The Salary Cap

[tom webster]

So allow me some vindication, I took a lot of heat from some of this board’s most respected members when I suggested that the salary cap would approach $90 million by 2020.

Well, they just announced its going to be somewhere near $83 million next year.

[DarthEbriate]

6 minutes ago, tom webster said:

So allow me some vindication, I took a lot of heat from some of this board’s most respected members when I suggested that the salary cap would approach $90 million by 2020.

Some of the board's most respected members are not as forgiving as I am. And ... more importantly, just in time for Toronto to sign Nylander, Matthews, Marner, a $5M/year goalie, and dole out salaries to a group of defencemen... all while comfortably keeping Tavares and Kadri on the books. (p.s. It'll also be good for us and Skinner and McCabe, while we fret over Sobotka's and Berglund's salaries.)

[R_Dudley]

49 minutes ago, tom webster said:

So allow me some vindication, I took a lot of heat from some of this board’s most respected members when I suggested that the salary cap would approach $90 million by 2020.

Well, they just announced its going to be somewhere near $83 million next year.

Vindication allowed and successful I would say. 

 

 

So what stocks do you also predict to have this type of growth?    ? 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

What happens if the NHL opts out on September 1, 2019?

That 83 million will be gone.

[inkman]

1 hour ago, tom webster said:

So allow me some vindication, I took a lot of heat from some of this board’s most respected members when I suggested that the salary cap would approach $90 million by 2020.

Well, they just announced its going to be somewhere near $83 million next year.

I don't think I'm in the group you are referring to or respected for that matter but I have often been incredulous as to how the cap keeps going up. I just don't see a lot of growth for the league. So are they just milking the hardcore fan base for extra cake? I don't get it. It's a niche league that this country barely supports. 

I hate to say it but the NHL needs to take a page from the NBA. I'm not very fond of the league but my God can they promote their product. Stars are actually allowed to showcase their skills frequently, every game. Hockey, the NHLs best are noticeable a dozen times a season. 

The dinosaurs in charge need to preserve some Neanderthal type culture when injured players are blamed for their own injuries. Let's not showcase the players speed and skill, let's suppress it with muddied rules that don't favor offensive production at all. They'd rather have no call interference 40 times a game that completely ruins the sport. 

 

[tom webster]

14 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

What happens if the NHL opts out on September 1, 2019?

That 83 million will be gone.

No way the league opts out. There will not be a lockout. Strike maybe. 

[DHawerchuk10]

14 hours ago, inkman said:

I don't think I'm in the group you are referring to or respected for that matter but I have often been incredulous as to how the cap keeps going up. I just don't see a lot of growth for the league. So are they just milking the hardcore fan base for extra cake? I don't get it. It's a niche league that this country barely supports. 

I hate to say it but the NHL needs to take a page from the NBA. I'm not very fond of the league but my God can they promote their product. Stars are actually allowed to showcase their skills frequently, every game. Hockey, the NHLs best are noticeable a dozen times a season. 

The dinosaurs in charge need to preserve some Neanderthal type culture when injured players are blamed for their own injuries. Let's not showcase the players speed and skill, let's suppress it with muddied rules that don't favor offensive production at all. They'd rather have no call interference 40 times a game that completely ruins the sport. 

 

NBA is a bunch of pop culture schlock.  I’m not saying you are wrong, but anytime things get over marketed to the masses, the product turns into a shiny turd in my humble opinion.

[inkman]

31 minutes ago, DHawerchuk10 said:

NBA is a bunch of pop culture schlock.  I’m not saying you are wrong, but anytime things get over marketed to the masses, the product turns into a shiny turd in my humble opinion.

I'm no fan of the league but the NHL could learn a lesson or two. I need to see more Connor McDavid skating through an entire team and roofing one than Radko Gudas blasting someone's skull into the boards. Right now, you are more likely to see the latter than the former.  

Edited December 5, 2018 by inkman

[Huckleberry]

Well the growth will happen with Seatle I think, so 90 million is probably a good bet.

[Robviously]

16 hours ago, tom webster said:

So allow me some vindication, I took a lot of heat from some of this board’s most respected members when I suggested that the salary cap would approach $90 million by 2020.

Well, they just announced its going to be somewhere near $83 million next year.

1. You are vindicated.

2. No one on this board is respected.

[Robviously]

45 minutes ago, DHawerchuk10 said:

NBA is a bunch of pop culture schlock.  I’m not saying you are wrong, but anytime things get over marketed to the masses, the product turns into a shiny turd in my humble opinion.

The NBA is the smartest of the four big leagues, and it's really not close.  The NHL has same stupid problems for decades while the NBA solves their issues quickly and continues to optimize their product.

19 minutes ago, inkman said:

I'm no fan of the league but the NHL could learn a lesson or two. I need to see more Connor McDavid skating through an entire team and roofing one than Radko Gudas blasting someone's skull into the boards. Right now, you are more likely to see the latter than the former.  

It's literally amazing that this is true and that some version of this has been true forever -- the NHL really doesn't see any benefit to reeling in its goons and protecting the players and style of hockey that fans actually want to see.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

2 hours ago, tom webster said:

No way the league opts out. There will not be a lockout. Strike maybe. 

Do you think it's possible that the PA will opt out when they get their chance a few weeks after the owners do?

[LGR4GM]

17 hours ago, tom webster said:

So allow me some vindication, I took a lot of heat from some of this board’s most respected members when I suggested that the salary cap would approach $90 million by 2020.

Well, they just announced its going to be somewhere near $83 million next year.

You seem to be indeed correct. 

[Sabel79]

14 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

Do you think it's possible that the PA will opt out when they get their chance a few weeks after the owners do?

I'd really like to think that both sides will be sane enough not to cook the golden goose, but this is the NHL and the NHLPA.  Sanity is in short supply on both sides; let's not hold our breath.

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, tom webster said:

No way the league opts out. There will not be a lockout. Strike maybe. 

I'd hope neither side opts out, but I expect one or both will.  If that happens, unless the negotiators have a busy summer, there will definitely be a lockout.

The owners have the leverage at the beginning of the season (players haven't been paid for the most part) & players have it at the end of the year (players have been paid & networks that gave the owners tons of money start to make their money during the playoffs).  Owners will NEVER cede that leverage back to the players like they did early in the '90's.

[Brawndo]

The biggest issues concerning the NHLPA according to Insiders are the Annual Escrow and Participating in the Olympics. 

The Olympics seem like a forgone conclusion as the NHL plays Exhibition Games in China and wants to tap into the market. 

Someone who is way smarter then me will have to explain The Escrow Concerns 

[pi2000]

The escrow/cap escalator is a divisive issue for the NHLPA. 

At the end of the season hockey revenue is to be split 50/50 between players (via contracts) and owners.   If owners or players initiate the 5% cap escalator, then that allows teams to spend more money on FA's and so forth... which you would think would be good for the players.... however that causes an imbalance in the agreed upon 50/50 revenue split.   So to the keep the balance, players pay some % of their paycheck into escrow, of which most goes to the owners at the end of the season after hockey related revenue is totaled.

So the issue is that with the max 5% cap escalator FA's benefit with larger contracts, but at the expense of higher escrow payments from ALL players (incl those on continuing contracts).... in other words, the average continuing contract player loses money so that FA's can make more.      The NHLPA is largely split on this issue, which makes sense.... and there's significant talk of removing the cap escalator entirely in the next CBA as it artificially increases the cap without requiring any related increase in hockey related revenue, benefiting only those players signing new deals while effectively reducing the salaries (via increased escrow payments) for the rest of the players.