Confirmed with Link: Habs sign Nick Cousins (1 year, $1M AAV)

[Adam Michaels]

The cap hit relief is the NHL minimum salary (for the 2019-20, it's $700k) + 375K.

So for next year, it will be $1.075M

Source: CBA - Section 50.5 - (d) - (i) - (B) - 6

For any Player on a One-Way NHL SPC who is Loaned to
a club in another professional league, the Averaged
Amount of such SPC less the sum of the Minimum
Paragraph 1 NHL Salary and $375,000 for that League
Year (e.g., $900,000 in 2012-13) for the period during
which such Player is Loaned to such professional league;
plus

Source: CBA - Section 11.12 - (a)

11.12 Minimum Paragraph 1 Salary.
No SPC shall provide: (a) for Paragraph 1 NHL Salary of less than the following:
2012-13 – U.S. $525,000
2013-14 – U.S. $550,000
2014-15 – U.S. $550,000
2015-16 – U.S. $575,000
2016-17 – U.S. $575,000
2017-18 – U.S. $650,000
2018-19 – U.S. $650,000
2019-20 – U.S. $700,000
2020-21 – U.S. $700,000
2021-22 – U.S. $750,000

Thanks!

 

[BaseballCoach]

Keep telling yourself that...

Enough people have explained this here and yt there are still people who think otherwise.

Please explain how Cousins ties up cap space, in your world.

 

[LaP]

At this point you have to wonder what is best. A OH or a cousin?

 

[LaP]

BTW being able to bury a player in the AHL doesn't make a move a good move by itself.

 

[sergejean]

BTW being able to bury a player in the AHL doesn't make a move a good move by itself.

I agree but it's a free asset nonetheless. If DLO got us a 4th pick, I can't see why Cousins or any of these cheap signings don't return something similar if we have no use for them at any point. Worst case scenario, we send them in the AHL where their total cap hit is buried or they get picked up for free by another team.

 

[sergejean]

A further analysis will show you that we still have that cap space and essentially a full roster. Some GMs like to get their cover on the cheap before they make a bigger move, some GMs do it after. It’s not a big deal.

Now Bergevin is swinging for the fences to make a deal. IMO all of our draft picks, Lekhonen, Byron, Lindgren, heck even Drouin and Mete, are available for an upgrade. That’s a lot of currency. And there is still the opportunity to buyout Alzner to give even more room. We’re replacing the middle six wingers on larger contracts with cheaper guys who can do the same job.

Just relax. You don’t have to do things just one way. I’ll tell you one thing- all you guys complaining about Bergevin when he didn’t make big signings before, would have been the same guys blaming him if he threw out big contracts when we weren’t ready to compete and didn’t have the cap space available now. You’ll find something to complain about constantly.

Now that we have a great prospect pool, we’re in probably the best shape in the NHL to take the next step. While Toronto is dishing out $30ish Million to Tavares, Matthews and Nylander without winning anything, other teams are up against the cap without winning either and with top end RFAs yet to sign, we have so many options. Just let the summer play out.

I’ll tell you one thing- while it is frustrating that moves aren’t made, Bergevin has done the best job at cap management in the NHL. We’re not too far off the elite in the standings yet have the ability now to take the next step with currency that most teams don’t have - an already great prospect pool, tonnes of upcoming picks, cap space and valuable players to exchange on the roster.

I believe the window for buyout is now closed. Players had to be waived by a certain date before they could be bought out and we wisely elected not to go that route.

 

[BaseballCoach]

BTW being able to bury a player in the AHL doesn't make a move a good move by itself.

Every team has a few guys who are tweeners. It's not "burying" to have that internal cometition. Alzner is a bury. Cousins or Varone or even Peca is not.

Teams with more revenue can afford to overpay AHLers to have depth, and if some team picks up Cousins on waivers, it's no loss because paid no assets to get him.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

I believe the window for buyout is now closed. Players had to be waived by a certain date before they could be bought out and we wisely elected not to go that route.

It can re-open following an arbitration case.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I agree but it's a free asset nonetheless. If DLO got us a 4th pick, I can't see why Cousins or any of these cheap signings don't return something similar if we have no use for them at any point. Worst case scenario, we send them in the AHL where their total cap hit is buried or they get picked up for free by another team.

This is the philosophy that people here just can't wrap their heads around. When you have an opportunity to acquire an asset at what you believe to be below market value, you take it.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

I believe the window for buyout is now closed. Players had to be waived by a certain date before they could be bought out and we wisely elected not to go that route.

