Free Agent Frenzy

[scottnc]

From the letter of the rules, I don't believe that they or any other team has truly violated anything. However, teams have been pushing contracts further into the ridiculous realm in order to bypass the intent of the CBA. I'm glad that the arbitrator ruled with the League, as the trend needed to be stopped (really, it needed to be stopped long before this.)

 

The easiest partial fix would be making the cap hit for anyone over 35 count even if taken off the books (through retirement or demotion) regardless of the age of the player signing. However, I don't know if that would completely fix it as there will always be teams at the league floor who would take a sub-$1 million (actual salary) player with a $6 million cap hit to help clear that hurdle. It would, however, be far riskier for teams, especially when adding those post-40 years. A bigger change would be to put stronger limitations on the difference is salaries over the life of a SPC. For example, no year may be more than 20% from the cap hit. Then, a player with a $6 million hit couldn't have a salary of more than $7.2 million or less than $4.8 million. If a player wants years at $10 million, then the cap hit couldn't be below $8.33 million ($10/1.2) and no year could be below $6.67 million (note: Vanek's contract would not meet this requirement, but could have if they had spread the signing bonuses in the first two years over three years; e.g., $8.5M, $8.5M, $7.4M instead of $10M, $8M, $6.4M.)

 

Why don't they just do it like the NFL? Get rid of the average of the salary, and just use the actual salary for that year against the cap (without the NFL type signing bonuses of course). I'm sure that was thought of in the bargaining process but it makes a lot more sense to me and would eliminate this kind of contract.

[henysgol]

I was hoping The Sabres would pick up Madden.

[henysgol]

How about Darcy Tucker? YEA!!! hahaha I hate that bastard, but he would be entertaining to route for as a Sabre. He wouldn't make the team any better though.

[darksabre]

How about Darcy Tucker? YEA!!! hahaha I hate that bastard, but he would be entertaining to route for as a Sabre. He wouldn't make the team any better though.

 

Only because it would cause thousands of Leafs fans to burn their treasured Tucker jerseys.

[shrader]

Why don't they just do it like the NFL? Get rid of the average of the salary, and just use the actual salary for that year against the cap (without the NFL type signing bonuses of course). I'm sure that was thought of in the bargaining process but it makes a lot more sense to me and would eliminate this kind of contract.

 

That encourages teams to play these games and load the contracts in crazy ways. A player probably wouldn't want to do it, but the average stops a team with an already bloated payroll from adding an elite superstar for $1 million now and real money a few years later. No system is perfect, but this one is a hell of a lot easier to keep track of.

[static70]

Interesting to see if NJ comes back with a 15 or 13 year contract and what the affect on the overall salary cap will be by season.

I would have to think they are going to have to move a contract or 2 given the ruling by the arbitrator.

 

Has anyone any thoughts on who NJ might consider moving?

[Taro T]

That encourages teams to play these games and load the contracts in crazy ways. A player probably wouldn't want to do it, but the average stops a team with an already bloated payroll from adding an elite superstar for $1 million now and real money a few years later. No system is perfect, but this one is a hell of a lot easier to keep track of.

That is a big part of it. Going by actual cash value also could lead to a team having a relatively low payroll in a particular season and then finishing the year with some seriously over the cap payroll because they'd have "banked" the extra cash.

 

Going by cash value also doesn't account for NHL salaries being guaranteed (1/3, 2/3, or 100% depending upon age and circumstances). How would that system account for a player having received $2MM in year 1 to play and then getting waived in year 2 when he's due $4MM and still has $6MM due in year 3? He's going to get $6.67MM of that $10MM. Does the team lose that much money off it's cap in the future, or does that money just get paid without any hit to the cap at all. If it's the former, then you won't see many players getting waived. If it's the latter, then there really isn't any cap at all. Something inbetween could be an accounting nightmare.

 

Not sure how trades would be effected by going to a actual payroll cap, nor how performance bonuses would have to be accounted for. The list goes on.

 

Going w/ "actual" player salaries vs average creates all sorts of loopholes to exploit. The system they went with actually works pretty well. (As evidenced by Kovy's deal getting shot down.)

[nfreeman]

I'm glad that the arbitrator sided w/ the NHL. Didn't expect that he would.

