Salary Cap: I hate the salary cap

[ArcticFox]

The salary cap is great: it saves the league financially and increases its fanbase as well. As far as this "dreaded" parity goes the only thing it has changed is stopping teams like the old Devils or Red Wings from locking in the cup on a yearly basis.

I've learned something since 2005: most fans that complain about the salary cap are just victims of bad teams and sour grapes. With no salary cap the league today would be only 20 teams tops and dwindling since the leagues fanbase would get smaller and smaller until we just reached an O6 point again. And hey that's the last time the Leafs could win a cup... how convenient OP don't you say?

 

[hotpaws]

The Leafs organization just has to do a better job. Blaming the cap is just an excuse.

Yup , just frustrated fans tired of losing looking for an excuse to deflect criticism away from a poorly run team .

 

[McGuiresMonsters]

I don't like that the tickets I buy are so much more expensive than other teams tickets and the money we pump into the league pays for lower revenue clubs to beat us.

I'm not complaining about the price, I only buy tickets when I can afford them. I just wish the revenue the Leafs generate from ticket sales could be re-invested in the club rather than pay the competition's bills.

Revenue sharing is so minimal in the NHL that I don't think much money is going to other teams. It's still for the most part going to the Leaf owners.

 

[ArcticFox]

Oh and I'm sorry to say: but you'd think with bad signings like Clarkson and Phaneuf the Leafs would just waste more money on no cups. Sorry boys but Toronto will have to just work its way to a cup, just because the Rags managed to buy their way to a fluke cup in the 90s doesn't mean everyone gets that lucky.

 

[Tak7]

In theory, the salary cap hurts big market teams like Toronto, the other Canadian teams, and the Rangets etc., because those are teams that could, and did, put a ton of money into their payroll.

That spending power isn't all that defined anymore. That's one of the reasons why the cap was put into place.

And who are we even kidding? When the cap wasn't in place, it's not as though the Leafs were a great team.

At some level, the cap has helped the Leafs readjust their focus back on youth development and pushing young players through the organization - that was something that was almost unheard of before the cap era in Toronto. As pathetic as it is to say, the Leafs were one of the worst placed organizations in terms of young prospects when the cap was introduced, and they are still reeling from that. Almost an entire generation of young talent has come through the league, and the Leafs were nowhere near any of it because they were awful at drafting / didn't value the draft.

Proof that if you don't take care of your organization, poor management can hurt you for a VERY long time. This team is still hurting from decisions that it made prior to the lockout being initially introduced

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

I love the salary cap and wish it was even stricter.

It's a sports league, about competing and seeing who is the best team and that includes management.

Money should not be an advantage if you care about true sporting competition.

But that idea aside, the Leafs would probably be even more messed up if allowed to spend at will.

At least the cap forces this organization to consider a little bit of sensible management as worthwhile.

 

[hotpaws]

I love the salary cap and wish it was even stricter.

It's a sports league, about competing and seeing who is the best team and that includes management.

Money should not be an advantage if you care about true sporting competition.

At least the cap forces this organization to consider a little bit of sensible management as worthwhile.

Very well said and my feelings exactly .

 

[New User Name]

Revenue sharing is so minimal in the NHL that I don't think much money is going to other teams. It's still for the most part going to the Leaf owners.

according to legal documents re the Panthers (from the business section) the Panthers received 10 million in revenue sharing last year.

Not sure if I consider that minimal.

 

[New User Name]

If I recall correctly when the league didn't have a cap the Leafs were always in the top 5 in salaries.......still no cup.

That said I'd like a system with a luxury tax.

Teams can spend up to 10 million over the cap with a 50% penalty.
The penalty money goes into the RS pot.

 

[Melrose Munch]

Parity is the worst thing to happen to Pro sports.

Studies show attendance to games rise significantly when the outcome of the game is uncertain (parity). Increase attendance allows fuller arenas and higher ticket prices to those arenas that are already full. For pro sports, parity is definitely a good thing.

Really. Then why doesn't the world's most popular sport soccer enjoy this great parity?

Be honest, NHL owners don't have the money for an uncapped league.

 

[Melrose Munch]

At the end of the day, if we didn't have the cap then league would be 21 teams still and less people would watch.


That still does not make it a good idea, just saying.

 

[keonsbitterness]

Really. Then why doesn't the world's most popular sport soccer enjoy this great parity?

They have a parity of sorts built in with relegation and promotion. What happens at the bottom is almost as important as what happens at the top.

At the end of the day, if we didn't have the cap then league would be 21 teams still and less people would watch.

Back to 21 teams? Count me in!

 

[Guy Boucher]

I think 20 years from now, people will be talking about how Bettman ruined the NHL by insisting on the "NFL model" as opposed to capitalizing on hockey's international appeal and monetizing that market.

It's very possible that in the near future the KHL is considered the superior league.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

I love the salary cap and wish it was even stricter.

It's a sports league, about competing and seeing who is the best team and that includes management.

Money should not be an advantage if you care about true sporting competition.

But that idea aside, the Leafs would probably be even more messed up if allowed to spend at will.

