Seravalli: Vegas looking to terminate Lehner deal after he failed to report for physical

[Peasy]

Vegas plays with different rules.

 

[Vipers31]

That’s not how it works. Every grievance settlement where the terminated player was paid included a cap hit for the team equal to the payments.

Mike Richards, Evander Kane, Corey Perry et al.

I guess they found a new way to make it work. Wonder if there’s going to be a sufficient degree of transparency for what changed / under what abstract circumstances cap is now allowed to disappear.

 

[MMC]

Vegas plays with different rules.

What exactly do you think a fair solution to this would be?

 

[VeteranPresence]

Absolute BS, every other team needs to ask for similar relief for their bad contracts and if denied sue the league. It's anti-competitive at this point.

 

[MMC]

Absolute BS, every other team needs to ask for similar relief for their bad contracts and if denied sue the league. It's anti-competitive at this point.

If players on other teams decide to not report to camp, then I imagine they would indeed ask for similar relief. Can you show me another recent instance of that happening?

 

[Roo]

That is a pretty major precedent. Just put on some pounds, and you'll get paid and the team gets cap relief. Does the NHL understand what they just agreed to?

Forget Robidas Island, we now have Lehner Island!!!

 

[MMC]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841865522583154975

Lehner, 33, is still expected to receive the $4.5 million owed to him this season. Sources indicated the Golden Knights had a strong case to fully terminate the deal, which would result in no pay, but they didn’t want to pursue that path – as they were only seeking salary cap relief. From the NHLPA perspective, protecting a player’s earnings was of the utmost importance, and the resulting salary cap change is mostly immaterial – resulting in the agreed upon settlement. His $4.5 million is still expected to count against the players’ share of the 50/50 revenue split with owners.

 

[MMC]

That is a pretty major precedent. Just put on some pounds, and you'll get paid and the team gets cap relief. Does the NHL understand what they just agreed to?

Forget Robidas Island, we now have Lehner Island!!!

Looks to me like what the NHL agreed to is that if a player doesn’t report to your team they don’t have to count towards your team’s cap. Can anyone actually tell me why this is unfair or do people just hate Vegas so much that they don’t even care if what they’re saying makes sense?

 

[MMC]

Lehner is still getting his full money despite not even showing up, personally that seems incredibly generous of all involved as far as I'm concerned. Surprised Vegas didn’t push to not have to owe him anything

 

[hangman005]

Looks to me like what the NHL agreed to is that if a player report to your team they don’t have to count towards your team’s cap. Can anyone actually tell me why this is unfair or do people just hate Vegas so much that they don’t even care if what they’re saying makes sense?

Yes.

 

[VeteranPresence]

Looks to me like what the NHL agreed to is that if a player report to your team they don’t have to count towards your team’s cap. Can anyone actually tell me why this is unfair or do people just hate Vegas so much that they don’t even care if what they’re saying makes sense?

If they don't report then the contract is voided... you can't have it both ways, yet here we are. Given that they've also repeatedly abused LTIR without punishment, people are well within right to believe that Vegas is being governed by a completely different set of rules than the rest of the league. It's shady at best and outright corruption at worst.

 

[MMC]

Yes.

Would think people would still want to make sure their criticisms even made sense so they didn’t just end up looking foolish but I guess not!

 

[hangman005]

Would think people would still want to make sure their criticisms even made sense so they didn’t just end up looking foolish but I guess not!

This is HFBoards, you expect too much

 

[MMC]

If they don't report then the contract is voided... you can't have it both ways, yet here we are. Given that they've also repeatedly abused LTIR without punishment, people are well within right to believe that Vegas is being governed by a completely different set of rules than the rest of the league. It's shady at best and outright corruption at worst.

Did you even read what happened here? Vegas had a real case to void the deal but didn’t actually care about the real money and likely wanted to avoid a battle with the PA so he’s still getting paid. Would you have preferred they went for termination and gotten completely off the hook?

