Flat Cap, Has it been good-bad or indifferent for The Leafs?

[JT AM da real deal]

Having high payroll works in MLB, so why wouldn't it work in other leagues. It has seriously hampered Leafs' potential success and elevated other teams. There are options to improve this. I don't why anyone would argue otherwise. Honestly, do Leafs fans feel happy about subsidizing other teams that have done better? Seems like an outrageous business model that takes advantage of team loyalty.

Until da large market teams like Leafs, Rangers, Habs and Vegas figure out a way to get control of league we are doomed to Jacobs nonsense .. Jacobs and his band of small market owners control da league in every respect .. from hiring/controlling Bettman to figuring out how da small market teams can make $$$ .. only really bad bad orgs like Coyotes and Florida struggle to make payroll weekly .. da cBA and CAP only hold back players from making more $$$ and keeping more teams in top flight .. to me hockey has dropped off in quality as teams get weaker and weaker under this system .. let da best survive and take game up to its proper level .. it is why many now only tune in to Olympic/national level games where it is best on best and you get Canada, US and Russia and sometimes Sweden and Finland in some great games

 

[Morbo]

Hurt, without a doubt.

I don't see how one could argue otherwise

 

[BraveCanadian]

It's obviously been bad for the Leafs and I don't see how it could be up for debate.

They signed a pile of big ticket players and then the cap flattened out which denies them the missing pieces and depth they could really use.

 

[Marmoset]

I got into a debate with a buddy about this.

On the surface the flat cap has obviously left the team with little $$$ to spend.

At the same time it has pinched other teams and allowed The Leafs to fill out their roster with low cost players that would otherwise be getting paid more. These are the players the Leafs need to fill the roster with.
You know regardless Dubas would be up against the cap.

What is your take, has the flat cap helped, hurt or had no real adverse affect on the roster?

It has absolutely hurt more than it has helped. Without the flat cap the Leafs could simply pay better players more, or keep a player or two they lost. They might have been able to keep a guy like Zach Hyman, as an example. Or you have a better third liner than Ondrej Kase.

I don't think the flat cap can be used an excuse for the team's troubles. Teams with better drafting and development have cheaper internal options and don't need to resort to the bargain bin as much. There are lots of other issues, and every other team is playing by the same rules.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Clearly it's horrible and has cost us countless good picks. Dubas banked on it. Dubas was wrong.

 

[Uncus13]

Not only has it hurt the leafs, with the advantages like tax relief, location, and equalization payments, it has seriously diminished their ability to upgrade their hockey club because of the lack of funds available. This not only hurts the team but the players and their ability to make money or even garner a contract. It seems to me if the players really wanted to go rogue, they could challenge this model in court with and including the draft and its obvious employment standards breeches (If there is a labor law lawyer visiting, they could yea or nay that idea down in a second lol..

 

[A1LeafNation]

It's been bad bro...where have you been?

 

[Carltons Cup]

Flat cap? No problem.

A few more Malgin's and we're fine.

 

[Sypher04]

Clearly it's horrible and has cost us countless good picks. Dubas banked on it. Dubas was wrong.

Name me one GM who wasn’t banking on cap growth and subsequently proven wrong. You won’t be able to, because for more than a decade since the cap was put in place this is the environment all GMs competed in. Shame on them for not predicting a global pandemic lol.

The only reason this disproportionately hit us vs most other teams is because when the game shut down and the flat cap was instituted we had just recently signed all our biggest money contracts.

 

[thehockeysong]

Was worst case timing for the leafs. RFAs had just started getting fair contracts + agents started pricing in inflation. That all peaked when the leafs core was due for an extension.... And then all that cap growth they priced in didn't happen. I'm sure there are a few other teams that got hit bad too, but seems like the leafs have to be at the top of the worst case list.

 

[hamzarocks]

Is there a team it's hurt more?

Tampa?

They had to lose Coleman, Palat, Goodrow, and McDonough due to the flat cap.

If the cap was at 95M they probably can keep 2 of those guys still.

Obviously they won 2 cups and a 3rd final so no one really cares for them, but if the cap was as high as expected, the best team in the league over the past 3 years would have been able to keep their team at that level longer.

 

[Cor]

It’s 100% been objectively bad.

We signed our top players based on a steady rising salary cap. As soon as we got them signed, the pandemic hit and the cap stopped rising.

 

[cupcrazyman2]

Would selling Dubas Plush Toys Increase Revenues ? lol