BigG44
Registered User
- Jul 12, 2007
- 24,127
- 1,579
I'm about 90% sure after reviewing Robertson's contract that his bonuses are games played bonuses and not A bonuses. It's a tactic Dallas has used in the past. It allows you to keep the salary lower (impacts QO), but it allows you to give the max signing bonus.
A normal max ELC without A or B bonuses is $925K. The max signing bonus is 10% or $92,500. ELC's actually allow games played bonuses to count as part of the salary. The way you spot them is when the salary on Cap Friendly is not listed as $832,500 but the signing bonus is listed as $92,500.
This only matters because the signing bonus can not be more than 10% so the only way give a max signing bonus of $92,500 per season is if the salary is $832,500. Like I said though, ELCs allow you to combine base salary with a games played bonus to reach that number.
Just for comparison, if you go check Miro Heiskanen, his salary column every season is $832,500 with a $92,500 signing bonus. That's for each of the three seasons. If you look at Robertson's base salary, it's $700K this year and $750K the following 2 years. His signing bonus though is the full $92,500. If you look over at his bonus column though, Robertson's bonus potential this season is $132,500, and then it goes down to $82,500 the next 2 seasons. When you combine the Y1 base with his bonuses and then the Y2/3 base with those bonuses, the total is $832,500. That's the dead giveaway those bonuses are games played.
The only problem I have with Cap Friendly is they list all bonuses on ELC's together with no breakdown. That forces some estimations, but since nearly all ELC's are pretty similar, it's typically easy to get the right numbers, but again ... you're still making an educated guest since that information isn't on their site.
Why does this matter? It's very likely not interesting to anyone else, but it was to me. The only impact it has is a games played bonus on an ELC is virtually identical to a games played bonus on a standard player contract (Perry/Sekera). If Robertson earns, them, that opens the door for additional bonus overages. At the end of the day, it's less than $150K so it's not something that's bad, it's just something that could happen. Games played bonuses for an ELC are virtually never reported on unless they are earned so you never hear about them until after the season and usually then it's only if they result in an overage.
I'm probably odd for being so interested in contract structure, but it does suck that virtually every detail of a regular contact is reported yet you get very, very basic information about ELCs which are far more interesting. It would be interesting to know how Dallas structured those bonuses. You have a ton of leeway so that could be a lump sum bonus or multiple smaller bonuses.
Some more creative teams use the games played bonus to guarantee more money essentially. Technically, the only thing on an ELC that is guaranteed is the signing bonus. The games played loophole that's not technically a loophole is you could give a max games played bonus for 1 NHL game played. I've only seen it a few times, and it was mostly with older Europeans signing an ELC. I doubt Dallas did this with Robertson, but the contract is structured that way. Essentially, the minimum salary a player can earn is $700,00. A team could in theory agree to a 1 game played bonus of $132,500 with a signing bonus of $92,500.
A normal max ELC without A or B bonuses is $925K. The max signing bonus is 10% or $92,500. ELC's actually allow games played bonuses to count as part of the salary. The way you spot them is when the salary on Cap Friendly is not listed as $832,500 but the signing bonus is listed as $92,500.
This only matters because the signing bonus can not be more than 10% so the only way give a max signing bonus of $92,500 per season is if the salary is $832,500. Like I said though, ELCs allow you to combine base salary with a games played bonus to reach that number.
Just for comparison, if you go check Miro Heiskanen, his salary column every season is $832,500 with a $92,500 signing bonus. That's for each of the three seasons. If you look at Robertson's base salary, it's $700K this year and $750K the following 2 years. His signing bonus though is the full $92,500. If you look over at his bonus column though, Robertson's bonus potential this season is $132,500, and then it goes down to $82,500 the next 2 seasons. When you combine the Y1 base with his bonuses and then the Y2/3 base with those bonuses, the total is $832,500. That's the dead giveaway those bonuses are games played.
The only problem I have with Cap Friendly is they list all bonuses on ELC's together with no breakdown. That forces some estimations, but since nearly all ELC's are pretty similar, it's typically easy to get the right numbers, but again ... you're still making an educated guest since that information isn't on their site.
Why does this matter? It's very likely not interesting to anyone else, but it was to me. The only impact it has is a games played bonus on an ELC is virtually identical to a games played bonus on a standard player contract (Perry/Sekera). If Robertson earns, them, that opens the door for additional bonus overages. At the end of the day, it's less than $150K so it's not something that's bad, it's just something that could happen. Games played bonuses for an ELC are virtually never reported on unless they are earned so you never hear about them until after the season and usually then it's only if they result in an overage.
I'm probably odd for being so interested in contract structure, but it does suck that virtually every detail of a regular contact is reported yet you get very, very basic information about ELCs which are far more interesting. It would be interesting to know how Dallas structured those bonuses. You have a ton of leeway so that could be a lump sum bonus or multiple smaller bonuses.
Some more creative teams use the games played bonus to guarantee more money essentially. Technically, the only thing on an ELC that is guaranteed is the signing bonus. The games played loophole that's not technically a loophole is you could give a max games played bonus for 1 NHL game played. I've only seen it a few times, and it was mostly with older Europeans signing an ELC. I doubt Dallas did this with Robertson, but the contract is structured that way. Essentially, the minimum salary a player can earn is $700,00. A team could in theory agree to a 1 game played bonus of $132,500 with a signing bonus of $92,500.
