Speculation: Islanders incoming cap crunch

[IranCondraAffair]

Who is this team that is going to take on 6.5M and 7M a year Nick Leddy?

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

It's not impossible to dump salary/cap in this league, especially with a new expansion team coming in a year's time.

This year, dump Leddy and maybe another minor move or two and there's enough for bridge deals for the three RFAs.

Next offseason, use the 2021 first to dump cap to Seattle. Bridge next years RFAs as well.

In the 2022 offseason, enough cap comes off to sign Barzal, Sorokin and the rest to long term deals. Per CapFriendly, there's over $40M in cap space in the summer of 2022 as things are constructed now.

But why should Barzal, Pelech, and Pulock take bridge deals? They play heavy minutes and are the top-3 players on the team. They have earned the right to hold out for longer term and higher AAVs.

I get what you are saying and, in a perfect world, there is no real issues. However I doubt very much Barzal takes a bridge deal or a discount and I suspect one of Pulock/Pelech demands term since their jobs are as the highest ATOIs on the team.

Barzal also will probably receive an offer sheet if Aho and Point got one

 

[hotpaws]

Ladd on LTIR and the cap crunch is gone

 

[IranCondraAffair]

Ladd on LTIR and the cap crunch is gone

LOL.

Just void the contract, it is that simple. Just stop paying the man.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

But why should Barzal, Pelech, and Pulock take bridge deals? They play heavy minutes and are the top-3 players on the team. They have earned the right to hold out for longer term and higher AAVs.

I get what you are saying and, in a perfect world, there is no real issues. However I doubt very much Barzal takes a bridge deal or a discount and I suspect one of Pulock/Pelech demands term since their jobs are as the highest ATOIs on the team.

Because he's an RFA and there likely won't be the leverage to get a long term deal if the team can't offer one right now.

I mean he can hold out if he wants to, but it wouldn't be wise to miss a whole season when there will be a perfectly reasonable two year bridge on the table. Missing a whole season of play is going to 1. cause him to not get paid for the season and 2. negatively impact his future worth. Not a good thing for a player who has only made ELC money to date.

 

[hotpaws]

LOL.

Just void the contract, it is that simple. Just stop paying the man.

he gets his full salary on LTIR and with his injuries it should be easy to prove he's unfit to play

 

[IranCondraAffair]

he gets his full salary on LTIR and with his injuries it should be easy to prove he's unfit to play

I'm sure there are 30 GMs who wish it was so easy.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

Because he's an RFA and there likely won't be the leverage to get a long term deal if the team can't offer one right now.

I mean he can hold out if he wants to, but it wouldn't be wise to miss a whole season when there will be a perfectly reasonable two year bridge on the table. Missing a whole season of play is going to 1. cause him to not get paid for the season and 2. negatively impact his future worth. Not a good thing for a player who has only made ELC money to date.

Barzal’s agent will argue nobody on the team deserves to be paid before Mat. Which is true considering without Barzal the Islanders dont make the playoffs, the guy whos been near PPG since his PPG+ rookie year. I suspect Barzal holds out for no less than 5+ years at 9+mil

The covid situation as well as the tight cap of the Islanders isnt Barzal’s problem to worry about. If he took a bridge deal id be absolutely flabbergasted. And why should the 22+ATOI defensemen both take bridge deals, knowing they could just be left out to dry when Dobson inevitably steps up to a top-4 role by then

If your employer asked you to work for less money than you are worth for two years, due to company profits going down, but theres a young Harvard-grad coming up behind you in that time - are you really going to accept that knowing he probably takes your spot eventually?

 

[IranCondraAffair]

A lot of teams don't have the money to make RFA offer sheets (edit: this year) but they were teams that didn't have the money to do it anyway.

You think you can "bridge" Barzal when the Montreal Canadians are dangling 8.4M a year in front of him?

 

[hotpaws]

I'm sure there are 30 GMs who wish it was so easy.

it is easy judging by the number of players that have been placed on LTIR , Hossa/Zetterberg/Lupul/Robidas off the top of my head

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Barzal’s agent will argue nobody on the team deserves to be paid before Mat. Which is true considering without Barzal the Islanders dont make the playoffs, the guy whos been near PPG since his PPG+ rookie year.

The covid situation as well as the tight cap of the Islanders isnt Barzal’s problem to worry about. If he took a bridge deal id be absolutely flabbergasted. And why should the 22+ATOI defensemen both take bridge deals, knowing they could just be left out to dry when Dobson inevitably steps up to a top-4 role by then

If your employer asked you to work for less money than you are worth for two years, due to company profits going down, but theres a young Harvard-grad coming up behind you in that time - are you really going to accept that knowing he probably takes your spot eventually?

Do you not understand what RFA(gency) is? Teams still have the leverage. Players generally have to play ball with what the team can offer as long as it's reasonably competitive.

Your example is a false equivalency because I am not restricted to my company. I can apply to any company I want. And a new employer doesn't have to give compensation to my old employer.

If Barzal will not play for anything less than a long term commitment right now, then his other option is to stay home playing video games. Either work within what the team can offer you right now in terms of commitment or stay unemployed. That's pretty much it.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

Do you not understand what RFA(gency) is? Teams still have the leverage. Players generally have to play ball with what the team can offer as long as it's reasonably competitive.

Your example is a false equivalency because I am not restricted to my company. I can apply to any company I want. And a new employer doesn't have to give compensation to my old employer.

If Barzal will not play for anything less than a long term commitment right now, then his other option is to stay home playing video games. Either work within what the team can offer you right now in terms of commitment or stay unemployed. That's pretty much it.

You must not have been following recent RFA negotiations around the league these past few years

Barzal has all the leverage. Every ounce of it.

