Salary Cap: Wish it were higher

[TopChedder]

The cap is just plain too low. Toronto and the other big-market teams shouldn't have to be this badly handicapped to maintain balance because of Bettman's insistence on sticking a bunch of teams in markets where they can't prosper, waiting for a big US television deal that's never going to come.

Let the market take care of relocating some franchises to cities where they can survive on ticket sales, and go back to a more reasonable cap in the 70-80 million range.

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[Hockeylaw]

Patience.

 

[Eb]

Brah, we feel your pain.

On a serious note, it really didn't affect the team too greatly. Depending on who you speak with, the only person of significance was Grabo we had to cut - which didn't really matter since he didn't fit with the team any longer. Liles to an extent too.

Luckily, it is next season we're going to have sign our big name guys. Hoping for it to raise heavily.

 

[Community]

The cap is just plain too low. Toronto and the other big-market teams shouldn't have to be this badly handicapped to maintain balance because of Bettman's insistence on sticking a bunch of teams in markets where they can't prosper, waiting for a big US television deal that's never going to come.

Let the market take care of relocating some franchises to cities where they can survive on ticket sales, and go back to a more reasonable cap in the 70-80 million range.

I hope you realize if the cap goes up to 70-80m all the guys looking for a new contract will be demanding more and all that will happen is teams like NJ get screwed and the league becomes less teams and less competitive.

 

[Grant]

My guess is that it's the big market teams such as Toronto that like the salary cap the most. Instead of bidding each other up resulting in their team payroll being 100m+, they now get another 35m directly into their pockets.



Team fans on the other hand....

 

[Lebanese Leaf]

I hope you realize if the cap goes up to 70-80m all the guys looking for a new contract will be demanding more and all that will happen is teams like NJ get screwed and the league becomes less teams and less competitive.

The same NJ team that won 3 Stanley Cups and made another finals appearance in an 8 year span before the salary cap?

 

[TopChedder]

I hope you realize if the cap goes up to 70-80m all the guys looking for a new contract will be demanding more and all that will happen is teams like NJ get screwed and the league becomes less teams and less competitive.

Agreed. Then we just pay. I understand it gets more expensive, and parity will not happen anymore. I just find large market teams become so much more handicapped to the point where we have no benefits in having that great fanbase & merchandise support.

If you have a city that can't support a team, then to bad in my opinion. There are many places to relocate

 

[TopChedder]

Brah, we feel your pain.

On a serious note, it really didn't affect the team too greatly. Depending on who you speak with, the only person of significance was Grabo we had to cut - which didn't really matter since he didn't fit with the team any longer. Liles to an extent too.

Luckily, it is next season we're going to have sign our big name guys. Hoping for it to raise heavily.

True. I also for some reason really hate seeing JML going down to the Marlies. Such a nice guy, a team guy.

 

[Suntouchable13]

My guess is that it's the big market teams such as Toronto that like the salary cap the most. Instead of bidding each other up resulting in their team payroll being 100m+, they now get another 35m directly into their pockets.



Team fans on the other hand....

Not really. They still had to have dished out hefty buyout sums to Komi, and Grabo. They have to pay Liles his full salary. So the actual payroll is higher than ~64 mil.

 

[Ace88*]

The cap is just plain too low. Toronto and the other big-market teams shouldn't have to be this badly handicapped to maintain balance because of Bettman's insistence on sticking a bunch of teams in markets where they can't prosper, waiting for a big US television deal that's never going to come.

Let the market take care of relocating some franchises to cities where they can survive on ticket sales, and go back to a more reasonable cap in the 70-80 million range.

yeah we'll just email Bettman and tell him raise the cap, that should do it

 

[TopChedder]

My guess is that it's the big market teams such as Toronto that like the salary cap the most. Instead of bidding each other up resulting in their team payroll being 100m+, they now get another 35m directly into their pockets.



Team fans on the other hand....

Good point also

 

[TopChedder]

The same NJ team that won 3 Stanley Cups and made another finals appearance in an 8 year span before the salary cap?

NJ did a masterful job overall

Draft,Systems,Contracts

Winning cups and being competitive are still the main ways to improve

Leafs.....well we are just getting the hang of that process now lol

 

[dubey]

Patience.

Listen to this guy

Only going up from there

 

[ryno23]

I hope you realize if the cap goes up to 70-80m all the guys looking for a new contract will be demanding more and all that will happen is teams like NJ get screwed and the league becomes less teams and less competitive.

The cap is the reason teams are failing. MLB has no cap and small market teams can compete as they are allowed to spend as much as they need and work on strong farm systems and then repeat when the talent gets too rich for them.

In hockey teams are forced to sign players to get to the floor and those inflated contracts lead to other teams having to sign players as the market was established.

I look at the Fleischman deal in FLA he got way to much money as Florida had to meet the floor now other teams are forced to pay more for better players as Fleischman set the market.

