Around the League 2018-2019 Part 3

[Butch 19]

I think Leafs vs TBL will be fun to watch,.

... especially if they both wear their blue jerseys or their white ones.

 

[KopitarFAN]

Would be fantastic if they could extend it in the next 12-18 months.

 

[crassbonanza]

I got into an argument with down goes brown a while back over the CBA. He was being his usual snarky asshole self and blasting anyone who thought that there potentially wouldn't be a work stoppage. It was clear as day that the NHL was happy with the status quo and the players escrow issue was something that could be fixed without a work stoppage. They will lower cap projections over the next few seasons and get the escrow much lower.

I don't understand how these cynical f***s who just trash everyone else and are constantly wrong continue to get picked up by the Athletic.

 

[YP44]

I may have missed it but anyone know why Bigg Buff is on a personal leave?

 

[KingCanadain1976]

I may have missed it but anyone know why Bigg Buff is on a personal leave?

I heard speculation its cause he might be out of shape and needs some one on one training . He was also mention he didn't play any hockey or skate during the off season. It was also mention it might be something family related I don't think anyone knows for sure.

 

[YP44]

I heard speculation its cause he might be out of shape and needs some one on one training . He was also mention he didn't play any hockey or skate during the off season. It was also mention it might be something family related I don't think anyone knows for sure.

sounds like a lot of hearsay for right now

 

[kingsholygrail]

I got into an argument with down goes brown a while back over the CBA. He was being his usual snarky ******* self and blasting anyone who thought that there potentially wouldn't be a work stoppage. It was clear as day that the NHL was happy with the status quo and the players escrow issue was something that could be fixed without a work stoppage. They will lower cap projections over the next few seasons and get the escrow much lower.

I don't understand how these cynical ****s who just trash everyone else and are constantly wrong continue to get picked up by the Athletic.

Well, not an early work stoppage, but the CBA will expire for the 2022-23 season if they don't reach an agreement, but they got three years to get there.

 

[Steve Zissou]

 

[crassbonanza]

Well, not an early work stoppage, but the CBA will expire for the 2022-23 season if they don't reach an agreement, but they got three years to get there.

He was talking about this optout period. Mirtle had a tweet saying there may not be a lockout based on a Bettman quote, McIndoe replied and proceeded to be a sarcastic twat about how a lockout was inevitable based on there being two lockouts before. I pointed out that the NHL had offered to attend the olympics in exchange for extending the CBA, which means they likely were happy with it. He called that a "bad faith offer that the league knew had no chance of being accepted", which makes no f***ing sense.

My main issue is that these f***ing bloggers act like freshmen in college who think they have the whole world figured out, they treat everyone else in the hockey world like idiots and spend their whole time trashing others and being sarcastic. If you are going to act like that you have to at least be right most of the time, which McIndoe and Dom fail to be.

 

[kingsfan28]

My guess is now that the first few high profile RFA's are signed , they all start to fall in place. 3-4 year bridge deal is the new cool thing.

 

[KINGS17]

Currently living in a world where Loui Erikkson is making more than Brock Boeser. Three years can't pass soon enough...

How about currently living in a world where Loui Erikkson would be cut, if the CBA allowed it?

Boeser is getting paid about what he is worth.

 

[kilowatt]

Compliance buyouts should be allowed for one contract per year, but the contract must be paid in full. Eliminate the IR overspending loophole. Let teams get out of cap hell. If players aren’t good enough to play in the NHL anymore, fans shouldn’t be punished for management’s mistakes.

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Compliance buyouts should be allowed for one contract per year, but the contract must be paid in full. Eliminate the IR overspending loophole. Let teams get out of cap hell. If players aren’t good enough to play in the NHL anymore, fans shouldn’t be punished for management’s mistakes.

My only concern here is the idiot GMs, knowing they can get a yearly do over (buyout), will offer even more outrageous contracts. I’d prefer one buyout every two or three years.

 

[SFKingshomer]

Good thing I won my fantasy keeper league last year. These RFA deals are killing me....Konecny, with Rantanen due.

 

[KINGS17]

Compliance buyouts should be allowed for one contract per year, but the contract must be paid in full. Eliminate the IR overspending loophole. Let teams get out of cap hell. If players aren’t good enough to play in the NHL anymore, fans shouldn’t be punished for management’s mistakes.

Not sure why the entire length and amount of a player contract should be guaranteed. If a player isn't performing, he shouldn't be entitled to all of the money, because he hasn't earned it.

I wholeheartedly agree with your point regarding the fans who should not be forced to watch an under performing veteran player simply because he has a guaranteed contract and can't be cut. We pay too much money to watch anything other than the best players every team can ice.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Compliance buyouts should be allowed for one contract per year, but the contract must be paid in full. Eliminate the IR overspending loophole. Let teams get out of cap hell. If players aren’t good enough to play in the NHL anymore, fans shouldn’t be punished for management’s mistakes.

I'm all for non-guaranteed contracts and I fully agree with you and K17 here with one caveat--how do you make sure the big market teams don't just go all Bobby Holik on everyone? It almost makes it a soft cap/franchise player scenario in a way, which I'm good with to a degree.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

I like the idea of 1 cbo every year or two to help teams out, but also to act as a limitation, to keep the richer teams mostly in line.