 

It'll be interesting to see where the Devils and Kovy go from here.

I too was not expecting this outcome and am glad.

 

As for the Devils and Kovy -- it might not be as smooth as some expect. I'd guess that he's pretty firm on getting paid pretty close to the $95MM for 10 years he got from them the first time around. I'd also guess that there is NFW the Devils will swallow a $9.5MM cap hit -- i.e. they were willing to live with the $95MM at a $6MM cap hit, but not the real cap hit. They will probably try to get him to take a bit less, and spread the years out a bit, but having lost the case already, they can't monkey around too much. I wonder whether Kovy will accept less than $9MM or so per year, or whether he'll get fed up with negotiating and approach the Kings again.

 

From the letter of the rules, I don't believe that they or any other team has truly violated anything. However, teams have been pushing contracts further into the ridiculous realm in order to bypass the intent of the CBA. I'm glad that the arbitrator ruled with the League, as the trend needed to be stopped (really, it needed to be stopped long before this.)

 

The easiest partial fix would be making the cap hit for anyone over 35 count even if taken off the books (through retirement or demotion) regardless of the age of the player signing. However, I don't know if that would completely fix it as there will always be teams at the league floor who would take a sub-$1 million (actual salary) player with a $6 million cap hit to help clear that hurdle. It would, however, be far riskier for teams, especially when adding those post-40 years. A bigger change would be to put stronger limitations on the difference is salaries over the life of a SPC. For example, no year may be more than 20% from the cap hit. Then, a player with a $6 million hit couldn't have a salary of more than $7.2 million or less than $4.8 million. If a player wants years at $10 million, then the cap hit couldn't be below $8.33 million ($10/1.2) and no year could be below $6.67 million (note: Vanek's contract would not meet this requirement, but could have if they had spread the signing bonuses in the first two years over three years; e.g., $8.5M, $8.5M, $7.4M instead of $10M, $8M, $6.4M.)

The bolded part is the right way to handle it, IMHO.

 

How about Darcy Tucker? YEA!!! hahaha I hate that bastard, but he would be entertaining to route for as a Sabre. He wouldn't make the team any better though.

I think Tucker's about out of gas.

 

The system they went with actually works pretty well. (As evidenced by Kovy's deal getting shot down.)

I agree that it works pretty well, especially since the hard league-wide cap, combined with the escrow, means that all of these shenanigans and loopholes (which are inevitable, because it's impossible to anticipate everything, and smart people will always come up with new ones) can't result in payroll exceeding a fixed percentage of revenue on a league-wide basis.

[static70]

My first impression and post on the kovy arbitration process was that the NHL would lose, but I investigated the CBA a little (thanks chz for giving me the link) and I then altered my thoughts after reviewing the information in the CBA on circumvention.

 

Linky to the "I was right" post :clapping:

 

 

It was not really a surprise to me, but the possibility of other, apparantly already NHL approved contracts is. :blink:

[scottnc]

That is a big part of it. Going by actual cash value also could lead to a team having a relatively low payroll in a particular season and then finishing the year with some seriously over the cap payroll because they'd have "banked" the extra cash.

 

Going by cash value also doesn't account for NHL salaries being guaranteed (1/3, 2/3, or 100% depending upon age and circumstances). How would that system account for a player having received $2MM in year 1 to play and then getting waived in year 2 when he's due $4MM and still has $6MM due in year 3? He's going to get $6.67MM of that $10MM. Does the team lose that much money off it's cap in the future, or does that money just get paid without any hit to the cap at all. If it's the former, then you won't see many players getting waived. If it's the latter, then there really isn't any cap at all. Something inbetween could be an accounting nightmare.

 

Not sure how trades would be effected by going to a actual payroll cap, nor how performance bonuses would have to be accounted for. The list goes on.

 

Going w/ "actual" player salaries vs average creates all sorts of loopholes to exploit. The system they went with actually works pretty well. (As evidenced by Kovy's deal getting shot down.)

 

Going by cash value definitely does make it significantly more complicated. I guess as long as the NHL sticks to their guns like this to prevent circumvention of the cap, it will work out. It's just going to be a fuzzy line as GMs push to try and find what the limit is as to what the league will allow.

[static70]

Interesting....................

