I think plan a) is resign Rutta and buy out Myers b) let rutta walk and keep Myers. Don't think they are worried about whichever happens.

Myers is Ahl material.

The GM is using a smoke screen.

The buyout will happen.

That D core is brutal. We better bring Rutta back

Why not just bury Myers for a year and not qualify him?

Yes there's a $1.425M cap hit to Tampa next season when he's in the AHL but then he's gone the following year.

Yeah, I am quite confused by JBB saying they like his tools.
There's no reason to deny a buyout if they're planning on it anyway.
Maybe they think they can trade Myer's contract to another team looking for ~$600k cap space and get an asset back but IDK.

I wonder if Tampa will flip Myers to someone who wants to buy him out. Then re-sign Rutta

Interesting thought. Makes sense tho considering Tampa should have no interest in keeping him

Yeah, very little chance, despite what JBB said, that Myers is playing for the TBL this season. Buying him out gives Tampa approximately 7.3 million in additional space(factoring the 6.75 from McD plus the 633k from the buy out). Tampa would have almost 9 million in cap space to re-sign Palat, Rutta, and a 3LD. They could also trade Killorn and have almost 13.5 to sign those 3 plus a Killorn replacement. Hard to see Tampa rolling Myers and preferring him over Rutta,especially when Rutta more than likely stays for less then Myers' current hit.