Vegas about to circumvent cap again? UPD: Mark Stone back practicing.

[barriers]

A lot of people just need to come to terms with the fact that a billion dollar + sports league's salary cap works different than their $20 fantasy league

 

[wetcoast]

I love seeing GMs do everything in their power to win Cups while playing within the rules that are set by the NHL

Everyone does when their team does it but if another team, especially one they hate does it, it's the end of the world.

 

[Machinehead]

Good. f*** that cap.

 

[rojac]

So it's funny that multiple people have other views on the salary cap but those only who think a hard cap is stupid should go elsewhere?

I rarely think about the cap and it doesn't affect my enjoyment of watching hockey and I'm sure most people feel that way even if they think the hard cap is dumb..

Since it isn't making the game unenjoyable for you then my comment clearly doesn't apply to you.

 

[Satire]

Vegas puts one of their star forwards on LTIR
HF :Meh it's a tactic everyone would use if they could. 3 page thread
Leafs put a broken goalie on LTIR
HF: OMG Leafs are circumventing the cap, fine them they are such cheaters! 50 page thread.

The NHL has ruled that the Edmonton Oilers are required to give a 2nd round draft pick to Calgary Flames due to content of this post.

Just ditch the cap, NHL.

And ditch Gary while you're at it.

Does it have to be a package deal??

 

[TheBeard]

Just ditch the cap, NHL.

And ditch Gary while you're at it.

If we ditch the cap then we're also essentially ditching 7-10 teams who can't compete with the Torontos and Rangers of the league.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Consider that Tampa had Kucherov skating for almost two months before the playoffs but wasn't ready to come off LTIR until G1 of the playoffs, when he was magically good to go. PERFECT timing! And the whole Board of Governors goes "No we don't think it's circumvention."

People need to understand "Kucherov was skating 2 months before the playoffs" does not mean "Kucherov was ready to play in an NHL game 2 months before the playoffs." Brad Marchand had both hips scoped at the end of May 2022 and started skating in mid-September, and still didn't play for 6 weeks. That wasn't because of cap implications, it was because he was not ready to play in an NHL game; the fact that he was back in 6 weeks is more due to the fact that he was fanatically working to get back into the lineup as quickly as he could.

[One day we should discuss the fact that Marchand had double hip arthroscopy and was playing in 5 months. Hate him all you want, that turnaround time is incredible even for a pro athlete.]

It was obviously circumvention. GMs obviously circumvent the cap, but they'll all look the other way because when it comes time that it's their turn to do it, they want that option.

This. The sooner people understand this, the sooner people can get over their angst about what the league does or doesn't do with the cap and the playoffs.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

If we ditch the cap then we're also essentially ditching 7-10 teams who can't compete with the Torontos and Rangers of the league.

Yeah, how could we forget the countless Cups the Leafs and Rangers won between the end of the O6 and the lockout...

 

[TheBeard]

Yeah, how could we forget the countless Cups the Leafs and Rangers won between the end of the O6 and the lockout...

It doesn’t matter about winning and losing, it’s about off ice revenue. Same reason LA Dodgers can spend 2 billion dollars in an offseason despite also having to pay a luxury tax. They’ll make it back and some because of the market they’re in. The only thing having no cap would do is prevent the smaller markets from retaining the stars that developed in their systems.

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

People need to understand "Kucherov was skating 2 months before the playoffs" does not mean "Kucherov was ready to play in an NHL game 2 months before the playoffs." Brad Marchand had both hips scoped at the end of May 2022 and started skating in mid-September, and still didn't play for 6 weeks. That wasn't because of cap implications, it was because he was not ready to play in an NHL game; the fact that he was back in 6 weeks is more due to the fact that he was fanatically working to get back into the lineup as quickly as he could.

[One day we should discuss the fact that Marchand had double hip arthroscopy and was playing in 5 months. Hate him all you want, that turnaround time is incredible even for a pro athlete.]


This. The sooner people understand this, the sooner people can get over their angst about what the league does or doesn't do with the cap and the playoffs.

I don't think Kucherov could've played two months before the playoffs. But I do think he could've played at some point before the playoffs and was conveniently held out.

There's no way he was able to skate that long but wasn't healthy enough to play until, coincidentally, right when the playoffs started and the cap didn't matter.

But we both agree that all the GMs look the other way on this.

 

[DustyDangler]

FTR...Placing a player on LTIR is not cap circumvention.

 

[Da McBomb]

FTR...Placing a player on LTIR is not cap circumvention.

But having that player miraculously heal in time for Game one of the playoffs is.. (not healthy enough for game 82 of the season.. but perfectly fine for Game one of the playoffs)

 

[NVious]

The Las Vegas Golden Asterisks learned from the best (Tampa Bay)

But having that player miraculously heal in time for Game one of the playoffs is.. (not healthy enough for game 82 of the season.. but perfectly fine for Game one of the playoffs)

Don't be silly, obviously Mark Stone was clearly injured when he was miraculously healed by Elvis outside the rink while he was on crutches just in time for game 1. GO KNIGHTS GO!