 

Belanger waiting for trade but has signed with a team

 

Wonder who it could be? He looks like a decent 3rd line center. Which teams are in need of that?

[darksabre]

Interesting....................

 

Belanger waiting for trade but has signed with a team

 

Wonder who it could be? He looks like a decent 3rd line center. Which teams are in need of that?

 

3rd line center eh? Must be coming to the Sabres.

[FogBat]

How about Darcy Tucker? YEA!!! hahaha I hate that bastard, but he would be entertaining to route for as a Sabre. He wouldn't make the team any better though.

nfreeman's probably right in saying that Tucker's out of gas. On top of that, I don't think that Grier and Hecht would want him on the team either. Furthermore, wouldn't Lindy have a say so against this signing? After all, he called for Tucker's suspension when he cheap-shotted Hecht back near the end of the 2006 regular season campaign.

 

No thanks.

[static70]

3rd line center eh? Must be coming to the Sabres.

Don't get your wood up over a post. :rolleyes:

[nobody]

Interesting....................

 

Belanger waiting for trade but has signed with a team

 

Wonder who it could be? He looks like a decent 3rd line center. Which teams are in need of that?

 

 

 

"There is no place to go. But they are doing an exchange and does not want to lose leverage [advantage] in that trade,"

 

 

Since he is quoted as saying the team he signed with is "doing an exchange" then it can't be the Sabres. :)

[static70]

"There is no place to go. But they are doing an exchange and does not want to lose leverage [advantage] in that trade,"

 

 

Since he is quoted as saying the team he signed with is "doing an exchange" then it can't be the Sabres. :)

lol, So true.

 

Its the Capitals

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/globe-on-hockey/belanger-to-sign-with-capitals/article1670370/

 

But, the article states that the Capitals are in the process of a trade: "I'm told that one player the Caps are looking to trade is 26-year-old Tomas Fleishmann, who had 23 goals and 51 points in a bit of a breakout season last year and signed a one-year, $2.6-million deal this summer."

 

Sure would be nice if he landed in Buffalo, but you are correct, Darcy is probably at home watching re-runs of Happy Days <_<

[FogBat]

lol, So true.

 

Its the Capitals

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/globe-on-hockey/belanger-to-sign-with-capitals/article1670370/

 

But, the article states that the Capitals are in the process of a trade: "I'm told that one player the Caps are looking to trade is 26-year-old Tomas Fleishmann, who had 23 goals and 51 points in a bit of a breakout season last year and signed a one-year, $2.6-million deal this summer."

 

Sure would be nice if he landed in Buffalo, but you are correct, Darcy is probably at home watching re-runs of Happy Days <_<

Nah. Probably more something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwRNIJz8DmM

 

or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3fH2k5_xGA

[Stoner]

My eyes have been glued to espn all day and all ive heard about was the knicks, nets, heat, bulls, and of course the cavaliers. So can anyone tell me are my mavs gonna get anything? It seems like every year we just choke. But i think theres just one more piece needed to the puzzle. Can anyone tell me our position on the free agency situation?

The owner of the Mavs separates the two-ply toilet paper in the arena to make it last twice as long. O2P will never lead the Mavs anywhere.

[static70]

Stempniak re-signs with Phoenix

 

http://twitter.com/CanucksRadio889

[spndnchz]

Stempniak re-signs with Phoenix

 

http://twitter.com/CanucksRadio889

 

U realize this is a couple of kids with a radio show right?

[static70]

U realize this is a couple of kids with a radio show right?

I have no idea who they are. I don't do due-diligence past 1pm. So, if its a hoax, then its a hoax. Thats why I intrust folks such as yourself to call it out chz :thumbsup:

[Stoner]

U realize this is a couple of kids with a radio show right?

 

So is Lloyd Gilmour laughing his ass off right now?

[chileanseabass]

Andrew Peters signs a one year, two-way deal with Florida, meaning he'll once again be an Amerk in a few weeks

 

http://panthers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=536153&navid=DL|FLA|home

[Calvin]

Andrew Peters signs a one year, two-way deal with Florida, meaning he'll once again be an Amerk in a few weeks

 

http://panthers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=536153&navid=DL|FLA|home

maybe that's why he signed with the Panthers?

[nobody]

maybe that's why he signed with the Panthers?

 

Smart thinking on his part.