NataSatan666 said:
Again until its signed, it's just speculation. I highly doubt the players will give in to a cap and still offer the rollbacks.
And since the owners have mentioned a 28 year old UFA start. Maybe you will have to be looking for another captain if he is still a free agent.
Wouldn't it just be funny if Calgary is hedging on a cap and they then lose Ignilna because of it to a team like the Penguins.
Thats the problem with hard caps. I would find all sorts of fault if the Leafs went out and signed UFA's before the lockout, but they just resigned their own players. Isn't that was you are supposed to do in professional sports?
I thought that's what this thread was about? The proposal's cap?
In that case, I highly doubt the owners will fold for a soft cap (eg. MLB type). With Gary Bettman's 75% veto power, he only needs 8 teams signing his song and dancing his dance ot get what he wants. A recent report claimed that 10 taems would permanently close its doors should the new CBA resemble anything close to this one. Guys like Mike Commodore have already vocally expresssed their concern over who is fighting for their rights, and when a few more cement heads figure out that will contraction occur (as a result of another terrible CBA) then I wouldn't be suprised to see Bob Goodenow get the boot. As it stands now, the owners are sitting at home patiently waiting while having the NHLPA bids against themselves, while lower level players start folding like a cheap tent when they realize how much money they're losing over a season (1.2 billion, collectively) and moreso, their career when they come back to camp with rust while minor leaguers and juniors stay active playing - not to mention the jobs lost due to contraction (eg. Statement from the Oilers yesterday).
Iginla... thanks for the update, tips. It was something all Flames fans realized when he wasn't signed before the CBA, and the UFA age rumoured to be lowered to 25. It was clearly evident that Sutter planned on leaving Iginla as an FA and seeing how things shaked out, as he went out ot sign other players (most significantly, Phaneuf) while leaving Iginla a FA. It was rumoured back in early Sept that Iginla and Sutter had a tenative deal, waiting for things to shake down, and would sign the deal after the CBA. But even if there is no agreement in place, a salary cap would be advantagous to teams with a lower payroll, meaning Calgary would have the best chance at signing him under their cap - oh, and not to mention that Iginla's wife just had a baby and his babysitting parents are in Alberta. So being captain of a Western conference champion team, being able to make the most money, living close to his family and no having to relocate a newborn... you really think I'm concerned?
The reason why the Leafs have no one to blame but themselves was that they threw outragous contracts knowing full well what Bettman was going for in the CBA. So while other teams started letting players go and not resigning their RFA's and putting their players on waivers so they could control their budget, the Leafs went out left field and blew a whole chunk of their salary. Yes yes, I know, retaining your players (that the Leafs actually bought, btw)... the Leafs were the ONLY team to do that. You see Colorado breaking the bank on Kariya? I believe Naslund was left unsigned, as is St Louis. Not to mention Iginla, who you already noted.