Salary Cap: Possible CBA change in cap hits

[RangerBoy]

The Hotstove panel topic was Ilya Kovalchuk and long-term contracts. Pierre LeBrun reported one of the ideas being kicked around in the NHL offices on Avenue of the Americas is having the cap hit based on the five highest years on the long-term contracts/CHEAT DEALS. Not the average salary.

Five highest years in the Kovalchuk contract are between 2012-13 to 2017-18

$11M
$11.3M
$11.3M
$11.6M
$11.8M

$57 million. $11.4 million That number will probably be adjusted lower because the max salary is 20%(if it remains that way in the next CBA)of the cap(who knows what the cap will be). It won't be $6.666M.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Sports/CBC.../ID=1671974634

2:20

Thankfully Slats Sather has avoided these crazy deals because the NHL appears intent on punishing some teams. I heard Gary Bettman on Boomer and Carton about 2 weeks ago. He said contract structure was the issue with all of these contracts. Player in his late 20's/early 30's signing a ridiculously long contract.

Zetterberg's cap hit would be $7.65M and not just above $6M.

[pld459666]

Originally Posted by RangerBoy

The Hotstove panel topic was Ilya Kovalchuk and long-term contracts. Pierre LeBrun reported one of the ideas being kicked around in the NHL offices on Avenue of the Americas is having the cap hit based on the five highest years on the long-term contracts/CHEAT DEALS. Not the average salary.

Five highest years in the Kovalchuk contract are between 2012-13 to 2017-18

$11M
$11.3M
$11.3M
$11.6M
$11.8M

$57 million. $11.4 million That number will probably be adjusted lower because the max salary is 20%(if it remains that way in the next CBA)of the cap(who knows what the cap will be). It won't be $6.666M.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Sports/CBC.../ID=1671974634

2:20

Thankfully Slats Sather has avoided these crazy deals because the NHL appears intent on punishing some teams. I heard Gary Bettman on Boomer and Carton about 2 weeks ago. He said contract structure was the issue with all of these contracts. Player in his late 20's/early 30's signing a ridiculously long contract.

Zetterberg's cap hit would be $7.65M and not just above $6M.

While not out of this world, I have a hard time believing that this would get assigned retroactively to Ilya's deal after already penalizing the Devils with Picks and Fines.

They would then have to go back and assign the same to Hossa, Pronger, Roberto and then fine each of those teams that would have exceeded the cap based on any cap circumvention due to those contracts.

The owners knew this loop-hole was in the CBA and now they punishing themselves for usingit.

This is comical.

[azrok22]

Sounds like something worth exploring, but I do not doubt for a second that current deals (Kovalchuk, Hossa, etc.) will be grandfathered in, just like Jagr's pre-lockout "split" between Washington and NY was.

[DutchShamrock]

What Bettman is giving us is his starting point on negotiations. This is not the fault of the players, so their contracts won't come down unless the PA volunteers another rollback. If the league and PA ratifies it, it could be a reality. Don't put it past the owners to cannibalize themselves, they nearly did it last time. I'm just not sure how the PA will receive this because those are some huge cap hit increases... that will eat into the earning potential of the union.

Like I said, it's a negotiation. I'd say count on contracts like Kovalchuk's getting a higher cap hit. Probably something more generous than 5 years. They'll also have to close the loophole in the CBA. That may be exchanged for the Olympics.

This may be odd sounding at first, but I'd like to see them give out contracts based on a percentage of the cap. Player X will get 10% of the cap per year for the next five years. I think that can help manage escrows better.

[RangerBoy]

Originally Posted by pld459666

While not out of this world, I have a hard time believing that this would get assigned retroactively to Ilya's deal after already penalizing the Devils with Picks and Fines.

They would then have to go back and assign the same to Hossa, Pronger, Roberto and then fine each of those teams that would have exceeded the cap based on any cap circumvention due to those contracts.

The owners knew this loop-hole was in the CBA and now they punishing themselves for usingit.

This is comical.

Pierre LeBrun reported the CBA info in relation to Kovalchuk's contract and it will be a tougher fit in NJ with the cap hit change. He wasn't just referring to future contracts. No grandfathering in.

The teams will most likely have a compliance buyout period. They could buyout players and not take the cap hits.

All of the contracts would be adjusted. LeBrun said the league wants to restructure on how some these deals count against the cap. Could be hard to get some of deals under the cap when they come back.

[RangerBoy]

Originally Posted by azrok22

Sounds like something worth exploring, but I do not doubt for a second that current deals (Kovalchuk, Hossa, etc.) will be grandfathered in, just like Jagr's pre-lockout "split" between Washington and NY was.

Jagr's deal had 3 years guaranteed remaining. All of these long-term contracts will be longer than the next CBA. That's a joke.

[pld459666]

Originally Posted by RangerBoy

Pierre LeBrun reported the CBA info in relation to Kovalchuk's contract and it will be a tougher fit in NJ with the cap hit change. He wasn't just referring to future contracts. No grandfathering in.

The teams will most likely have a compliance buyout period. They could buyout players and not take the cap hits.

All of the contracts would be adjusted. LeBrun said the league wants to restructure on how some these deals count against the cap. Could be hard to get some of deals under the cap when they come back.

I understand what he is saying, however, I HIGHLY doubt that the structure of the cap hit is going to change forthe Devils further punishing them after taking picks and fining the team.

Compliance buyouts are useful for the Rolston's of the world, but that's not going to happen to Ilya.

I would bet dollars to donuts that nothing further happens to the Devils or the Ilya contract once the new CBA is agreed to.

I just don't see how the league could justify pinpointing one contract to adjust when there are so many others that fall into the circumvention boat.