Lemieux: NHLers missed out on best deal

[nyr7andcounting]

Ah, but this indicates a change in stance, now doesn't it?

How we callously forget - the reason the $42.5 million cap was offered was because the players did NOT want linkage. At that time, linkage was the devil and this offer was fair.

Now, since a change in position indicates that as revenues go up, so do the player's salaries, they view linkage as a GOOD thing.

If you apply the players' stance on the February deal to this currently, then yes - it got a helluva lot worse.

But now linkage to them is a good thing, so it looks better because it's something they want too.

A change in opinion sure changes perspective, doesn't it?

Yes, that's the point. They realized that there current strategy wasn't going to get them a deal that they liked, so rather than take one of those offers in February (the $42.5M is the most talked about) they changed their stance in order to get a better deal.

It was obvious that the NHL's offer for a hard cap was never going to get high enough for the players to see that as the better option than a potential linkage deal, which they knew they could get from the NHL. Stances change over the course of negotiations and if your strategy fails than your most likely going to get the best deal by giving in to the other sides stance and negotiating a lot of other things in your favor.

One thing I will say is that we don't know what the range they are talking about is based on. If it's based on $1.5-$1.7B in revenues, something like that, than the cap is most likely going to be $42.5M at some point in this CBA anyway. And as far as I can tell that's the kind of revenues they seem to be going on. If not than maybe the deal didn't get better, if the range is on $2.1B than you may be right, but I don't think that's the case.

 

[clefty]

The Pens are still a bottom 5 team whether you like it or not. It's not 2003 but not a whole lot has changed.

How on earth do you know? In 2003, the Penguins couldn't pick up a big name through free agency. Now they can (and already have). How haven't things changed?

And as for spending money, I think a bigger priority should be to try and keep the team in Pittsburgh. I don't think you'd care about the talent they attract if they move to Las Vegas six months later.

What does signing or not signing Kovalev have to do with the Penguins getting a new arena? If the Penguins sign Kovalev, its not like that means they're detracting from attempting to build a new arena, now does it?

The Penguins have about $6 million invested in their team for next season. They will HAVE to spend money so they can get to the cap floor, it has nothing to do with prioritising for keeping the team in Pittsburgh, you're just looking for reasons to kick dirt on the Penguins so you can feel better about your own team.

 

[arnie]

His raise to $10M wasn't an increase in his player salary, but was an increase in his pay package as CEO, and was decided by the rest of the ownership group.

http://post-gazette.com/penguins/20031002penguins1002p1.asp

This was a load of BS. There isn't a CEO in the league who makes anywhere near $5 million, even the full time ones. The money was a thinly disguised attempt to increase Lemieux's salary. Anyway, what does it matter? It's the same money whether he was pais as CEO or player. It's money that is subtracted from the team budget abnd that cannot be used for paying other players.

 

[arnie]

To Follow suit

But the Wings ownership committee decided this summer to boost Yzerman's pay for off-ice duties to $2.25 million and add $2.5 million in deferred compensation...

But the Avelanche ownership committee decided this summer to boost Forsberg's pay for off-ice duties to $2.25 millionand add $2.5 million in deferred compensation.

But the Leafs ownership committee decided this summer to boost Sundin's pay for off-ice duties to $2.25 million and add $2.5 million in deferred compensation...

But the Flyers ownership committee decided this summer to boost Pronger's pay for off-ice duties to $2.25 million and add $2.5 million in deferred compensation..
Oops !! That may be giving too much away .. This will be announced after July 1st ..

etc ..

So what? Did those team have to dump their star players to come up with bread? Those tteams are rich and can afford it. The point is that the Pens could not afford to pay Lemieux without raping the roster and turning them into the worst team in the league.