Turns out Jussi Jokinen's $3 million salary for next season actually is a stumbling block to other teams interested in acquiring his services.
Both Jokinen and Tim Wallace cleared waivers at noon today, and Wallace has been assigned to AHL Charlotte. The Hurricanes remain on the hook for Jokinen's salary, as the new collective bargaining agreement eliminated re-entry waivers. The CBA allows for two amnesty buyouts per team in the upcoming offseason, where the player would be paid the buyout amount but it would not count against the salary cap, and it seems plausible that, should he be unable to trade Jokinen, GM Jim Rutherford could buy him out and remove his hit from the team's cap for the 2013-14 season.
Details from the team regarding Wallace's assignment to Charlotte are below. Note that the team does not issue press releases regarding players who go unclaimed on waivers, so there is no official press release regarding Jokinen's clearing.
‘CANES REASSIGN TIM WALLACE TO CHARLOTTE
Forward has played in 21 games with Hurricanes this season
RALEIGH, NC – Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has reassigned forward Tim Wallace to the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Wallace, 28, was recalled from Charlotte on Feb. 3, and scored one goal and registered 52 hits in 21 games with Carolina. The Anchorage, AK, native notched nine goals and earned 11 assists (20 points) in 43 games with the Checkers prior to his recall. In 94 career NHL regular-season games, Wallace (6’1", 207 lbs.) has scored three goals and earned eight assists (11 points) with Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, the New York Islanders and the Hurricanes. He is in his seventh professional season and his first season with Carolina after signing with the Hurricanes as a free agent on July 19, 2012.