So does this mean that an extra $4 million dollars was just laid at our hands?
Offiicially, yes...but most reports have estimated the cap was going up to at least $63.5 million, (with the cap kicker approved), so for anyone who's been doing cap calculations, its about $500,000 more than expected. The Rangers will have roughly $23 million in cap space to sign the RFAs and pursue Richards.
With the cap going up $1.5m more than estimate used in Tawnos' previous calculations, the Rangers now definitely have more breathing room in re-signing their RFAs and pursuing UFA(s).
Their summer cap (a $64m during the season cap results in a $70.4m summer cap) is as follows:
CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR
FORWARDS
Marian Gaborik ($7.500m) / Chris Drury ($7.050m) / Wojtek Wolski ($3.800m)
Sean Avery ($1.937m) / Brandon Prust ($0.800m) / Erik Christensen ($0.925m)
Derek Stepan ($0.875m) / Evgeny Grachev ($0.070m) / Mats Zuccarello ($0.940m)
/ Kris Newbury ($0.093m)
DEFENSEMEN
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Daniel Girardi ($3.325m)
Wade Redden ($6.500m) / Ryan McDonagh ($0.684m)
Michael DelZotto ($0.689m)
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m) / Martin Biron ($0.875m) / Cam Talbot ($0.004m)
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $46,921,998; BONUSES: $0
CAP SPACE (18-man roster): $23,478,002
After accouting for RFAs, they should now have more than $10m for UFA(s) with 2-3 holes on the roster (#1C, #6 or #7 defenseman, and 3rd or 4th line LW to be filled with UFA(s) or from within their own system [with Hagelin, Grachev, Kreider {if he leaves BC}, Del Zotto, Valentenko, or Kundratek probably being the most likely possible candiades]). If they buyout Wolski, that cap space will increase to $13.3m, but they will then also need a 2nd or 3rd line LW.
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We're planning a new feature this off-season and some of you will like it a lot: tracking the off-season cap. As nitty-gritty as it gets.
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With the cap going up $1.5m more than estimate used in Tawnos' previous calculations, the Rangers now definitely have more breathing room in re-signing their RFAs and pursuing UFA(s).
Their summer cap (a $64m during the season cap results in a $70.4m summer cap) is as follows:
CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR
FORWARDS
Marian Gaborik ($7.500m) / Chris Drury ($7.050m) / Wojtek Wolski ($3.800m)
Sean Avery ($1.937m) / Brandon Prust ($0.800m) / Erik Christensen ($0.925m)
Derek Stepan ($0.875m) / Evgeny Grachev ($0.070m) / Mats Zuccarello ($0.940m)
/ Kris Newbury ($0.093m)
DEFENSEMEN
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Daniel Girardi ($3.325m)
Wade Redden ($6.500m) / Ryan McDonagh ($0.684m)
Michael DelZotto ($0.689m)
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($6.875m) / Martin Biron ($0.875m) / Cam Talbot ($0.004m)
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $46,921,998; BONUSES: $0
CAP SPACE (18-man roster): $23,478,002
After accouting for RFAs, they should now have more than $10m for UFA(s) with 2-3 holes on the roster (#1C, #6 or #7 defenseman, and 3rd or 4th line LW to be filled with UFA(s) or from within their own system [with Hagelin, Grachev, Kreider {if he leaves BC}, Del Zotto, Valentenko, or Kundratek probably being the most likely possible candiades]). If they buyout Wolski, that cap space will increase to $13.3m, but they will then also need a 2nd or 3rd line LW.
What's it look like when you add the RFA's + Erixon? We can go up to ~7.5M easily for Richards?
The only down side to the cap steadily increasing every year is the inevitable excessive whining that will come from "small market" teams and their fans about how unfair it is that "large market" teams can spend more.
Its not even 9am and free agency doesn't start for two weeks and already heard backhanded remarks toward the large market clubs on Sirius/XM NHL Home Ice in the car this morning.
The only down side to the cap steadily increasing every year is the inevitable excessive whining that will come from "small market" teams and their fans about how unfair it is that "large market" teams can spend more.
Its not even 9am and free agency doesn't start for two weeks and already heard backhanded remarks toward the large market clubs on Sirius/XM NHL Home Ice in the car this morning.
So...just be prepared fellow Rangers fans.