 

[Community]

Agreed. Then we just pay. I understand it gets more expensive, and parity will not happen anymore. I just find large market teams become so much more handicapped to the point where we have no benefits in having that great fanbase & merchandise support.

If you have a city that can't support a team, then to bad in my opinion. There are many places to relocate

I said LIKE NJ.... They're the team with (or one of the ones) with the biggest debts/make the least amount of money.

I'm just saying it just hinders teams, I'd rather the 1 or 2 teams re-locate if they can't stay afloat than have to go through 2-3 years with a raised cap where most teams can't function well and they get screwed. Would probably end up hurting the NHL overall too.

 

[Mystifo]

I hope you realize if the cap goes up to 70-80m all the guys looking for a new contract will be demanding more and all that will happen is teams like NJ get screwed and the league becomes less teams and less competitive.

Bit off topic but I think the more concentrated the talent pool is the more competitive the league gets.

 

[TopChedder]

I said LIKE NJ.... They're the team with (or one of the ones) with the biggest debts/make the least amount of money.

I'm just saying it just hinders teams, I'd rather the 1 or 2 teams re-locate if they can't stay afloat than have to go through 2-3 years with a raised cap where most teams can't function well and they get screwed. Would probably end up hurting the NHL overall too.

NHL as a whole would go through some huge transitions. I understand that you want to have the game in as many places as possible, i just find the ability to use your market power has been completely erased. But i guess one can make the argument of better team and draft management. So in many ways both sides have merits depending on what side you are working from

 

[Community]

Bit off topic but I think the more concentrated the talent pool is the more competitive the league gets.

With the salary cap I disagree... Unless people believe that the league was more competitive during the original 6 than now. The fact that since the salary cap was introduced only 1 team has repeated while every team has at least made it once to the playoffs since then (thank goodness I can finally say that though T.O.) begs to differ IMO.

In the 14 years before the cap was introduced; NJ, Pitt, Col repeated and Det won 3 times, also from 73-88 only 4 different teams won the Cup and I doubt we will see anything like that happen again in this salary cap era.

 

[TopChedder]

The cap is the reason teams are failing. MLB has no cap and small market teams can compete as they are allowed to spend as much as they need and work on strong farm systems and then repeat when the talent gets too rich for them.

In hockey teams are forced to sign players to get to the floor and those inflated contracts lead to other teams having to sign players as the market was established.

I look at the Fleischman deal in FLA he got way to much money as Florida had to meet the floor now other teams are forced to pay more for better players as Fleischman set the market.

Also great post

 

[TopChedder]

With the salary cap I disagree... Unless people believe that the league was more competitive during the original 6 than now. The fact that since the salary cap was introduced only 1 team has repeated while every team has at least made it once to the playoffs since then (thank goodness I can finally say that though T.O.) begs to differ IMO.

In the 14 years before the cap was introduced; NJ, Pitt, Col repeated and Det won 3 times, also from 73-88 only 4 different teams won the Cup and I doubt we will see anything like that happen again in this salary cap era.

Yeah the time of the Dynasty is gone for sure. Chicago being the only one close in Cap era. Bruins could have been there also. It is a role players league now

 

[Community]

NHL as a whole would go through some huge transitions. I understand that you want to have the game in as many places as possible, i just find the ability to use your market power has been completely erased. But i guess one can make the argument of better team and draft management. So in many ways both sides have merits depending on what side you are working from

I guess I can agree with the last part....
I think with the huge transition they've already went through to introduce the salary cap that it would be ridiculous to undo that given how much the league has profited since then.

Also, while I would love for T.O. to be able to use their power to bully other teams and get more championships/deeper runs, for the betterment of the league this shouldn't happen. It would ruin the league IMO (at least in the long-term).

 

[Reim Van Jamesdyke]

I think Fleishmann is a really bad example. Most teams would be happy to have a consistent 60pt forward for only 4.5 mill per season.

 

[TopChedder]

I guess I can agree with the last part....
I think with the huge transition they've already went through to introduce the salary cap that it would be ridiculous to undo that given how much the league has profited since then.

Also, while I would love for T.O. to be able to use their power to bully other teams and get more championships/deeper runs, for the betterment of the league this shouldn't happen. It would ruin the league IMO (at least in the long-term).

Yeah i agree with that. I guess long term every fan wants to feel like they have a change (look at Jays & Yankees) if the same teams keep winning then it would hurt the sport.

I guess one could say look at all the years T.O was able to spend. They didnt spend wisely and have not won the cup. I still think a cap of 85M would be more then fair all around

 

[TopChedder]

I think Fleishmann is a really bad example. Most teams would be happy to have a consistent 60pt forward for only 4.5 mill per season.

I never really liked him though. Many parts of his game are flawed as well

 

[JackJ]

Higher salary cap = Higher salary demand