Three players have just been targeted for a contract buyout including a surprise

It's the first big step of the off-season, just after the NHL Draft, of course.

According to well-informed experts, five players could be bought out in the next few hours, including a name you know well.

Among these five targeted players, one has already officially been bought out, and that's the defender of the Vancouver Canucks, Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Here are the four other names to seriously watch.

- Joel Armia, from the Montreal Canadiens

- Mike Reilly, from the Boston Bruins and formerly from the Montreal Canadiens

- Matt Murray, goaltender of the Toronto Maple Leafs

- Ryan Suter, from the Dallas Stars

Last year, seven contracts were bought out. We can therefore expect a similar number this year.

In this list, Mike Reilly's name is a surprise given that the Bruins refused a third round pick for his services at the trade deadline, but apparently, things change quickly.

Credit: TVA Sports

And via Rumeursdetransaction.com