Blackhawks use bye week to generate half million of cap space

[aufheben]

Because otherwise the Leafs, Rangers and Habs become the Yankees

The salary cap was the best thing that ever happened to the Rangers

 

[Kale Hulls]

The salary cap was the best thing that ever happened to the Rangers

Got a good laugh from that.

 

[ijuka]

The simple and obvious fix is requiring the player to miss at least 1 NHL game in order for it to affect the cap.

If that's the case, shouldn't there also be a cap on everything? Coaching/scouting salaries, money spent on training facilities etc?

Coaches should definitely count against the cap IMO. It's a loop hole ATM.

 

[aufheben]

Got a good laugh from that.

Im glad you enjoyed it.

 

[TOGuy14]

Have any other teams used this tactic? I though it was really clever, using a week you're not even playing to send down your rookies and gain the cap benefits.

Might be amended in the CBA in future seasons since the rules and cap implications were written well before the bye week was instituted, but for the moment it's a cheeky way for a cap-strapped team to add 500k.

According to cap geek, the Hawks - who are pressed up against the cap - currently have managed to unlock 6.3 million in deadline cap space. Obviously, any assets acquired would have to be UFA tho.

https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/blackhawks

Just watch Lou in Toronto.

We have "sent down" players for a single day just to free up cap space.

 

[nonikhanna]

Leafs have been doing this for a couple of years now. Ever since we hired Brandon Pridham.

 

[Sam Spade]

Montreal sent down Michael McCarron for bye-week. He's been bouncing up and down anyway.

Zach Sanford scored the game winner against the Ducks on Sat. with 2 minutes left in the game. Less than 30 minutes later he was returned to Hershey.

I assume it was done so he was moved down before midnight and the Caps got the extra day of cap relief.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

The Capitals re-assigned Sanford to Hershey just an hour after the final game before the break. He scored 2 goals with Hershey the next day. They just want to keep him active, but when I think about it, we are getting a tiny cap relief from that move. They'll call either him or Vrana or Stephenson to fill in for Burakovsky.

 

[JustABlackhawksFan]

Thanks for the explanation.

So the ~500k added to the existing cap space should give them $2 or $3 mill come TDL. Would this differ from the teams "actual" cap space?

Cap Friendly has a definition for the two terms but I'm still a little unclear.

Actual cap space generally refers to the cap space the team would have available at the end of the season, if the roster remains as it is now. But literally, it's the amount of cap space the team has with the roster as it is currently constructed. Yes, this is different from TDL cap space.

TDL cap space is a projection of how much cap hit the team can take on at the TDL and still be compliant by the end of the season. Cap space is prorated over the course of a season. This is why pending UFAs (rentals) are so valuable come deadline time. A team might have enough TDL cap space to take on a player with a $5 mil or so AAV, but not have enough actual cap space to keep the player beyond the rest of that season.

I hope this answers what you were asking..

 

[Alwalys]

Have any other teams used this tactic? I though it was really clever, using a week you're not even playing to send down your rookies and gain the cap benefits.

Sharks are making liberal use of it since the farm team moved to SJ.

 

[Jared Dunn]

The salary cap was the best thing that ever happened to the Rangers

How so? Just less ability to throw stupid money at mediocre-above average players?

 

[Mr Positive]

the only unfair thing is if there are teams that don't have their bye week until after the deadline

 

[BK]

Since Kero is bad and Forsling isn't ready.

What are you talking about? Kero has been good.

 

[talkinaway]

the only unfair thing is if there are teams that don't have their bye week until after the deadline

I'm pretty sure all bye weeks are scheduled January/February. It would be nuts to have a bye week in March, when it's so close to the end of the season.

The Bruins sent down Peter Cehlarik, but he'd only played 2 games. No points for being "crafty" - I think it was a move mostly to get him some practice time with the squad in Providence. And maybe it saves cap...it saves actual money, too.

I know the Leafs/Marlies were famous last year for doing tons of "on paper" transactions to save cap space. I remember mapping both arenas - they're about 10-15 minutes away from each other, so it's logistically easy to swap players in and out, especially if everyone's at home.

 

[King In The North]

Actual cap space generally refers to the cap space the team would have available at the end of the season, if the roster remains as it is now. But literally, it's the amount of cap space the team has with the roster as it is currently constructed. Yes, this is different from TDL cap space.

TDL cap space is a projection of how much cap hit the team can take on at the TDL and still be compliant by the end of the season. Cap space is prorated over the course of a season. This is why pending UFAs (rentals) are so valuable come deadline time. A team might have enough TDL cap space to take on a player with a $5 mil or so AAV, but not have enough actual cap space to keep the player beyond the rest of that season.

I hope this answers what you were asking..

It does, thanks for the clear description!

 

[KingsFan7824]

What is the point of a salary cap if everybody is cheating it?