If even one of our 3 RFAs goes through arbitration and gets a ruling a 2nd buyout window opens for us. We can then buyout Alzner or anyone else.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

This is the philosophy that people here just can't wrap their heads around. When you have an opportunity to acquire an asset at what you believe to be below market value, you take it.

I think the beef that these people have (for example @LaP) is that they are taking ice time away from the kids. Is that 4th rounder (given the odds of the pick panning out) worth it if you don't give ice time to a player like Evans or Suzuki?

 

[sergejean]

I think the beef that these people have (for example @LaP) is that they are taking ice time away from the kids. Is that 4th rounder (given the odds of the pick panning out) worth it if you don't give ice time to a player like Evans or Suzuki?

You mean ice time in the NHL or AHL? For the AHL, I completely agree. I would make sure to play Weiss and whoever else veteran out there the same role as they would play in the NHL - 4th line duty with no powerplay - and leave the top lines and pp time to players we're trying to develop into that role (Suzuki, Poelhing).

 

[Le Barron de HF]

You mean ice time in the NHL or AHL? For the AHL, I completely agree. I would make sure to play Weiss and whoever else veteran out there the same role as they would play in the NHL - 4th line duty with no powerplay - and leave the top lines and pp time to players we're trying to develop into that role (Suzuki, Poelhing).

No, I'm referring to cases like Bouillon, Murray or Allen taking ice time away from Beaulieu or Tinordi back in the day. Or Logan Shaw over Scherbak. The pro-MB will say that they were never good enough but we certainly didn't do them any favors by giving them crap coaches and no real ice time.

 

[Redux91]

This whole thread is just one gigantic face palm lol, i feel sorry for Nick, but its bergevins fault i guess getting something we dont need but at a ridiculously good price lmao.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I think the beef that these people have (for example @LaP) is that they are taking ice time away from the kids. Is that 4th rounder (given the odds of the pick panning out) worth it if you don't give ice time to a player like Evans or Suzuki?

If the kids are good enough to play then they should be able to beat out a 4th liner. I am not so sure Evans will ever be good enough as I am not a fan of his at all.

-The goal of the organization is to put the best players on the ice.

-The goal of the player is to become one of the best players on the ice.

Those two goals should always be in alignment. Unfortunately on this site people have unrealistic expectations about the development of prospects. They seem ignorant of the fact that we are bringing in players who were once prized prospects of other organizations but are finally showing reasons for optimism. I would rather bet on these players than ones who still have skating issues that have not improved since they were drafted and are toiling in our minor league system.

 

[vokiel]

This is the philosophy that people here just can't wrap their heads around. When you have an opportunity to acquire an asset at what you believe to be below market value, you take it.

Not if said asset only has room in a dark warehouse where it can't possibly gain value.

 

[Archijerej]

No, I'm referring to cases like Bouillon, Murray or Allen taking ice time away from Beaulieu or Tinordi back in the day. Or Logan Shaw over Scherbak.

I love players taking ice time away from Beaulieu, Tinordi and Scherbak. However awful they might be, it still means I don't have to watch Beaulieu, Tinordi or Scherbak, which is awesome. If Evans, Suzuki or whoever else are ready for the NHL, they'll find a way into the lineup.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Perhaps you don't understand how managing a budget works?

We're spending quite a bit of money on 1-way deals for pure AHLers simply for the purpose of improving the farm team. If there were budget issues, this would not be happening.

We have absolutely no reason to believe Molson's budget is limited under the cap or even at the cap and there's really no point in discussing this.

Sounds like you're trying to put a spin on it to cover up for the fact you didn't understand how things really work.

 

[Hfbsux]

Not if said asset only has room in a dark warehouse where it can't possibly gain value.

While it doesn't affect your payroll? Sorry but I don't see where the big fuss is.

 

[1909]

No, I'm referring to cases like Bouillon, Murray or Allen taking ice time away from Beaulieu or Tinordi back in the day. Or Logan Shaw over Scherbak. The pro-MB will say that they were never good enough but we certainly didn't do them any favors by giving them crap coaches and no real ice time.

Other teams have tried to give those Sherbaks and Tinordis and Beaulieus ,etc... more ice time... And they arrived at the same conclusion....

 

[Cole Caulifield]

unless someone believes that the cap space available to a team is unlimited, which it isn't no matter how aggressively a team tries to manoeuvre the cap rules, then the point remains...

