Idea for a better NHL.

[Stephen Gionta]

I was reading the comments from the "I Hate the Draft Lottery" thread http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/i-hate-the-draft-lottery.2439587/ , and came across a really interesting comment from "Claypool".

It said "I miss not having a salary cap more. Why build a power house only to have to tear it down because your team is too good?"

That comment really got me thinking. Its so true. Look at the Blackhawks in 2010, they had to sell off half their team because they couldn't pay guys their well deserved raise due to the salary cap. Teams are basically forced to lose players that are homegrown because they can't afford to pay them as they will get a lot more $$ in free agency. Teams are being penalized for drafting and developing players well, only for that player you worked with for so long and groomed, to leave in free agency for a pay day.

My proposal for a solution to this: For every UFA contract that a player signs with the team that drafted him, or first gave him a contract in the NHL for undrafted players, only 80% of the AAV will count against your teams salary cap. This will allow teams to keep a core of guys that they drafted and developed for cheaper on the cap.

Thoughts?

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[Butch 19]

NYR or toronto fan?

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

I wouldn't mind this or a luxury tax to be honest.

 

[ziggyjoe212]

I was reading the comments from the "I Hate the Draft Lottery" thread http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/i-hate-the-draft-lottery.2439587/ , and came across a really interesting comment from "Claypool".

It said "I miss not having a salary cap more. Why build a power house only to have to tear it down because your team is too good?"

That comment really got me thinking. Its so true. Look at the Blackhawks in 2010, they had to sell off half their team because they couldn't pay guys their well deserved raise due to the salary cap. Teams are basically forced to lose players that are homegrown because they can't afford to pay them as they will get a lot more $$ in free agency. Teams are being penalized for drafting and developing players well, only for that player you worked with for so long and groomed, to leave in free agency for a pay day.

My proposal for a solution to this: For every UFA contract that a player signs with the team that drafted him, or first gave him a contract in the NHL for undrafted players, only 80% of the AAV will count against your teams salary cap. This will allow teams to keep a core of guys that they drafted and developed for cheaper on the cap.

Thoughts?

Don't they do something similar in the NBA?

I think this is a good idea if it's limited to 1-2 contracts per team. Like you said, teams shouldn't be penalized for trying to keep their homegrown players. And this also gives a minor advantage to the more profitable teams that carry the NHL financially.

 

[sparxx87]

NYR or toronto fan?

Where else are the wealthy not allowed to spend money because the poor can’t afford to?

The NHL is so dysfunctional.

 

[ImpartialNHLfan]

The hard cap sucks, I also miss 80's-90's hockey. The game feels so neutered/corporate now.

Anyone know what a franchise tag does for NFL? Will it work in the NHL?

 

[Uberdachen]

I was reading the comments from the "I Hate the Draft Lottery" thread http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/i-hate-the-draft-lottery.2439587/ , and came across a really interesting comment from "Claypool".

It said "I miss not having a salary cap more. Why build a power house only to have to tear it down because your team is too good?"

That comment really got me thinking. Its so true. Look at the Blackhawks in 2010, they had to sell off half their team because they couldn't pay guys their well deserved raise due to the salary cap. Teams are basically forced to lose players that are homegrown because they can't afford to pay them as they will get a lot more $$ in free agency. Teams are being penalized for drafting and developing players well, only for that player you worked with for so long and groomed, to leave in free agency for a pay day.

My proposal for a solution to this: For every UFA contract that a player signs with the team that drafted him, or first gave him a contract in the NHL for undrafted players, only 80% of the AAV will count against your teams salary cap. This will allow teams to keep a core of guys that they drafted and developed for cheaper on the cap.

Thoughts?

Poor Blackhawks. They only won two more cups shortly after that awful thing was unfairly done to them.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

NYR or toronto fan?

Wrong and wrong.

Early 2000 Devils.
Brodeur, Stevens, Niedermayer, Rafalski, Daneyko, Brylin, Holik, Elias, Gomez, Madden, Pandolfo

miss that core.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I have to agree. I know small market fans would rather the whole league is boring than risk that other teams might actually become great, but I think it's worth it.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

The hard cap sucks, I also miss 80's-90's hockey. The game feels so neutered/corporate now.

Anyone know what a franchise tag does for NFL? Will it work in the NHL?

Wouldn't really work. All the best players are essential franchise tagged anyway.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

I have to agree. I know small market fans would rather the whole league is boring than risk that other teams might actually become great, but I think it's worth it.

What's to say a small market team can't become great?

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

What's to say a small market team can't become great?

Nothing. But they always assume that's the case whenever changes like this are brought up

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Nothing. But they always assume that's the case whenever changes like this are brought up

The main reason I bring up this idea is so that good management and good development aren't penalized when their homegrown top 6 forwards and top 4 defenseman leave for big money at free agency. The salary cap needs to exist so that small market teams are able to compete, but the chance to sign your own players with only 80% of it against the cap makes so much sense to me. Maybe even up it to 85%.

 

[Butch 19]

Wrong and wrong.