It's not cheating. It's pushing the rules as they are as far as they will go without breaking them.

 

[theaub]

I know the Leafs/Marlies were famous last year for doing tons of "on paper" transactions to save cap space. I remember mapping both arenas - they're about 10-15 minutes away from each other, so it's logistically easy to swap players in and out, especially if everyone's at home.

Haha - a five minute drive if you send them down at midnight, a 90 minute one if you send them down during rush hour

The Hawks have been using some version of the ol' Rockford Shuttle since 2011, so the idea isn't new. Just gets super amplified with the bye week I guess.

 

[piteus]

What is the point of a salary cap if everybody is cheating it?

It's not cheating. It's called gaming the system because everyone is doing it.

The NHL salary cap has to be the dumbest system known to the professional sports world. If you're going to do it ... do it right. And I say this as a Hawks fan. The Hossa contract was the biggest atrocity of them all.

1. How the NHL forgot to close that loophole in the initial process just tells you how dumb they are.
2. The NHL changed the rules midstream. That was terribly unfair to the Blackhawks & everyone else.
3. Don't punish others for your incompetence. That's the NHL.
4. Hossa should have been declared a UFA after the 2009-2010 season and let teams reset.
5. The Long Term Injury and minor/NHL roster impact on the salary cap are asinine.

Don't blame the teams for gaming the system. This is mostly on the NHL. With the exception of the yo-yoing of players between the minors / majors, the NHLPA loves this. This means more money for their players.

 

[driller1]

Don't blame the teams for gaming the system. This is mostly on the NHL. With the exception of the yo-yoing of players between the minors / majors, the NHLPA loves this. This means more money for their players.

Gonna disagree that it means more money for their players. As I understand, players get 50% of HRR revenue. Escrow is used to ensure that 50% will be the exact amount once all the accounting is completed. Thus, at the end of the day, shuttling of players has no impact on what the collective pool of players receive.

 

[piteus]

Gonna disagree that it means more money for their players. As I understand, players get 50% of HRR revenue. Escrow is used to ensure that 50% will be the exact amount once all the accounting is completed. Thus, at the end of the day, shuttling of players has no impact on what the collective pool of players receive.

The way teams circumvent the cap is because it is just a number ... not real. Pushed one way or another / manipulated. Just like taxes, there's always a gray area and teams take advantage of it. Take for example Hossa or Kovalchuk. If the NHL didn't change mid stream, both Hossa and Kovalchuk would be paid upfront without impacting the cap when they "retire." Long Term Injuries can be manipulated too. Players can be paid with minimal impact to the cap due to "long term injuries." Other leagues don't have this provision unless players forgo their salary ... or due to catstrophic injuries.

Heck, the Patriots still had to eat Aaron Hernandez's bonus on their salary cap.

Like I said in my previous post, the yo-yoing of minor/major roster influencing the salary cap is one the NHLPA missed on. So in essence, I do agree with your post.

 

[H a w k s*]

Shouldn't teams that generate the most money be able to spend more on their rosters?

Seems kinda unfair to fiscally successful organizations.

There's already unfair fiscal rules for teams see kucherov regarding income tax

 

[leaflover]

What is the point of a salary cap if everybody is cheating it?

Don't you remember, it was critical to the survival of the NHL. The no4/no5 season was totally worth it.

 

[GoJetsGo55]

Meh, the "youth" don't need a week off...No reason why they shouldn't be improving their game in the AHL during the break.

That's great if that's what they are actually sending them down for. Sounds like this is all about the cap.

 

[Hawkaholic]

What are you talking about? Kero has been good.

I was wondering the same thing. Q likes Kero though, so that explains it.

 

[me2]

It's not cheating. It's called gaming the system because everyone is doing it.

The NHL salary cap has to be the dumbest system known to the professional sports world. If you're going to do it ... do it right. And I say this as a Hawks fan. The Hossa contract was the biggest atrocity of them all.

1. How the NHL forgot to close that loophole in the initial process just tells you how dumb they are.
2. The NHL changed the rules midstream. That was terribly unfair to the Blackhawks & everyone else.
3. Don't punish others for your incompetence. That's the NHL.
4. Hossa should have been declared a UFA after the 2009-2010 season and let teams reset.
5. The Long Term Injury and minor/NHL roster impact on the salary cap are asinine.

Don't blame the teams for gaming the system. This is mostly on the NHL. With the exception of the yo-yoing of players between the minors / majors, the NHLPA loves this. This means more money for their players.

For a start the rookies and ELCs are on two-way deals so they aren't even getting NHL pay. There is barely any cash gain/cap bleed.

NHLPA, veterans get a few dollars more at the end of the year. Rookies lose thousands. Escrow takes care of the rest, the players get no more overall. If anything I'm surprised the NHLPA isn't a little more vocal on this, but I guess the votes or the guys getting a few dollars more outnumber the votes or those losing thousands.