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Does it make sense to pay a player *not* to play for your team? Does it make sense to sign a contract, have that contract count toward the salary cap, and then suddenly decide -- no it doesn't?

I understand everyone's positions here. The fact remains that Vegas signs guys, has them not count toward the cap with non bona fide hockey injuries and gets cap reliefs no other team has ever sought. That's ... hate? It's special rules for special guys.

 

[Lunatik]

I find it interesting that Vegas only asked for cap relief rather than a full-out termination, which IMO they were entitled to. Looks like they tried to do Lehner a solid, but since it's Vegas everyone is bitching and whining

Does it make sense to pay a player *not* to play for your team? Does it make sense to sign a contract, have that contract count toward the salary cap, and then suddenly decide -- no it doesn't?

I understand everyone's positions here. The fact remains that Vegas signs guys, has them not count toward the cap with non bona fide hockey injuries and gets cap reliefs no other team has ever sought. That's ... hate? It's special rules for special guys.

You need to take off that tinfoil hat...

 

[Roo]

Looks to me like what the NHL agreed to is that if a player report to your team they don’t have to count towards your team’s cap. Can anyone actually tell me why this is unfair or do people just hate Vegas so much that they don’t even care if what they’re saying makes sense?

It’s just a new way of circumventing the cap. Not a shot at Vegas, but for teams that sign players that are older, LTIR relief isn’t the only game in town now.

Now a player doesn’t have to retire mid contract. Sign that 7 year deal at 34 years of age, and just get fat at 39 and you will get paid, and team gets cap relief.

 

[hangman005]

I find it interesting that Vegas only asked for cap relief rather than a full-out termination, which IMO they were entitled to. Looks like they tried to do Lehner a solid, but since it's Vegas everyone is bitching and whining

Well I think most of the remaining salary is getting garnished, so it maybe keep local creditors onside.

 

[Lunatik]

Well I think most of the remaining salary is getting garnished, so it maybe keep local creditors onside.

well yeah, but they would've requested this before the freezing of his assets

 

[VeteranPresence]

Would you have preferred they went for termination and gotten completely off the hook?

Yes, because that's the actual rule. But Vegas gets to invent their own for unknown reasons, and we're left to speculate as to what's happening behind closed doors that allows for such a luxury.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

I find it interesting that Vegas only asked for cap relief rather than a full-out termination, which IMO they were entitled to. Looks like they tried to do Lehner a solid, but since it's Vegas everyone is bitching and whining


You need to take off that tinfoil hat...

Good one. The point is that if Lehner doesn't do a physical -- neither failing nor passing -- Vegas can't legitimately LTIR him. Unlike Stone, there's nothing shady about it. This is a slightly inelegant solution but it satisfies the NHLPA and Lehner and to an extent the league and Vegas.

 

[MMC]

It’s just a new way of circumventing the cap. Not a shot at Vegas, but for teams that sign players that are older, LTIR relief isn’t the only game in town now.

Pretty sure the overwhelming majority of players who sign big contracts don’t refuse to report to their training camp physical

 

[hangman005]

well yeah, but they would've requested this before the freezing of his assets

I believe they have already, so by not terminating the contract to help local creditors recoup... other wise they get nothing because there's nothing to garnish. Honestly I'm just spitballing for something that makes sense.

 

[Roo]

Pretty sure the overwhelming majority of players who sign big contracts don’t refuse to report to their training camp physical

Absolutely, but now the older ones who want to retire can do so and get paid.

 

[Lunatik]

Good one. The point is that if Lehner doesn't do a physical -- neither failing nor passing -- Vegas can't legitimately LTIR him. Unlike Stone, there's nothing shady about it. This is a slightly inelegant solution but it satisfies the NHLPA and Lehner and to an extent the league and Vegas.

Clearly you don't grasp what is happening.

They have grounds to terminate his contract because he didn't show up for his physical that everyone knows he'd fail. Termination of the contract would take Lehner's cap hit off the books and save them 4.5m... instead they only asked for the cap relief... which they would have gotten anyways

but right, vegas, conspiracy!