Early 2000 Devils.
Brodeur, Stevens, Niedermayer, Rafalski, Daneyko, Brylin, Holik, Elias, Gomez, Madden, Pandolfo

miss that core.

How'd Holik work out at $9m per yr...?

 

[Advanced stats]

NYR or toronto fan?

The majority of teams in the NHL spend/are capable of spending to the cap and beyond.

 

[Rusty Razor]

The hard cap sucks, I also miss 80's-90's hockey. The game feels so neutered/corporate now.

Anyone know what a franchise tag does for NFL? Will it work in the NHL?

My understanding is that it locks in the player and if an agreement isn't met by a certain deadline before the season, the player gets paid the average of the top 5 in the league at his position. Would be rough with the NHL because there at at most 6 positions, even taking sides into account.

 

[Butch 19]

The majority of teams in the NHL spend/are capable of spending to the cap and beyond.

so, 6 - 10 teams really shouldn't be concerned if they can't make any money or even eventually fold?

The cap isn't going away, ever. Get used to it.

oh, and don't forget that several Canadian teams would fold as well...

 

[oXo Cube]

So this is another thread where a bunch of NYR and TOR fans try to convince the rest of us that the salary cap is a scourge ruining the league?

 

[The Nuge]

I wouldn't mind this or a luxury tax to be honest.

Ya I wouldn’t hate this idea, but a soft cap like in baseball is still the way to go imo. This only rewards big market teams for drafting well. A soft cap also rewards small market teams. As a fan of a team who’s been on both ends of the spectrum (small budget with EIG and a near unlimited budget with Katz), I’d rather see a soft cap, so the poor teams can stay more competitive. That said, this is a solid alternative if it’s done right

 

[412 Others]

population disparity = revenue disparity = 4-5 teams will have spending advantages

i'm good with the salary cap. thanks gary! (i love me some tanking too!)

 

[garnetpalmetto]

The hard cap sucks, I also miss 80's-90's hockey. The game feels so neutered/corporate now.

Anyone know what a franchise tag does for NFL? Will it work in the NHL?

Yes and I don't think it's as helpful as you think it is - it's little more than a contract negotiating ploy. In the NFL the franchise tag essentially gives a team an extended window to negotiate with a pending UFA. It's a one-year deal - if an extended contract can't be reached before a certain date it locks that player into a one-year contract based on either the average of the top 5 salaries at that player's position or at 120% of his previous salary, whichever is higher. There's also a non-exclusive tag that's sort of a hybrid between UFA and RFA in that other teams can negotiate with the player and the original team can choose to either match that offer. If they don't, they lose that player but are awarded two compensatory 1st round picks. During the year they're under the franchise tag contract they still count against the cap at their franchise tag contract rate. Additionally each team can only tag one player with a franchise tag.

So in the NHL instance, let's say the Hurricanes were unable to reach a deal with Jeff Skinner going into free agency. They could put a franchise tag on him which would bind him to the Hurricanes for an extra year. They would then have to pay him at either the average of the top 5 salaries at his position or at 120% of his previous salary, whichever is higher. How much would that be? If by "his position" we mean forward then it's $12,900,000 (the average of Kane, Toews, Benn, Kopitar, and Crosby's salaries). If by "his position" we mean left wing, then it's $9,740,000 (the average of Benn, Ovechkin, Parise, Marleau, and Nash's salaries). 120% of Skinner's salary would be $7,200,000 so clearly the average is higher. So that's either $12,900,000 or $9,740,000 of cap space the Canes have to accommodate for a year in order to get a year's worth of time to try to negotiate a longer-term contract with him.

 

[ImpartialNHLfan]

My understanding is that it locks in the player and if an agreement isn't met by a certain deadline before the season, the player gets paid the average of the top 5 in the league at his position. Would be rough with the NHL because there at at most 6 positions, even taking sides into account.

oh ok, I don't follow football at all so wasn't sure exactly what it was.

Maybe in the NHL a team can put a franchise tag on one player and he doesn't count on the cap. That way he can get PAID with no worry's and it will allow more to go around for his team. idk just spitballin here

 

[Advanced stats]

so, 6 - 10 teams really shouldn't be concerned if they can't make any money or even eventually fold?

The cap isn't going away, ever. Get used to it.

oh, and don't forget that several Canadian teams would fold as well...

Wow you seem very emotional about this...a little too emotional.

I was just pointing out that its much more than just "Toronto and new York" that would benefit from this.

I don't think the cap will ever go away, but I'm darn near sure that it will be modified substantially to help 75% of the league. Soft cap or franchise tag or an alternative, I'm not sure, but it should and will be changed.

Theres already some teams that will fold at this point. The sooner we get rid of them the better. I don't really see what the difference is.

 

[tarheelhockey]

The owners didn't lock out out of half a season because they felt like spending more money on salaries.

 

[Gnashville]

I feel so sorry for the Blackhawks, they had to dismantle that team after the 2010 Cup. They could have won 2 more possibly after 2010 if not for the evil salary cap.