 

[tomd]

I like the idea of 1 cbo every year or two to help teams out, but also to act as a limitation, to keep the richer teams mostly in line.

The teams you would be helping out are the teams with the most incompetent GM's and owners. Why would you want to help them? Encouraging bad behavior will only guarantee more of it.

 

[YP44]

Compliance buyouts should be allowed for one contract per year, but the contract must be paid in full. Eliminate the IR overspending loophole. Let teams get out of cap hell. If players aren’t good enough to play in the NHL anymore, fans shouldn’t be punished for management’s mistakes.

Don't mind this idea but I would like to see teams penalized somehow though for using them. Perhaps they have to give up a 3rd round pick or something like that.

Current system is not flawed enough for major changes though

 

[deeshamrock]

I like the Konecny deal

I like it too, great deal for the Flyers. Hopefully, he'll get more minutes this year, keep him on the top line. He's put up pretty good numbers averaging under 14 min per game

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Compliance buyouts should be allowed for one contract per year, but the contract must be paid in full. Eliminate the IR overspending loophole. Let teams get out of cap hell. If players aren’t good enough to play in the NHL anymore, fans shouldn’t be punished for management’s mistakes.

I'm much more in favor of just reducing player contract lengths to 4 years UFA/5 years re-sign, and lowering the UFA age to 25. But your idea would be fine, as well. Eliminate LTIRetirement shenanigans, and give each team one CBO per year. Or bring back the old CBA rule in which cap hits can be buried in the minors.

 

[kilowatt]

Don't mind this idea but I would like to see teams penalized somehow though for using them. Perhaps they have to give up a 3rd round pick or something like that.

Current system is not flawed enough for major changes though

Not a terrible idea to impose some kind of draft pick penalty based on the salary of a buyout, perhaps.

I'm much more in favor of just reducing player contract lengths to 4 years UFA/5 years re-sign, and lowering the UFA age to 25. But your idea would be fine, as well. Eliminate LTIRetirement shenanigans, and give each team one CBO per year. Or bring back the old CBA rule in which cap hits can be buried in the minors.

I don’t think there’s any way the players will happily give up three or four years of contract length. I don’t see any way to sell that.

Not sure why the entire length and amount of a player contract should be guaranteed. If a player isn't performing, he shouldn't be entitled to all of the money, because he hasn't earned it.

I wholeheartedly agree with your point regarding the fans who should not be forced to watch an under performing veteran player simply because he has a guaranteed contract and can't be cut. We pay too much money to watch anything other than the best players every team can ice.

I don’t disagree, I just don’t see the players giving up their guaranteed contracts. Regular buyouts could work the same way they currently do if a team is looking to save money. Most of today’s regrettable contracts were saving cap space up front by purchasing extra years well past a player’s shelf life. In some situations, the player just stops being good, but for the majority of these ugly contracts, the GMs knew what they were signing up for - or were so desperate, they made some last-ditch efforts to save their jobs. Maybe compliance buyouts can only be used on players not signed by the current GM?

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Not a terrible idea to impose some kind of draft pick penalty based on the salary of a buyout, perhaps.



I don’t think there’s any way the players will happily give up three or four years of contract length. I don’t see any way to sell that.



I don’t disagree, I just don’t see the players giving up their guaranteed contracts. Regular buyouts could work the same way they currently do if a team is looking to save money. Most of today’s regrettable contracts were saving cap space up front by purchasing extra years well past a player’s shelf life. In some situations, the player just stops being good, but for the majority of these ugly contracts, the GMs knew what they were signing up for - or were so desperate, they made some last-ditch efforts to save their jobs. Maybe compliance buyouts can only be used on players not signed by the current GM?

Well, obviously the BOG could compromise with something in return like a younger UFA age.

Also, maybe they could do something like any year after year five is non-guaranteed. So you can sign a player to an eight year deal, but once that contract gets to years 6+, they can be cut if they underperform.

Idk. I feel like contracts need to be re-structured in this league. The RFA bridge contract is basically extinct because of the precedent set by McDavid and Eichel. Now every superstar RFA is getting paid UFA money. I don't think it's a sustainable system.

 

[The Tikkanen]

I'm all for non-guaranteed contracts and I fully agree with you and K17 here with one caveat--how do you make sure the big market teams don't just go all Bobby Holik on everyone? It almost makes it a soft cap/franchise player scenario in a way, which I'm good with to a degree.

That's an excellent point. Imagine if the NHL went to guaranteed years and non guaranteed years? If I'm an NHL player over 26 and I have non guaranteed years on my deal I'm waiting until I receive my second drug test then I am taking a combination of testosterone, growth hormone and EPO or the Lance Armstrong cocktail. Then my stats will take off. Those yeas will then be guaranteed-guaranteed.

 

[crassbonanza]

I just don't see how such a minimal issue for teams is worth losing a couple of seasons in a protracted labor battle. Especially because unless you explicitly outlaw guarantee language in contracts, then the very players able to command the big contracts people complain about are also going to be the ones able to command guarantees. Eriksson is the current example mentioned and as a UFA who signed for nearly 6 million there was obviously interest for him and consequently he would have worked out guarantee language in his contract. Just like the NFL, where players like Cousins, Gurley, and Bell all have a majority of their contract guaranteed and basically can not be cut.