GDT: NHL Free Agent Frenzy 2024

[Ceremony]

I'd take Trouba. We're not winning anything so we might as well get a laugh by killing a few people

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

I'd take Trouba. We're not winning anything so we might as well get a laugh by killing a few people

Can't stand that guy. He should have been banned by the league long time ago. He got treated nicely because Rangers.

 

[Ceremony]

I've just realised Nashville have spent 20 million dollars in one day. Nearly a quarter of their team all signed at the one time. Wild.

 

[Ararana]

Based on @Pierce Hawthorne math on Nuke's caphit now that we have the schedule, Avs would still be over the cap with a 21 man roster. They couldn't have given Brannstrom 850k instead of 900k .. smh.

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Assuming Landeskog is healthy for the start of the season is crazy optimistic IMO. I think they'd be lucky to get him back in December, and that should help with the cap a bit.

 

[tucker3434]

Assuming Landeskog is healthy for the start of the season is crazy optimistic IMO. I think they'd be lucky to get him back in December.

If we have to add another $775k to the lineup to start the season, it’s gonna make things even tighter.

If we could bank LTIR space, we’d be in great shape.

 

[Ararana]

If we could bank LTIR space, we’d be in great shape.

That's what I'm saying. At this point in the summer I'd assume Landeskog is on LTIR for at least October and November. That brings his cap hit down a bit - I'm too lazy to go figure out exactly how much.

We'll see what happens with Nuke.

 

[EdAVSfan]

But LTIR doesn’t reduce cap. It allows you to go over the cap. But once Landeskog’s comes back, his entire cap hit needs to fit.

Nuke is prorated. Landeskog is not.

Unless I’ve completed misunderstood LTIR again

 

[tucker3434]

That's what I'm saying. At this point in the summer I'd assume Landeskog is on LTIR for at least October and November. That brings his cap hit down a bit - I'm too lazy to go figure out exactly how much.

We'll see what happens with Nuke.

I don't think it does. I think we need to be exceptionally healthy for 37 days, and after that, we could use some LTIR overage space. But for 37 days while Nuke is off the books, we need to bank as much cap space as possible. From a cap perspective, might not be a bad idea for Wood to spend a couple weeks with the eagles.

 

[Ararana]

But LTIR doesn’t reduce cap. It allows you to go over the cap. But once Landeskog’s comes back, his entire cap hit needs to fit.

Nuke is prorated. Landeskog is not.

Unless I’ve completed misunderstood LTIR again

It's more complex than that. There's technically a daily cap, every day Landeskog remains on LTIR and his cap hit doesn't count against the Avs, the Avs are banking cap space for later in the season (depending on how much of that cap savings they use while he's out - aka going over the cap).

This year looks like it could be better for the Avs than last year. Last year they were using pretty much all of Landy's LTIR money throughout the season, this year (at the moment) it only looks like they have to use a small portion of it to ice their roster early in the year.

If Landy tries to come back and fails, the Avs should have a good amount of cap space at the trade deadline to do something bigger.

 

[Balthazar]

It's more complex than that. There's technically a daily cap, every day Landeskog remains on LTIR and his cap hit doesn't count against the Avs, the Avs are banking cap space for later in the season (depending on how much of that cap savings they use while he's out - aka going over the cap).

That's incorrect, teams don't accrue cap space for players on LTIR. They count against the cap.

If you want to bank cap space you need to be under the cap while counting the cap hits of all your guys in LTIR

 

[henchman21]

The most practical way to think about LTIR is that it allows you to exceed the cap, but when doing so you don't accrue. If you are under the limit LTIR doesn't allow you to accrue more, just the space that was there previously you can accrue. There is more nuance than that, but general rule.

The Avs will accrue while Nuke is out, and then likely eat into that accrual once he returns leaving very minimal space due to that. The ability to have space at the deadline will be paying for retention, possibly dumping some salary, and any injury that will extend into the playoffs.

 

[Richard88]

The 20 man roster below is $683,750 over the cap ceiling. Factoring in ~1.2m relief from Nichushkin being pro-rated makes the roster cap compliant (even accounting for a $775k replacement for Nichushkin which would eat into the pro-rated "savings" until November).

