgiev to be a backup who should play roughly 30 games. With the long-rumored buyout now complete, Shesterkin is a potential top-10 fantasy goalie next season. Even before the Lundqvist buyout, Shesterkin was a must-own in keeper leagues.

The 38-year-old Lundqvist, who has stated he is not ready to retire, is rumored to be signing with the rival Washington Capitals on Friday. Capitals GM Brian MacLellan has stated that he is looking for a veteran backup goalie, as Braden Holtby will likely move on as a free agent.

Bobby Ryan

Ryan played in just 24 games last season, so it's difficult to measure his recent fantasy impact. He only averaged 13:31 per game, but he was a regular on the first-unit power play when he was in the lineup. There will likely be major changes to the Senators' first-unit power play in 2020-21, with Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk the only locks there. Josh Norris, Alex Formenton, Drake Batherson, Logan Brown, and Vitaly Abramov will all push for full-time roster spots. With a strong start, one of these prospects could even make their way onto a wide-open PP1.

The winner of the Masterton Trophy, Ryan returned from treatment for alcohol abuse before the season was paused. The 33-year-old forward has expressed interest in continuing his career, and would likely be doing so on a very short-term contract.

Cory Schneider

With a Schneider buyout, the Devils should probably be added to the goaltending market for a 1B/timeshare goalie. Qualified RFA-to-be Mackenzie Blackwood seems capable of handling a 50/50 workload, but at the moment he doesn't project to be an Andrei Vasilevskiy/Connor Hellebuyck/Carey Price who can carry the mail most games.

Lower-body injury issues have limited Schneider to just 39 games over the past two seasons. These injuries have likely played a major factor in Schneider posting a 3.12 GAA and .902 SV% over those two seasons, as Schneider has a very respectable career 2.43 GAA and .918 SV%. Despite the recent injury issues, Schneider is expected to be interested in finding a spot with another team. However, given the high supply of free agent goalies, the sharp decline in his numbers, and the injury risk, it's possible that we may have seen the last of the 34-year-old Schneider.  

Alexander Wennberg

Prior to the Wennberg buyout, the Blue Jackets acquired Max Domi. So it would make sense that the Jackets would use Domi in Wennberg's old slot, as it appears they are committed to using Domi as a center. As well, Wennberg was often used on a scoring line with wingers like Cam Atkinson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Nick Foligno in spite of his underwhelming scoring totals over the last two seasons (less than 0.4 PTS/GP). The Blue Jackets are also rumored to be interested in Taylor Hall, so buying out Wennberg clears up much-needed cap space.

Fantasy Take: Montreal sends Domi to Columbus for Anderson

Wennberg's body of work shows one standout season (59 points in 2016-17). However, he did not seem like a favorite of John Tortorella, who limited his icetime at times and even made him a healthy scratch. The former first-round pick should generate some interest around the league as a third-line center with upside who could simply use a fresh start.  

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The other players that have been bought out so far this offseason are Michael Grabner, Karl Alzner, Justin Abdelkader, Jack Johnson, and Steven Santini.

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The flattened cap resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic may have been a factor, but there seemed to be a higher-than-normal number of RFAs that did not receive qualifying offers this offseason. Within that list, there were a few surprising names. RFAs that were not qualified will now become unrestricted free agents.

Andreas Athanasiou

You'd think the Oilers would have given Athanasiou another try, especially since they traded two second-round picks and Sam Gagner (since re-signed by the Red Wings) to acquire him. Yet the speedy Athanasiou just could not make it work in Edmonton, as he was held without a point in 12 combined regular-season and postseason games after recording a goal and an assist in his Edmonton debut. It should be noted that he was dealing with a quad injury late in the regular season. Due to his lack of production, his departure should barely make a ripple fantasy-wise. However, the Oilers re-signed Jesse Puljujarvi on Thursday, so there simply might not have been enough room to keep AA. The Oilers are also believed to be interested in Jacob Markstrom, should he still be a UFA by Friday.

A 30-goal scorer not that long ago (2018-19), Athanasiou should generate some interest from a team in need of scoring help, possibly even on a multi-year deal. If GM Ken Holland is letting AA walk because he couldn't trade him, that might give you an idea of what the trade market is like right now. As with other RFA decisions, costs and offseason plans could be factoring into the decision.

Dominik Kahun

In his second NHL season, Kahun produced at a 45-point pace (31 points in 56 games). He scored four points in six games after being traded to Buffalo from Pittsburgh at the deadline, so the decision to not at least qualify him seems a bit puzzling. But again, this is not a typical offseason, and the Sabres are a cost-conscious team.

For what it's worth, new GM Kevyn Adams has stated he will try to re-sign Kahun before the UFA period starts on Friday. Earlier this week, the Sabres signed Tage Thompson to a three-year deal with an AAV of $1.4 million. Thompson played just one NHL game in 2019-20 after starting the season in the AHL (although a shoulder season ended his season early), and he only recorded 12 points in 65 NHL games in 2018-19. However, it appears that the Sabres have bigger plans for the 6-6 Thompson, which might come at the expense of Kahun.

Anthony Duclair

Duclair looked like he had finally found a home in Ottawa, scoring 21 goals over his first 41 games last season. However, look at the fact that he stumbled to just two goals in his 25 remaining games and the Sens' decision to walk away might make more sense. Much of what was mentioned about Ryan leaving above also applies to Duclair leaving, particularly with the power play.

According to Elliotte Friedman, Duclair and the Senators could not agree on an extension, and Ottawa did not want to go to arbitration. Duclair will represent himself as a UFA, although the Senators may still try to negotiate a contract with him. If he lands with a new team, don't expect him to have as prominent a role as he did in Ottawa.

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Others notable names not qualified include Malcolm Subban, Mark Jankowski, Madison Bowey, Carter Verhaeghe, Travis Boyd, Troy Stecher, Lucas Wallmark, and Jayce Hawryluk, along with prospects Jeremy Roy and Jeremy Bracco. Even if these players weren't qualified, it's still possible that they are re-signed by their clubs from last season if the market doesn't provide what they would have received as a qualifying offer.