Connolly cap question??

[LabattBlue]

I'm not one for reading the CBA. Instead I prefer to post my questions here and let someone else read it :) :) ...

 

Now that Connolly is practicing, does he start to count against the cap?

[Bmwolf21]

I think he has to be activated from the LT-IR before his salary starts counting against the cap.

[shrader]

He needs to be in actual playing shape before the LT-IR cap excusion would be eliminated. Basically, they still have time until he can get his conditioning up and get into game shape. They'll also have the chance to send him on a rehab stint, if he agrees to it. That would save a few extra days.

[LabattBlue]

He needs to be in actual playing shape before the LT-IR cap excusion would be eliminated. Basically, they still have time until he can get his conditioning up and get into game shape. They'll also have the chance to send him on a rehab stint, if he agrees to it. That would save a few extra days.

I guess you provided the answer to the real question then, which is when does he have to come off the LTIR?

[Bmwolf21]

I would guess (being too lazy to read the CBA myself) that he needs to come off the LTIR when he is actually going to suit up for a game. Until then, they can probably get away with him just practicing and continuing rehab.

[shrader]

I would guess (being too lazy to read the CBA myself) that he needs to come off the LTIR when he is actually going to suit up for a game. Until then, they can probably get away with him just practicing and continuing rehab.

 

No, if it was that simple, the team could continue to keep him in the press box until a time that best suits their needs. Once he's physically in game shape, he's off LTIR and counts against the cap. The league can send in their own doctor to evaluate it if they think the sabres are tying to play some kind of game.

[will]

does that ever happen, though? i have always been under the impression that the nhl is the epitome of the honor system. just a general question.

[shrader]

does that ever happen, though? i have always been under the impression that the nhl is the epitome of the honor system. just a general question.

 

They investigated the Mogilny situation earlier this year.

[Bmwolf21]

Little different there - everyone KNEW Lamoreillo was trying to pull something because the Devils were so screwed under the cap.

[shrader]

Little different there - everyone KNEW Lamoreillo was trying to pull something because the Devils were so screwed under the cap.

 

No, he pulled something with the Malakhov situation. Since the Mogilny LTIR was actually cleared by the doctor, I'd say Lou was playing that one straight up.

[Bmwolf21]

No, he pulled something with the Malakhov situation. Since the Mogilny LTIR was actually cleared by the doctor, I'd say Lou was playing that one straight up.

Technically he didn't pull anything illegal with either situation. (I should reword my earlier post to say that the league investigated because everyone thought Lou was trying to pull a fast one.)

 

With Mogily, because of his age and potential cap hit, the league needed to have Alex's inability to play confirmed by an independent physician. Basically, it looked like Alex would have to retire, and the Devils would have to absorb the $3.5M cap hit for his salary (since he is 35.) But by claiming he is unable to play, they get the LTIR exception, so the league wants to make sure teams don't start stashing older guys who are going to retire on the LTIR to avoid their cap hit.

 

The Malakhov thing is different, he was unofficially retired (but healthy, as far as I can tell) and at age 36, if he had officially filed for retirement, the Devils would have been on the hook for his cap hit. So instead the Devils essentially bribed the Sharks - who had the cap space to absorb the $3.6M hit - with a 1st round pick in exchange for forward Igor Korolyuk (still in Russia with no plans to come to the NHL, according to Bob MacKenzie) and defenceman Jim Fahey (a Rory Fitzpatrick-type defenseman.)

 

In both situations no rules were broken, but there were a lot of GMs grumbling about Lou receiving special treatment from the league, since he was so influential in the CBA negotiations.

 

Here is the story from Bob MacKenzie about both situations.

[Taro T]

I guess you provided the answer to the real question then, which is when does he have to come off the LTIR?

Although a player has to legitimately be injured and have the injury certified by the team physician to get placed on IR or BLTI-IR, it appears (according to my very tired and very quick review) that a team can keep a player on either list for as long as they want (provided they don't try to bring him back too soon).

 

In order to bring a player off either list (and a BLTI-IR eligible player is on both lists technically), the team has to stay in compliance with all other terms of the CBA. So if a team has 23 players on the roster prior to activating a player off IR, they have to simultaneously send a player to the minors, waive someone, or trade someone. In order to bring a player off BLTI-IR, the team has to keep the roster at or below 23 and must keep the salary cap salary at or below the salary cap.

 

The CBA says a team can't bring a player back until it can/does comply with those rules. It also says the Commissioner can investigate whether a team is trying to circumvent the CBA, although that explicitly states later in that same paragraph that this provision concerns exceeding the 23 man roster limit. So that implies that assuming the Sabres only have 22 players on the active roster that they could keep a healthy Timmy on IR as long as they'd like to.

 

While it makes sense that a team has to pull a player off IR and BLTI-IR when a player is healthy enough to play, I can't find a clause in the CBA right now (again, I'm pretty tired and haven't looked at the CBA in a while, so maybe I'm just missing it) that says a team MUST reactivate a healthy player. It actually states that a team CAN'T activate a healthy player until the team has the cap and roster space to accomodate him.

 

The CBA does state, however, that if a player on BLTI-IR is given a conditioning assignment in the minors, while the player doesn't count against the 23 man limit, his salary DOES count against the salary cap so the team would have to be under the cap including Timmy's salary. So my reading of that is the team must reduce the averaged total team compensation below the salary cap before Timmy is allowed to accept a conditioning assignment.

[shrader]

Maybe I was reading a different section, but I didn't read it that way for the rehab stint.

[Taro T]

Maybe I was reading a different section, but I didn't read it that way for the rehab stint.

50.10.d.iv. In parentheses right below the underlined words in the middle of the paragraph.

[shrader]

50.10.d.iv. In parentheses right below the underlined words in the middle of the paragraph.

 

Nevermind. That's where I was. I assumed that since they can send in a doctor to evaluate when the guy goes on the list, they can do the same to take him off the list. I'll try to take a closer read tomorrow.

[inkman]

Louis: "In college, it's totally different. The people here are much more mature."

Ogar: "NERDS!"

Gilbert: "Are they talking to us?"

Ogar (pointing at them): "NERDS!!!!!!!!!"

[Taro T]

Louis: "In college, it's totally different. The people here are much more mature."

Ogar: "NERDS!"

Gilbert: "Are they talking to us?"

Ogar (pointing at them): "NERDS!!!!!!!!!"

Remind me who ended up with the "pie" at the end. Was it Louis or Stan? ;)

[inkman]

ooooohhhh, hair pie

[BuffalOhio]

ooooohhhh, hair pie

 

Pan lower Poindexter, we need more bush!