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Bro gonna hop up like Grandpa Joe come April

 

[Da McBomb]

Isn't the point of having a Cap system is to maintain fair and equal competition among all the teams? But then during the most important time of the year, you throw that cap out the window and allow rosters to ice teams that are way over the season payroll? Makes no sense to me how the League allows it.

 

[powerbomb]

Imo a good consolation rule with that one would be that the cap only applies to dressed players when it comes to playoffs. A problem with a continuous cap is that trades are the only real way to fix a cap problem, and it would be too odd to have that going on during playoffs

This right here is the solution; it’s mind-numbing that the league doesn’t enforce this. You won’t be penalized for being over the cap as a player returns from injury, but the roster you dress for a playoff game has to be cap compliant. Do you load up the high end talent and cut out depth? Do you rest a star and find a rotation? Either way, you’re still operating with an advantage but it’s simply moronic to let one team ice a roster that’s $10M above the cap whereas their opponent cannot. Competitive integrity should kind of, you know, be an important thing to the league.

 

[TheBeard]

But having that player miraculously heal in time for Game one of the playoffs is.. (not healthy enough for game 82 of the season.. but perfectly fine for Game one of the playoffs)

One time isn't a big deal, but if Vegas manages to have that coincidental timing in consecutive years would seem a little curious.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I don't think Kucherov could've played two months before the playoffs. But I do think he could've played at some point before the playoffs and was conveniently held out.

Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not a doctor, and I certainly didn't spend time checking out Kucherov to assess his ability to play - and that latter part goes for everyone else in this forum (unless someone here is secretly one of the doctors on the Lightning physician staff).

There's no way he was able to skate that long but wasn't healthy enough to play until, coincidentally, right when the playoffs started and the cap didn't matter.

Remember that there's "I'm hurt, and I could play but I'm not going to because the team doesn't need me to play" and "I'm hurt, but the team needs me to play so I'm playing" and this goes on in every sport. And there's also a fine line between "I'm hurt, and I could potentially if the team needs me, but the risk of re-injury is low" and "I'm hurt, and I could potentially if the team needs me, but the risk of re-injury is high" and players and teams have discussions about where on that line the player is.

But we both agree that all the GMs look the other way on this.

It still comes back to this. Kind of like how when the first ultra-long, back-diving front-loaded contracts were signed and it was pretty clear teams were using them to circumvent the cap by inserting years where the player was much less likely [unlikely] to play, the league could have put an instant halt to them by invoking Article 26. It didn't. It wasn't an accidental decision, it was an intentional choice.

 

[gstommylee]

The simplest solution is make the cap apply through the playoffs.

And the union would say no to that.

 

[Score08]

A lot of people just need to come to terms with the fact that a billion dollar + sports league's salary cap works different than their $20 fantasy league

Nonsense there hologram boards tell me otherwise

 

[PumpkinBomb]

To me the solution is that the roster you ice in the playoffs must be below a certain cap number. (Maybe make it the same cap hit as regular season but just applied to the 20 skaters dressed, which gives a team a bit of room, but not too much. (Also gets around the fact that you have a massive roster size in the playoffs of non-dressed players, and can account for injuries and such)

 

[Devilmademedoit]

Doing it two years in a row would be bold. Or is it just coincidence?

Who do you think they will add at the deadline?

I believe it takes two miracles to become a saint. IF Eichel is not healthy until game one of the playoffs--it is another xmas miracle . Someone will need to get the vatican to speed up making the Knights GM a saint.

All joking a side? I no longer care. But I am one of those people that if any Canadian team not names the Leafs tried it? They would be called out on it and punished by the nhl

 

[Vegan Knight]

Please, bjornfoot played, what, 2 games for them? Right now the team has two legit pieces out: Eichel and Carrier. That’s it. Guys like Denisenko are playing because the team has no depth and their prized prospects like Brisson clearly aren’t NHL material. Demek wasn’t good enough and Howden reverted back to being hot garbage. The reality is Vegas was eventually going to run into depth issues because they needed guys like Cotter and Doro to suddenly be top 6 forwards. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vegas used Eichel’s LTIR space and lack of valuable trade pieces to pick up 2 or 3 bottom 6 vets.

It doesn't matter what you think of the players, when they're injured they still take up a roster spot and the accompanying cap space for that roster spot while injured.

Then you call up players to ice a full team and they also take up a roster spot and the accompanying cap space.

So you put your injured players on IR and LTIR in order to go over the roster limit and salary cap to facilitate those extra called up players. That is the process that Vegas has been using for months already.

Theodore was injured for three months and had surgery, so he was put on LTIR but was activated for the game yesterday, so Vegas needed the cap space to facilitate his 5.2 million coming off LTIR while also needing room to have roster replacements for Eichel, Carrier, Dorofeyev, Bjornfot and Hutton.

Thus, Eichel, another player who has been injured for six weeks already and also had surgery at that time, was put on LTIR to facilitate it.

That injured player, Jack Eichel, as has been said before for those who take the time to look and are genuine parties in conversation, is expected back in early March. The playoffs, for reference, do not begin until late April.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

A lot of people just need to come to terms with the fact that a billion dollar + sports league's salary cap works different than their $20 fantasy league

So the Billion dollar + sports league should have more rule bending than the $20 fantasy league?

 

[LuckyDay]