Lou is not going to tell the face of the franchise and future superstar that he cant get paid cause guys like Lee get 7m

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

You must not have been following recent RFA negotiations around the league.

Barzal has all the leverage. Every ounce of it.

You mean recent RFA deals, like Laine's? Who signed a 2-year bridge for under $14M, despite having 3 30+ goal seasons under his belt at that time.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Lou is not going to tell the face of the franchise and future superstar that he cant get paid cause guys like Lee get 7m

Lee was an UFA.

UFAs and RFAs have different leverage points. This is NHL business 101. Basic stuff.

 

[Pure Slaughter Value]

Who is this team that is going to take on 6.5M and 7M a year Nick Leddy?

Probably better to offload Boychuk, who gets paid 4M combined for the next two years

 

[IranCondraAffair]

Probably better to offload Boychuk, who gets paid 4M combined for the next two years

Much easier despite the cap hit.

Unfortunately you still need to find a team that can take on that cap hit for free without sending cap hit back.

That makes it much harder.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

You mean recent RFA deals, like Laine's? Who signed a 2-year bridge for under $14M, despite having 3 30+ goal seasons under his belt at that time.

Laine isnt the best player on his team or even top-3. Barzal is

You seem very confident about this so we shall see. Stating what an RFA is doesnt take in team-specific situations and comes across as a bit back-handish, like as if it isnt obvious to everyone but you.

The Islanders have some working around cap to do - this isnt NHL 20, it takes two to tango

 

[Pure Slaughter Value]

Laine isnt the best player on his team or even top-3. Barzal is

You seem very confident about this so we shall see. Stating what an RFA is doesnt take in team-specific situations and comes across as a bit back-handish, like as if it isnt obvious to everyone but you.

The Islanders have some working around cap to do - this isnt NHL 20, it takes two to tango

Thank god they have that 10% buffer in case someone does offer sheet Mat something ridiculous.

 

[Pure Slaughter Value]

Much easier despite the cap hit.

Unfortunately you still need to find a team that can take on that cap hit for free without sending cap hit back.

That makes it much harder.

okey doke. Every year there’s teams with cap problems and every year those problems are always overblown and cause no repercussions.

hopefully Ladd comes down with some mysterious skin ailment.

Regardless, the team is deep and will be just fine. I’d actually prefer if they had to give someone away for free so Dobson and one of Bellows or Wahlstrom was brought up full time

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

Laine isnt the best player on his team or even top-3. Barzal is

You seem very confident about this so we shall see. Stating what an RFA is doesnt take in team-specific situations and comes across as a bit back-handish, like as if it isnt obvious to everyone but you.

The Islanders have some working around cap to do - this isnt NHL 20, it takes two to tango

Brayden Point - three years, $20M

Matt Tkachuk - three years, $21M

Brock Boeser - three years, $18M

I could go on.

But okay, do tell what's going to happen. Is he just going to stay home until he is 27 years old if the NYI only offers a reasonable bridge?

Screaming "Lou is going to pay him" is not logical when capwise it just doesn't fit now.

I get that you probably dislike the Islanders and want to see him hold out for $10+M long term. But what's going to happen due to the leverage the Islanders have with his RFA status is that he'll settle for about a 3 year deal, probably around $20M total. (Mod)

 

[CREW99AW]

Look around the league. Everyone is trying to cut salary. There are going to be UFAs this year that sign at 2.6M that are as good as Boychuk without the cap hit.

But,Boychuk is due $1.25m. Not $2.6m.
And a smart GM would see him as a possible trade chip, either at the start of yr 2 or at the TDL in yr 2.

 

[Pure Slaughter Value]

The Islanders have some working around cap to do - this isnt NHL 20, it takes two to tango

They definitely do! That being said, I'd much rather have it being done by someone who has close ties to many of the GM's in the league and not someone with no experience. I can only imagine what Snow would do in this situation.

 

[ManofSteel55]

he gets his full salary on LTIR and with his injuries it should be easy to prove he's unfit to play

If it was that easy, the Oilers wouldn't have had to buy out Sekera.

 

[hotpaws]

If it was that easy, the Oilers wouldn't have had to buy out Sekera.

of course the player still has agree to go on ltir instead of being sent to the minors

and do you think Ladd actually believes a team would give him anything more than a pto ? and even then does he want to continue to try to hang on with the injuries he's had ?

 

[CREW99AW]

There is no phantom cap hit if you are above the floor.

The Sens are above the floor.

The only way it saves you money is if you are BELOW 60M. The Sens will be above 60M, so it doesn't matter. It just adds salary. So unless Ottawa finds a way to get below 60M, it won't matter.

I'm going even a step further and saying there are only two Sens players you can really trade that would actually reduce their salary below the floor. Ryan and Chabot. The Sens will be so far above the floor they need to save a minimum of 3M to get below it. Further, they need about 800K to replace that player with a new roster player.

Only a few players on the Sens who have more than a 3.8M cap hit. Here are each of their remaining salaries: Zaitsev (4.5M), White (4M), Ryan (5.5M), Anisimov (1.5M) and Chabot (7M).

Realistically, one of Chabot or Ryan have to leave to get the Sens below the floor. Anisimov could too but he only makes 1.5M remaining and Zaitsev probably doesn't save enough either.

There are reports that teams will be in such dire straits that they will walk away from quality rfas,not make qualifying offers. I think Dreger reported that and it's posted here on HF.
If these reports that we will see some owners scramble just to stay afloat ,try to avoid selling their teams, then I think we will see teams forced to play cap fl tricks,look for cheap alternatives and there is not much cheaper then a solid RHD,making $1.25m next season,who can slot in as a 4/5.