Confirmed with Link: Devils Waive Brunner

[Richer's Ghost]

if you look really quickly, the thread title looks like "Devils Wave Runner"

We could probably get something in trade for a wave runner...

 

[Better Call Sal]

I want one of those

 

[jonas2244]

Strong rumours over here that Brunner returns to Switzerland and joins the HC Lugano.

 

[Wingman77]

Strong rumours over here that Brunner returns to Switzerland and joins the HC Lugano.

That'd probably be his best option if he wants to continue playing at a level higher than the AHL (I'm assuming it's a higher level)

Happy trails if that does take place

 

[SwissLeaf]

http://swisshockeynews.ch/index.php/rumors-new/2703-goodbye-north-america-damien-brunner-off-to-lugano

Maybe to Russia?

But I assume that he will go to Lugano. They pay good salaries, he's closer to his family (than in Russia), Lugano is a beautiful city and they have a good team. IMO they will be contenders within 1-2 years.

Maybe even this year, if Brunner joins them.

 

[doug88]

Looks like it's a done deal! Here's the link (even though you won't understand much of it )

http://heshootshescoores.com/damien-brunner-dalla-prossima-settimana-al-lugano/

I'm really happy for him

 

[Wingman77]

Not that it matters because our cap situation isn't an issue, but does his $$ come off our books as a result of this?

 

[Better Call Sal]

Best of luck to him. I wish it worked out better, I'm a fan of his talent, hope he learns from his time here.

 

[Cowbell232]

Not that it matters because our cap situation isn't an issue, but does his $$ come off our books as a result of this?

I'll come back and edit this post after I read the CBA section, but I believe it would as he's not reporting to his AHL assignment.

However, it's more about the principle of not paying the NHL salary in the AHL Lou is probably happy about,

The SPC of any Player may contain a clause that provides that, in the event his NHL Club Loans the Player to a club outside the NHL, during the
period of such Loan, the Player shall have the option to be Loaned to a club of his choice outside
North America. The clause may relieve the NHL Club of the obligation to pay the Player his
Paragraph 1 Salary for the duration of such Loan if such relief is expressly stated in the
provision, but the NHL Club shall otherwise be responsible for all other payments due to the
Player by the NHL Club pursuant to his SPC. Such clause shall be subject to any applicable
Player Transfer Agreement between the NHL and a hockey federation and/or the IIHF in effect,
at the time of the Loan. The Player shall be permitted to make financial arrangements for
compensation and other benefits with the club outside North America for the duration of the
Loan, which financial compensation and benefits shall not be included in Averaged Club Salary,
Actual Club Salary, League-wide Player Compensation or the Players' Share. The Club shall be
required to provide to the NHL and the NHLPA in accordance with Exhibit 3 any loan
agreement entered into in relation to such Loan by no later than 5:00 p.m. New York time on the
day following the day the Club has received the executed loan agreement.

Also:

13.23 In the event a professional or former professional Player plays in a league outside North America after the start of the NHL Regular Season, other than on Loan from his Club, he may
thereafter play in the NHL during that Playing Season (including Playoffs) only if he has first
either cleared or been obtained via Waivers. For the balance of the Playing Season, any such
Player who has been obtained via Waivers may be Traded or Loaned only after again clearing
Waivers or through Waiver claim. This section shall not apply to a Player on the Reserve List or
Restricted Free Agent List of an NHL Club with whom the Player is signing an NHL SPC or is party to an existing SPC with such NHL Club.

Also, with some of the wording in Article 14 regarding benefits paid out to loaned players, I believe the Devils could "pay" Brunner for certain expenses in NJ, effectively paying him to go play on loan in Switzerland, since Brunner as the right to choose what team to play for in article/section 11.19 This could include mortgage/rent/cars and "reasonable moving expenses", considering it's international it could easily be a total payout of $100,000 or so over the next 12 months. Obviously, we'll never know...

 

[Wingman77]

I'll come back and edit this post after I read the CBA section, but I believe it would as he's not reporting to his AHL assignment.

However, it's more about the principle of not paying the NHL salary in the AHL Lou is probably happy about,

Well that and just to be rid of him altogether too I'm sure

For Lou to come out and say that a message had to be sent and that they reached the line with him was pretty telling - and you also take in that he had been trying to move him for a while

and thanks for CBA link

 

[Bcap88]

Another prime offensive talent returning home

 

[Hypernova]

He's on unconditional waivers now so he'll be gone soon.

http://fireandice.northjersey.com/f...nner-to-go-on-unconditional-waivers-1.1151117

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'm sure NLA teams are already phoning his agent for 2015/16.

