A Helpful Guide to Cap Space and Free Agents

[Panda Bear]

Hi everyone, it's Panda Bear here!

Did you know that NHL teams are able to sign free agents starting July 1st? Well, since the NHL has a salary cap--you know, a limit on the total amount each team can spend on players per season--each team can only offer as much to free agents as they have free cap space!*

So sometimes the people who run an NHL team--for us, it's Ken Holland who runs the Oilers--decide to perform something called a "compliance buyout." When a team buys a player out, there are cap penalties going forward...but overall, there are immediate cap savings! Our boy, Ken Holland, bought out Andrej Sekera and in return, the Oilers got millions in cap savings!

This makes it a lot easier for an NHL team to try to sign free agents because now they have more cap space! Wow! Now that the Oilers did that, they have more room to sign free agents!

But there's a catch: there are thirty other teams in the league. So even though cap space is created by a team, there is no guarantee that a preferred free agent will sign. Since every team can negotiate, sometimes a team thinks it's getting a player...only for things to change at the last minute!

Shucks!

* NHL teams are able to exceed the cap by 10% during the off season, but must be cap compliant come the beginning of the season.

Click to read more...

 

[Panda Bear]

In other words, Jesus f***ing Christ.

If Holland could have traded Sekera without losing a valuable asset instead of buying him out, he would have. By creating cap space, he created more opportunities for us on the free agent market even if they didn't necessarily come to fruition because there are thirty other teams, many of whom have more cap space than we do to offer free agents. While we may not see a marquee signing today like we would have hoped--for example, a Nyquist--we at least have more flexibility for trades. Plan A is obviously free agency since no assets need to be exchanged. Plan B is trading.

Calm your tits.

 

[Cloned]

This thread idea is going to be a no from me dawg.

 

[48g90a138pts]

BuT I waNtEd 2 TOp 6 FoRwaRds A nUmbER 1 DmAn aNd CaRry PRiCe.

#@NomoArCaP

 

[Jet Walters]

This thread idea is going to be a no from me dawg.

The Panda is actually classified in the Bear family and not Canine as you inferred.

 

[ThePhoenixx]

The Panda is actually classified in the Bear family and not Canine as you inferred.

Clones are never quite as good as the original.

 

[Panda Bear]

This thread idea is going to be a no from me dawg.

I'm disappointed too.

I just think it's stupid to reach the verdict that Holland is inadequate, the upcoming season is doomed, and that we should give up hope for all time because we missed out on some good free agents halfway through the first day of free agency without considering that there are still 93.5 days left until the season begins.

There was a logic to buying out Sekera. It hasn't paid off yet, and it may not. Our club is in a bad position, so we need to make more gambles than others if we are to achieve our goals sooner rather than later.

 

[Cloned]

I'm disappointed too.

I just think it's stupid to reach the verdict that Holland is inadequate, the upcoming season is doomed, and that we should give up hope for all time because we missed out on some good free agents halfway through the first day of free agency without considering that there are still 93.5 days left until the season begins.

There was a logic to buying out Sekera. It hasn't paid off yet, and it may not. Our club is in a bad position, so we need to make more gambles than others if we are to achieve our goals sooner rather than later.

I'm more referring to the overdose of snarkiness in the OP. I'm all for pithy remarks but I think it was a bit much.

 

[Panda Bear]

I'm more referring to the overdose of snarkiness in the OP. I'm all for pithy remarks but I think it was a bit much.

Same. Guy comes across like a prick.

 

[Cloned]

Same. Guy comes across like a prick.

Hey, you said it, not me.