At least the cap forces this organization to consider a little bit of sensible management as worthwhile.

+1 salary cap is great.

 

[marquee]

Nhl owners were never losing money. A good accountant could cook any book and make it seek as if certan teams bled money.

 

[marquee]

See what propaganda can do. Feels as if all 30 owners are in this thread.

Lets say the league is thriving how do you benefit? Lets cut the crap in our city toronto this team has been turning profits for decades. Other than the owners pockets getting fattter what have u as fans recieved ? You sure dont get any dividends.

Time to stop quoting cbc articles and what the nhl hot stoce has fed yall about the new cba.

 

[ArcticFox]

Really. Then why doesn't the world's most popular sport soccer enjoy this great parity?

Be honest, NHL owners don't have the money for an uncapped league.

Because... it's already the worlds biggest sport?

 

[sw13]

I love the salary cap. I love how drafting and development is the most important part of team building now. I love what it's done for the American Hockey League as well. It's up to teams to manage it correctly. The leafs have not managed the cap well at all. Brian Burke cleared a ton of space and Nonis bought out two of our best players to bring in two guys who did absolutely nothing for us. And NOW we are so capped out that we couldn't even get a prospect into the lineup last night. That's horrible cap management and horrible management in general!

 

[Stephen23]

The ONLY thing I don't like about it is how difficult it is to make trades in the NHL now. I also feel that there should a little more leniency in regards to buyouts. I am not sure what exactly as I feel teams should be held accountable for bad contracts given out. But maybe they could have set it up that you pay that persons salary for 1 year. Or possibly adapt an NFL "guaranteed money" type of system. I'm not quite sure as I haven't given it much thought. I just feel to have someone on your payroll for 7+ years after you buy them out seems a little extreme. Possibly 1 year at full salary cap hit and 2nd year at half salary cap hit. The bought out player would get the earned salary or whatever the "guaranteed money" would be if that came to fruition.

 

[edbrubaker*]

Problem with the cap is that is punishes good markets that will always spend to the cap and rewards nothing markets by handing them franchise players through the draft. When was the last time we've had a true superstar in a Canadian market or in LA or New York? Stanley Cup parades in Walmart parking lots in places like Carolina are a disgrace to the league.

Lift the cap economic darwinism will kill off the lesser markets and keep hockey in places it matters in a 20-25 team league.

 

[Mess]

The salary cap is great because it forces teams to draft well and "play the kids" for momentary reasons to build/assemble a team with cap restrictions and limitations.

I supplement my Leaf viewing with my Kelowna Rockets the #1 ranked CHL team in the country.

Living on the West coast I watch my Leafs struggle and lose and then head off for some real good hockey and watch my Rockets win more often then not. Kelowna 9 playoffs game and already in the conference WHL western conference finals this year.

 

[-DeMo-]

Problem with the cap is that is punishes good markets that will always spend to the cap and rewards nothing markets by handing them franchise players through the draft. When was the last time we've had a true superstar in a Canadian market or in LA or New York? Stanley Cup parades in Walmart parking lots in places like Carolina are a disgrace to the league.

Lift the cap economic darwinism will kill off the lesser markets and keep hockey in places it matters in a 20-25 team league.

People think that less teams is better but it's not. Scoring would go way down and most games would end 1-0 2-1 as your eliminating the 60 worst defenders and losing 10 worst starting goalies defense would be off the charts good. This league needs to expand if anything and I think the cap helps that happen, so IMO the cap is certainly a good thing in sports

If u want to see a league with no cap and what it looks like today look at mlb and how the Yankees do business. I hate being able to buy your championships, that takes no skill. And I would rather cheer for a team that didn't buy a championship.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Problem with the cap is that is punishes good markets that will always spend to the cap and rewards nothing markets by handing them franchise players through the draft. When was the last time we've had a true superstar in a Canadian market or in LA or New York? Stanley Cup parades in Walmart parking lots in places like Carolina are a disgrace to the league.

Lift the cap economic darwinism will kill off the lesser markets and keep hockey in places it matters in a 20-25 team league.

At time the cap came into picture the Oilers/Sens/Flames were struggling financially as well as Sabres

Without cap Winnipeg isn't viable as well

Would you say hockey doesn't matter in those places? That they are lesser markets not worthy to have NHL franchises?

 

[LeafsFIO*]

I find my self each year having less and less interest in NHL hockey and have been following more and more junior hockey. That said I will never ever stop being a Leafs fan it's just more of my dwindling interest in the NHL right now.

Junior hockey is a more exciting brand of hockey right now in my oppinion over the NHL. It's higher scoring and more of an offensive and aggressive style of play.

I miss the old NHL.

Yeah because Junior Hockey has no dirt on its hands or anything. Windsor/London/Halifax/StJohn/Portland openly paying their players under the table, circumventing the draft and offering kids inflated living benefits and education packages, as these teams become mini-dynasties. I hate the salary cap too but to suggest that the CHL is in good hands compared to the NHL is absolutely ludicrous.

 

[stealth1]

I love the salary cap. It seems the big market team fans are really the ones that don't like it. Now you have to make good management decisions and can't buy your way out of mistakes.