 

[Camille the Eel]

I'll come back and edit this post after I read the CBA section, but I believe it would as he's not reporting to his AHL assignment.

However, it's more about the principle of not paying the NHL salary in the AHL Lou is probably happy about,



Also:



Also, with some of the wording in Article 14 regarding benefits paid out to loaned players, I believe the Devils could "pay" Brunner for certain expenses in NJ, effectively paying him to go play on loan in Switzerland, since Brunner as the right to choose what team to play for in article/section 11.19 This could include mortgage/rent/cars and "reasonable moving expenses", considering it's international it could easily be a total payout of $100,000 or so over the next 12 months. Obviously, we'll never know...

This is pretty hard to understand. First something needs to be in Brunner's contract with the Devils allowing the loan? Second if he goes to the KHL or the Swiss league the Devils have to consent to loan him? Third there may be a general agreement between the NHL and the Swiss League on loans to that league floating around . . . and the wording of the texts is really bad legalese too with all kinds of references to terms and acronyms defined elsewhere in the CBA and the league regulations . . . as I say damn hard to make sense of.

On the question, gut reaction is yeah his salary may come off our books for cap purposes but maybe only to the extent that that salary is replaced in Lugano. Could we end up taking a cap hit on the difference? This is an entire legal subspecialty, you could have a law firm whose business was knowing this very arcane thing. Who wrote this gibberish, the drafting is atrocious.

 

[glenwo2]

He's on unconditional waivers now so he'll be gone soon.

http://fireandice.northjersey.com/f...nner-to-go-on-unconditional-waivers-1.1151117

So that's that then.

 

[Hypernova]

This is pretty hard to understand. First something needs to be in Brunner's contract with the Devils allowing the loan? Second if he goes to the KHL or the Swiss league the Devils have to consent to loan him? Third there may be a general agreement between the NHL and the Swiss League on loans to that league floating around . . . and the wording of the texts is really bad legalese too with all kinds of references to terms and acronyms defined elsewhere in the CBA and the league regulations . . . as I say damn hard to make sense of.

On the question, gut reaction is yeah his salary may come off our books for cap purposes but maybe only to the extent that that salary is replaced in Lugano. Could we end up taking a cap hit on the difference? This is an entire legal subspecialty, you could have a law firm whose business was knowing this very arcane thing. Who wrote this gibberish, the drafting is atrocious.

If he goes to Switzerland the NHL contract is terminated according to TG.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Including any residual salary left under his old contract with the Devils? In other words, his Devils contract provides or provided that if he goes to play back home everything remaining in his deal with the Devils becomes void? that taking the job elsewhere relieves the Devils of all their duties to him including payments?

If that was the case, he'd have to choose between playing for a presumably lesser salary in Lugano against being paid maybe bigger bucks in Albany while waiting for the Devils to play "lets make a deal" with him as far as him taking a kind of buyout for letting them off the hook for all future considerations.

That's a simplistic view based on assumptions I don't really understand anyway. And who or what is TG? Maybe I should have asked that first.

 

[Hypernova]

Including any residual salary left under his old contract with the Devils? In other words, his Devils contract provides or provided that if he goes to play back home everything remaining in his deal with the Devils becomes void? that taking the job elsewhere relieves the Devils of all their duties to him including payments?

If that was the case, he'd have to choose between playing for a presumably lesser salary in Lugano against being paid maybe bigger bucks in Albany while waiting for the Devils to play "lets make a deal" with him as far as him taking a kind of buyout for letting them off the hook for all future considerations.

That's a simplistic view based on assumptions I don't really understand anyway. And who or what is TG? Maybe I should have asked that first.

It's explained here:

http://fireandice.northjersey.com/f...-contract-expected-to-be-terminated-1.1151201

This is TG.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Interesting and presumably does allow them to take his hit off the cap - but note the question not addressed by Giulitti is whether there are any $ side deals between Brunner and the Devils as part of this.