Cousins, Alzner, Weise, Weal, Thompson, Folin, Peca, Mason buyout, Varone = cap allotments that affect overall cap budget and availability for other player additions. None of the new signees, plus the existing dead weight already in the budget, bring anything to the table that we could not have added in late august, likely at an even smaller commitment. Useless tie up of cap availability that, while not irreversible or individually huge, was pointless and unnecessary.

As all great managers know, every little bit counts & attention to detail matters. Calculated "waste" (like say the mason buyout) can be very useful, just signing depth players for the heck of it = pointless. As we saw last year, first few weeks of the season the league is littered with similar assets being waived, including by us.

It's pretty straight forward.

You continue to show that you don't understand how things work with this post.

Cap space and budget are two different things since cap hits and salary are not actually the same.

If you want to make a budget argument, then it's completely different from a cap space argument. But even a budget argument makes no sense since you're talking about cap, and there is no cap on the budget. At least no cap imposed by the league. Surely there must be one imposed by Molson but we have no reason to believe it is below the league imposed cap hit.

You really should spend some time to learn about these things if you are going to be discussing them with people. Or open your mind to the fact that you're very much behind knowledge wise on this discussion and you have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

yes, it does. You don't get to bury the entire cap hit.

Yes you do. You get to bury 1.075M of any players you bury. Cousins make under 1.075M so you bury the whole thing if you send him down.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

I love players taking ice time away from Beaulieu, Tinordi and Scherbak. However awful they might be, it still means I don't have to watch Beaulieu, Tinordi and Scherbak, which is awesome. If Evans, Suzuki or whoever else is ready for the NHL, they'll find a way into the lineup.

Not necessarily, at least for Evans, the NHL is far from a meritocracy league. Coaches put too much value in veterans who play safe and one-way contracts play a part. Thompson is clearly blocking Evans from making the team this year. The NHL, like most things in life is about opportunity or being at the right place at the right time. Who knows if someone with a higher draft status (or an acquisition) doesn't leap over Evans next year?

Anyway, this is not our biggest problem but it's in part explained why our team has been middle of the pack the last few years. Depth is good, but at some point it can be detrimental if you never give a chance to kids. You can talk shit about the names I listed in my other post but it's not like giving an opportunity to Scherbak would have made our team worse. In fact, it could have impacted the team in multiple ways: a) he produces and builds his confidence (an aspect that is often overlooked on HFHabs) b) he sucks and makes our decision to move on come much quicker rather than hanging on to him and wasting a roster spot on him like we did this year. The latter made us lose DLR, basically forced us to tell Plekanec to retire and prevented us from grabbing Weal when the Flyers put him on waivers (which would have helped our 4th line and hey maybe we make the playoffs!).

The NHL involves a lot of decisions and people call out the management for being lazy and going for safe rather than see the bigger picture.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Other teams have tried to give those Sherbaks and Tinordis and Beaulieus ,etc... more ice time... And they arrived at the same conclusion....

You see, you overlook confidence and our definition of opportunities differ. I wouldn't call Scherbak's time in LAK as being a good opportunity for him to succeed given how shit of a coach Desjardins is and his low TOI (10:11). Nor Tinordi with his 7 games in ARI. Anyway, a lot of element could come into play (I doubt Tinordi would still be in the NHL given the current make up of the league). Blaming Scherbak and Beaulieu for their lack of character is another option but at some point you've got to blame the management for not recognizing it early and capitalizing on their trade value given the shine of being former first round picks and doing decent at the AHL level or for not surrounding them well enough when they turned pro.

 

[LaP]

I love players taking ice time away from Beaulieu, Tinordi and Scherbak. However awful they might be, it still means I don't have to watch Beaulieu, Tinordi or Scherbak, which is awesome. If Evans, Suzuki or whoever else are ready for the NHL, they'll find a way into the lineup.

History says you are wrong. Vets are respected in this league and there has been many instances in the past of good kids not having a chance because of vets. Francois Beauchemin is the prime example of that. Claude Julien and Michele Therien were the coaches when he was with us. They never gave him a chance to prove himself. Instead they iced vets like Traverse or Dykhuis. And i can tell you Traverse and Dykhuis were not better they played because they had respect.

Back then i was on RDS.ca one of the most vocal fan about it basically saying we were doing a big mistake not icing him instead of the plugs Houle signed. I really hope history wont repeat itself.