NHL compliance buyout rules altered thanks to Scott Gomez, Wade Redden

The NHL and NHL Players' Association have come to an agreement on an amendment to the compliance buyout clause in the new collective bargaining agreement, according to Larry Brooks of the New York Post and Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet.

Previously, teams had to wait until this upcoming offseason to use a compliance buyout. With Montreal Canadiens forward Scott Gomez and New York Rangers defenseman Wade Redden acting as the virtual poster boys for this new rule, it was assumed that they would be the first casualties of the clause.

It turned out that they were, but not in the way many expected.

Both the Canadiens and Rangers requested that the two players sit out the entirety of the season in order to avoid injury. If a player suffers an injury, they are ineligible to have a compliance buyout used on them. With neither team wanting to risk that chance, Gomez and Redden would have suffered missing a full season.

Now, the league has implemented an 'accelerated compliance buyout,' which will allow any club to use one of their two buyouts prior to the start of the regular season on Saturday. The team will take on the entirety of the players' cap-hit this season, regardless of whether he signs with another team.

If a players is bought out prior to Saturday, his cap-hit will not count next season.

Teams will still be eligible to use the compliance buyouts in the Summer of 2013 or 2014.