Anybody know what salaries are in Switzerland?

because what's not here is whether the Devils had to give him some lump sum to let them off the hook for the 5 million over two years. He was making 2.5 million a year with the Devils (assuming the structure of the contract was 2.5 now 2.5 next year). So the Devils grant him an unconditional release and let him out; he goes and gets paid in Lugano. How that works for him financially depends on what Lugano will pay him. If his salary there is substantially less, he had to make a call.

If Swiss league salaries are less than the NHL, you'd bet the Devils bought out a part of the 5 million. That is, gave him something to let them off the hook in return for not having to stew in Albany and ride buses to places like Utica. Which is a far different experience from being home in Lugano but presumably a few million dollars makes things feel differently and there is a tipping point.

 

[Cowbell232]

Including any residual salary left under his old contract with the Devils? In other words, his Devils contract provides or provided that if he goes to play back home everything remaining in his deal with the Devils becomes void? that taking the job elsewhere relieves the Devils of all their duties to him including payments?

If that was the case, he'd have to choose between playing for a presumably lesser salary in Lugano against being paid maybe bigger bucks in Albany while waiting for the Devils to play "lets make a deal" with him as far as him taking a kind of buyout for letting them off the hook for all future considerations.

That's a simplistic view based on assumptions I don't really understand anyway. And who or what is TG? Maybe I should have asked that first.

You have to read the definitions sections to even start to understand... I've read the current CBA cover to cover at least once. The previous a few more times, I typically only pull the sections relevant now, but I'm not even close to a lawyer or anything.

Essentially, Brunner (if being loaned) has the right to decide where, and negotiate with that team. Once the teams agreed to the loan, the NHL/PA no longer counts his salary, cap hit, or players share (escrow).

What I pointed out was the provisions whereby Lou could essentially pay him "moving expenses" to agree to the loan to wipe out his NHL contract. However, the unconditional waivers and then (most likely) subsequent signing in CH cancels that whole thing out.

 

[Cowbell232]

Interesting and presumably does allow them to take his hit off the cap - but note the question not addressed by Giulitti is whether there are any $ side deals between Brunner and the Devils as part of this.

Anybody know what salaries are in Switzerland?

because what's not here is whether the Devils had to give him some lump sum to let them off the hook for the 5 million over two years. He was making 2.5 million a year with the Devils (assuming the structure of the contract was 2.5 now 2.5 next year). So the Devils grant him an unconditional release and let him out; he goes and gets paid in Lugano. How that works for him financially depends on what Lugano will pay him. If his salary there is substantially less, he had to make a call.

If Swiss league salaries are less than the NHL, you'd bet the Devils bought out a part of the 5 million. That is, gave him something to let them off the hook in return for not having to stew in Albany and ride buses to places like Utica. Which is a far different experience from being home in Lugano but presumably a few million dollars makes things feel differently and there is a tipping point.

Technically speaking, if he chooses to not play in the AHL the Devils don't have to buy out anything as he's the one who's breaking his contract.

You also need to factor in taxes, cost of living, home life, and career longevity. There's a lot more here than the rather simplistic view you took of comparing $ to $.

 

[NJDevs26]

Brunner was already paid over $3 million on his deal, this was the second year of a two year deal. There wasn't much to buy out given that and whatever money he can make the rest of the season overseas. Besides he doesn't want to ride the buses or sit at home indefinitely.

 

[JK3]

I'm really interested if we hear anything in an interview about what went on or how he views how he was treated here.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I'm really interested if we hear anything in an interview about what went on or how he views how he was treated here.

Yeah, if he's willing to opt-out of a 1-way contract to go play in Europe, clearly he wasn't happy with something. Maybe there was more to this than just his play on the ice. Either way, despite how I feel about the move, I certainly can't say the Devils are appreciably worse because of this move. I'm interested to see if Lou has any plans for this newfound cap space.

(edit: GELINAS FOR MORIN, GELINAS FOR MORIN! )

 

[JK3]

Yeah, if he's willing to opt-out of a 1-way contract to go play in Europe, clearly he wasn't happy with something. Maybe there was more to this than just his play on the ice. Either way, despite how I feel about the move, I certainly can't say the Devils are appreciably worse because of this move. I'm interested to see if Lou has any plans for this newfound cap space.

Yeah I'm just interested if we get at least a glimpse at what goes on behind the Iron Curtain that is the Devils dressing room. Usually quotes in these type of situations come off as sour grapes though.