So that was my shot at it, the situation is not imagined under the current CBA is where it spins back to? I’ll defer to my qualifier that the NHL and the PA will move to make the common sense resolution as quickly as possible.
They’ll make the family whole and CBJ without penalty because it’s the only right thing to do. There’s no question to it.
@mouser Ty as usual for your on point CBA knowledge.
I think the only uncertainty here though is Gaudreau's signing bonus. As pointed out, normally when something is literally a "signing bonus" it's automatically payable, even if deferred. But if (as we see with Matthews) there are conditions attached to whether the "signing bonus" is paid or not then is it really a signing bonus, or is it just salary?
Unfortunately Johnny Gaudreau is not the first NHL player to die in tragic, non-hockey-related circumstances. This situation has come up before.
So it seems mostly clear what happens - Gaudreau's contract is terminated as Gaudreau is deceased. No more salary is payable to him. Gaudreaus family is instead paid out under the NHL's life insurance policy of $1 million plus one year's salary. Because this is life insurance, not salary, CBJ accrues no salary cap hit.
After all - why would the league have a separate clause for life insurance if NHL contracts were fully guaranteed even in death?
What I don't know, and can't answer, is if the remainder of Gaudreau's $14 mil signing bonus would be still be payable or not. Presumably if it's payable there's a chance it is counted against CBJ's cap. Presumably the lawyers for the estate and the league are only just starting to discuss how to handle the situation (and they may, on a "without prejudice" basis, agree to pay just to avoid looking bad).