However, even with the pro-rating the Avs still wouldn't be able to add a 21st player to the roster. Replacing waiver-exempt Kovalenko ($896k) with someone at $775k would create an extra $120k in space, but that's still not enough for a 21st guy. What they could and and probably will do however is send Kovalenko "down" on paper on non gamedays to try to maximise capspace, but that won't make a huge difference on its own (they did this with Ben Meyers last season).

Essentially the team will be walking a fine line in terms of roster size, as even just one or two short-term injuries could make things extremely difficult.

Drouin - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Landeskog - Mittelstadt - Nichushkin
Wood - Colton - Lehkonen
Kelly - Kovalenko* - O'Connor

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
DeHaan - Brännström

* waivers exempt

This situation does make you wonder if CMac has some trade plans to try to open up enough capspace to run with a 21/22/23 man roster.

The most logical candidates would be Wood or Colton, and maybe Georgiev IF (big if) you could replace him with an ELC goalie (i.e. Askarov).

Alternatively if Brännström and/or Behrens impress a lot early on in the season maybe trading Girard becomes something to consider, especially of you could get a young RHD in return and roll with:

Toews - Makar
Brännström - Manson
De Haan - RHD

That said, again a lot would have to happen with Brännström for that idea to even be worth seriously considering further.

Most likely CMac will aim to ride with this 20 man roster until Nichushkin returns, and deal with whatever cap constraints arise then.

 

[AslanRH]

As is, assuming everyone is healthy and Nuke suspended,
Avs can start the season with a 22 man roster with a cap hit of around $85m + $6.1m on suspension.

This is going to be a long summer if we are going to micro analyze this to death with so many variables not yet sorted. At least let us get through arbitration season as teams will have another round of choices to make once that dust settles.

 

[Balthazar]

It's gonna be fun next year with Rants getting a 4M raise

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

Wood to the AHL for cap space makes so much sense. Ain't nobody taking that contract on waivers.

 

[BobRossColton]

It's gonna be fun next year with Rants getting a 4M raise

I'm sure there's better wingers out there, but this is kind of low-key why I want kakko, if he figures things out here he'd get that raise but it probably wouldn't kill us.

 

[chet1926]

It's gonna be fun next year with Rants getting a 4M raise

Seriously the dude is going to get like 14M. If Jason f***ing Zucker can get 5M coming off like 25pts, or Stephenson gets 7M, what the f*** can Rantanen demand coming off multiple 100+ pts seasons, most likely, since we all know Bednar will kill 29 and 96 again trying to drag our subpar roster.

I know the above are possibly the 2 most absurd contracts from the other day but don't think agents don't see that shit, and tell their clients I can get you whatever dollar amount you want if you are willing to play anywhere.

I'm sure there's better wingers out there, but this is kind of low-key why I want kakko, if he figures things out here he'd get that raise but it probably wouldn't kill us.

Kakko isn't it, but we really turn 96s 13-14M into at minimum 2 players not 1.

 

[Mighty Makar]

Trade Rantanen now, pls.

 

[henchman21]

Rants will be signed to a big deal and it will further erode depth. Probably best to get used to that now.

 

[Murzu]

Rants will be signed to a big deal and it will further erode depth. Probably best to get used to that now.

I'm not going to get used to that, I'm going to bitch and moan like I'm allowed to, thank you very much!

 

[RockLobster]

I'm not going to get used to that, I'm going to bitch and moan like I'm allowed to, thank you very much!

YOU WILL GET USED TO IT, AND YOU WILL f***IN' LIKE IT, YOU BIG DUMB BITCH!

 

[tucker3434]

Rants will be signed to a big deal and it will further erode depth. Probably best to get used to that now.

Going to be at ~$82m with 11 skaters and 1 goalie signed. We can sign 10 guys for $10m, right?

 

[henchman21]

Going to be at ~$82m with 11 skaters and 1 goalie signed. We can sign 10 guys for $10m, right?

You're optimistic with 82m there!

On the bright side we'll have Nuke's 6.125m on suspension again!

 

[Freaky Styley]

Tyler Johnson is an interesting name still out there. Probably my top choice for 4C at the moment if he felt like trying to win again. Another smaller guy though which Bednar doesn't want.

 

[tucker3434]

You're optimistic with 82m there!

On the bright side we'll have Nuke's 6.125m on suspension again!

We gotta be able to keep Rants under Nate's AAV, right?

Either way, I don't think we can ice a roster with Mikko making in the $12m ballpark.