Spongebob said:
... But, how many people would have envisioned 4 or 5 teams hitting the cap less than 2 weeks into free agency.
Well given the uncharacteristic offseason we all were anticipating, this comes as no surprise to me. This is a very unique set of circumstances, every team in the NHL is basically retooling and the glut of FAs out there raised the level of uncertainty. Teams are also locking up some of their stars for the future setting a few benchmarks, ala Nash and Iginla.
Spongebob said:
... Without the escrow account clause the players salaries would definitely go over the 54% mark. The escrow account has basically become a safety net for bad money management.
Agreed. Even with a cap you've had to know that GMs will be paying a premium, sometimes overspending in the eyes of the fans, for players who will also be courted by other teams.
Spongebob said:
... I remember several GM's just 2 or 3 weeks ago saying they wanted to stay under $37 million so they could have room to manuever later in the season. At least 5 teams will be over that mark.
I remeber that also, but I also remember many GMs commenting on how no one is certain how this crazy offseason is going to unfold. Bobby Clarke had no idea Forsberg was going to show an interest at the last minute thus putting Philly over the cap needing to shed fan fav JR. Teams that leave themselves little or no wiggle-room will be in poor shape at the trade deadline if they need one more piece for a good cup run.
Point is, this is a one-of-a-kind offseason. However, each summer there are going to be outrageous signings and someone throwing their arms up saying "see, even with a cap the GMs/players will act like idiots". As with the old system, give the agents, players, and management a while and they will figure out how the system will actually work.