NHL GM may have to buyout two bad contracts this summer.

A National Hockey League general manager has two very difficult choices to makes this summer.

It's been clear for some time now that the Dallas Stars can not be a competitive team with their current goaltending tandem. Unfortunately fore general manager Jim Nill, both Khari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi remain under contract.

The ideal scenario for the Stars would be to orchestrate some sort of trade, but it's hard to imagine they could find a partner for such a deal. Even if the Stars retained 50% of either players salary it seems unlikely they could make a trade a reality. With that being said, the Stars currently have the most expensive goaltending tandem in the NHL(cap hit of $10.4 million), and they also happen to be the worst, something has to give.

Stars insider Mike Heika believes the answer could be a drasdtic one, with Jim Nill contemplating a potential buyout for not just one of the two, but perhaps even both goaltenders.

From the Dallas Morning News:

The question is, does he attempt to buy out one or both? The expansion draft to stock the Vegas Golden Knights might play a big role in those decisions as it could put a large group of goalies in play.

Lehtonen's buyout would count for roughly a $2 million in cap hit over two seasons, while Niemi's would be slightly cheaper coming in at around $1.5 million. $3.5 million against the cap is a big blow, but if it meant that the Stars could get their hands on a Ben Bishop or a Marc-Andre Fleury, it may very well be their best option.