3 players very likely headed for a buyout this summer.

General managers in the National Hockey League earn big money for performing in the high stress environment of competitive professional sports but, in spite of the fact that they are among the best in the world at what they do, they aren't immune to mistakes.

We've all seen disastrous contracts handed out over the years, so much so in fact that there's probably a decent chance that you can think of particularly bad contracts signed by your particular favorite team, and that trend has shown no sign of slowing down over the years.

While there will no doubt be more questionable contacts handed out this summer, I believe that at least 3 general managers in the NHL are now seriously contemplating correcting some of their earlier mistakes through the use of a buyout.

Today I'm looking at 3 players, in no particular order, that I believe won't make it to next season under their current contract.

#1 Justin Holl - Detroit Red Wings

Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs were shocked when it was announced that Holl had been signed by the Detroit Red Wings to a 3 year deal with an average annual value and cap hit of $3.4 million per season, and it seems the Red Wings may now realize that it was a mistake as well.

Holl has appeared in just 111 games for the Red Wings over the last two seasons and has amassed a total of 2 goals and 11 assists over that stretch and has continued to be a liability defensively on the blue line. That being said he did have a strong defensive finish to his season, although that may not be enough to spare him from a buyout.

The move makes a ton of sense financially for the Red Wings as well, Holl has a cap hit of $3.4 million for this upcoming NHL season but a buyout would reduce that to just $1.13 million, a cap savings of $2.26 million. The Red Wings would only have to deal with a cap penalty of $1.13 million next season, very manageable under a rising salary cap.

#2 Matt Dumba - Dallas Stars.

At 30 years old it appears as though Dumba's best days of NHL hockey are already behind him, with the Dallas Stars sending a clear message during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Dumba played 63 games for the Stars last season, scoring a goal and adding 9 assists for 10 total points over that stretch, but was benched for every single game when it came time for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

That becomes even more of a concern when you consider the fact that the Stars reached the Western Conference Final where they desperately searched for an answer to the Edmonton Oilers who eventually dispatched them in just 5 games.

The Stars signed Dumba to a 2 year contract that carries an average annual value and cap hit of $3.75 million per season, and with the team so tight up against the cap a buyout seems like a very likely possibility here. Buying out Dumba would reduce his cap hit for next season to $1.41 million, a cap savings of $2.33 million which the Stars could desperately use right now, and they would only incur a cap penalty of $1.16 million the following season.

#3 Philipp Grubauer - Seattle Kraken.

Unlike the other players on this list, Grubauer has 2 years remaining on his current contract but in spite of that it seems likely that the Kraken will consider a buyout this summer. In his 4 seasons with the Kraken, Grubauer has never delivered between the pipes to the degree that he showed he could in a lesser role with the Washington Capitals and the Colorado Avalanche. His most recent season with the Kraken was also his worst, with Grubauer recording a 3.49 goals against average and a .875 save percentage over just 26 games last season.

Those are abysmal numbers from an NHL goaltender but they look even worse when you realize that Grubauer comes at a cap hit of $5.9 million per season for the next 2 years.

Grubauer having an additional year remaining on his deal does make his buyout a little more unpalatable, but the Kraken would still see significant savings by doing so. A buyout of Grubauer would see the Kraken save nearly $4 million against the cap in the first year and nearly $3 million in the second year, in exchange for a cap penalty of just $1.68 million in the final 2 years of the buyout.

All of the teams in the NHL contemplating a buyout will have until the end of the month to do so, with the buyout window officially closing on June 30th at 5 PM EST.