Hey, big-market teams can be pissed too! Leafs fans re whining because now the tight-capped teams like Chicago, Philadelphia and New Jersey can afford their star players, and the Rangers now can make a competitive offer for Richards.... no star player for you Toronto!
The only down side to the cap steadily increasing every year is the inevitable excessive whining that will come from "small market" teams and their fans about how unfair it is that "large market" teams can spend more.
Its not even 9am and free agency doesn't start for two weeks and already heard backhanded remarks toward the large market clubs on Sirius/XM NHL Home Ice in the car this morning.
So...just be prepared fellow Rangers fans.
2 words...Luxury Tax.
The extra money is all relative when you factor in cost of living. 2 milion in Mahhattan goes as far as 1 million in Pheonix, or Columbus. 1.25 in Fla or Carolina.
The only down side to the cap steadily increasing every year is the inevitable excessive whining that will come from "small market" teams and their fans about how unfair it is that "large market" teams can spend more.
TBH, I think that's a flaw with the current cap system. They use league-wide revenues to drive the salary cap, but those revenues aren't distributed evenly across the league.
The revenue growth of small market teams can't keep up with the revenue growth of the league as a whole.
This should improve somewhat next year as Winnipeg should be better off financially than Atlanta was. And the money from the new TV deal will help as well.
But it's still something they'll have to look at in the next CBA. It's still possible that the cap could go down in 2012.
The extra money is all relative when you factor in cost of living. 2 milion in Mahhattan goes as far as 1 million in Pheonix, or Columbus. 1.25 in Fla or Carolina.
Preaching to the choir.
We live in the highest cost of living metro area in the world.
Im just saying to be prepared for the complaining from small market teams and fans.
I never bought it. Rangers were higher spenders in the mid-90's till early-2000's.
Beyond that there was no free agency as we know it in the 20's to 80's. And before the late 80's there wasn't anything close to as much roster movement as there has been from the 90's to now.
Now in a salary cap era, the Rangers have to abide by the same rules of the CBA as everyone else.
IMO, the Rangers have been mis interpreted throughout their history.
If anything teams like Montreal were a bigger empire then anyone else. Having rights to any player in Quebec and entire minor leagues as development systems.
Just saying, as it often happens, history is skewed, and not taught properly.
Like the "original six" baloney. And color barrier baloney.
Anyway...
Just saying, the higher the cap goes, the more resentment from smaller markets we will receive.
So with this, we wont have to worry about being over the summer cap, right?
We still have to worry about it, but it gives us a little more breathing room. Most of us, I think, were expecting the cap to be 63.5 mil, so this isn't that much extra space.
Hopefully now the uninformed fans of other teams will stop telling us how we can't afford Richards.
This whole Drury crap may turn out for the best salary cap wise. Rather have the whole total off the cap even if it is Long Term Injury list. Atleast we won't feel the pain of that crappy contract for two yrs on the cap
If we buy out Wolski the extra 3.3 would guarantee the room to get our RFAs and Richards locked in.
We're already guaranteed this...Richards at 7.5 + RFAs still leaves us 2.5m ...and there's no way in hell we're going over that cap hit, therefore no reason to buyout Wolski.
This is probably why Richards wouldn't waive his NTC. He knows he'll get a bigger chunk of change if he waits for the cap to go up before signing his new deal.
And that is good news for the Rangers, who will have to carry Chris Drury's $7.05-million cap hit and Wade Redden's $6.5-million cap hit until the start of the season.
To get the credit for Drury's cap hit if and when he's placed on the long-term injury list, the Rangers have to spend the extra $7-million above the cap. Plus they can go 10 percent above the cap until the season begins, so they really could have up to $77-million of space to play with through training camp.
That means there's more to offer Brad Richards, if it makes sense. There's less reason to go to the mat with RFAs Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky, Brian Boyle and Michael Sauer in negotiations.
It's not really $77M. The Rangers can't use Drury's $7.05M until he is put on LTIR which isn't until the last day of training camp/day before NHL season begins. The Rangers can spend $71.05M next season which includes the $7.05M.
Now, what does this 5% "growth factor" help with? Inflation? Giving more teams breathing room?
The 5% bump is applied to the midpoint which results in a higher upper limit. The upper limit would not be $64M without the 5% bump. The midpoint plus 5% is the new midpoint. Add $8M and there is the upper limit. There is a $16M gap between the upper limit and lower limit(floor).
