Solution - don't buy Johnson out but deal him with a sweetener. Also Killer, Paquette and Coburn are also getting traded I Imagine.

Assuming he'll go somewhere that can take him.

I'm lowkey expecting Brisebois and Yzerman making a move helping each other. Tampa trades Johnson+2nd to DET for a 6th rounder and then DET trades Johnson back to TB with 50% salary retained for that same pick, after which he'd be put to waivers again. At $2,5M I'd imagine someone will take him.

Naturally TJ's NTC makes this a bit harder but I'm expecting something like this, or potentially a 3-way trade involving a team eating half of his salary.

I believe you can't trade a player back to original team for one year

Not sure whether there's a rule regarding that, but if that's the case they'll use the latter option I wager.

Tampa does not want TJ at all ... even if his contract was less .. he unplayable .. agree it will cost a #2 and maybe prosoect to get rid of him.. JBB over played his hand

It'll cost them to rid some contracts, say Tyler Johnson and young RFA RD Cernak packaged together for picks and prospects, or Stamkos for just fairly meh (3rds) picks and a mid level prospect or two, but it can and will be done