It's great that we keep hearing about the magic number of $45 million cap, but there are sooooooo many questions that need answers. Where to begin:
- Is it a hard cap?
- Is it like the NHLPA's cap, with ways of moving above 45 M?
- Is there a salary floor?
- Is there linkage of any kind?
- Is the 24 per cent rollback still in?
- What's the status of salary arbitration? Still just players taking owners, two-way or can they scrap it possibly?
- Has the UFA age changed from 31?
- Are there any changes to RFA status, and is there a plan in place to prevent holdouts?
- Is there a deadline to sign your players before training camp starts?
- Have both sides agreed on Entry Level salaries and bonuses, and have they both decided to throw the rookies under the bus?
- What changes to the game currently being exhibited in the AHL will be used in the "New NHL"?
- Are all 30 owners prepared to play with a 45 million cap, and if not who isn't and what are their plans for the future?
- Will teams be given a window of opportunity to scale down to 45 million if they're already over budget?
- Who signs which current UFA and for how much?
- Which grizzled vet will decide to retire, if any, and will all future HOFs currently looking for work find a job for 28 games (i.e. Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis, etc.)?
- What happens to the June 1 deadline for signing 2003 draftees? Does it still remain intact this year?
- What happens in Europe? What happens to Ilya Kovalchuk's contract and others that were reportedly one-way guaranteed deals?
- What happens to Todd Bertuzzi? Is the suspension lifted right away?
- What happens to Alexander Perezhogin? Will he come over to play in Montreal or remain in Russia?
So many questions, so little time for answers.