Rumor: Kucherov long term injury could give lightning the cap space they need

[hockeykicker]

Click to read more...

 

[Lightning1995]

Ok this is bad news obviously but how would this work with the cap? Can we sign the RFAs? If Kuch returns does that make TB not compliant?

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Ok this is bad news obviously but how would this work with the cap? Can we sign the RFAs? If Kuch returns does that make TB not compliant?

Depends on how much space they have after the signings, how much they can create during the season, and how long he is out.
Cap is really calculated by the day not necessarily annually.

 

[mouser]

The bottom line remains: unless someone is on LTIR for the entire season it's still just delaying the cap reckoning.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Bad news for Tampa having him out long term... but they will still be a dominant team regardless

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

This is bad news for Lightning fans, it allows them to temporarily keep Johnson/Killorn while losing their best player. Once he's ready to return they still have to make moves.

The bottom line remains: unless someone is on LTIR for the entire season it's still just delaying the cap reckoning.

I just said the same but thinking on it, isn't the playoffs uncapped so he could return then? I think Tampa would be ok without him the regular season.

 

[Scoresberg]

Isn't that a convenient timing a day after the season start gets announced

 

[Taluss]

Tampa just needs to bite the bullet and trade who they need to in order to be cap compliant. Yeah it going to hit but who cares. They have a cup. I don’t really think there’s a trade they could make rn (to make space) that wouldn’t be worth it to their fans

 

[Gurglesons]

Isn't that a convenient timing a day after the season start gets announced

Elliott has been talking about this issue for a couple months in relation to players in general. Some of them have held off getting surgeries or addressing injuries.

Obviously if it is severe it is certainly odd that Kucherov has been waiting.

 

[GoldiFox]

Ok this is bad news obviously but how would this work with the cap? Can we sign the RFAs? If Kuch returns does that make TB not compliant?

If Kucherov misses half the season then that should bank $4.75 million TB can use on RFAs.

 

[Sticksandsun]

Isn't that a convenient timing a day after the season start gets announced

Faking an injury of a top 5 player to keep Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn? Bold strategy Cotton

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

If Kucherov misses half the season then that should bank $4.75 million TB can use on RFAs.

LTIR space is not bankable.

 

[RogerRoger]

This is bad news for Lightning fans, it allows them to temporarily keep Johnson/Killorn while losing their best player. Once he's ready to return they still have to make moves.
I just said the same but thinking on it, isn't the playoffs uncapped so he could return then? I think Tampa would be ok without him the regular season.

They can also stash people in the taxi squad and about 1M per player in the taxi squad doesn't count against the cap. There is also the possibility of players opting out for this season and they wouldn't count against the cap.

 

[Sega Dreamcast]

Is this an undisclosed injury?

 

[Shrimper]

Ok this is bad news obviously but how would this work with the cap? Can we sign the RFAs? If Kuch returns does that make TB not compliant?

If he comes back before the play offs then TB still need to move players

With Kucherov on LTIR they're at $7.5m under.

 

[Djp]

Damn hang nail...

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

Ah yes I was wondering what team was going to get Tampa out of it’s cap jam, turns out it’s just the league itself this time around

 

[The Macho King]

 

[belair]

If you're actually suggesting that they'd sit out their best forward for a long while to get under the cap then congrats, this is the dumbest f***ing comment I've read here.

They won the Cup without Stamkos. They'll manage. Funny timing considering they've been off for several months now.

 

[Scoresberg]

I think they're just trying to buy some time to create cap space. They haven't found a deal they've liked so far, and now time is not on their side. They get some more time to find a deal they like with this move.

 

[Kranix]

Tyler Johnson will have a resurgence with Kuch on the shelf.

 

[Blackjack]

LTIR news, no matter how legitimate, always gets the tinfoil hatters out. Don't worry, there's way less of them than you think, and most of them are in Toronto and Boston.

Right, it's tin foil hat stuff to believe that teams regularly use LTIR to circumvent the salary cap. No basis at all for that. Marion Hossa would definitely still be playing hockey if not for that dang pad allergy.

 

[HBK27]

If Kucherov misses half the season then that should bank $4.75 million TB can use on RFAs.

As already mentioned, Tampa can't bank any cap space as they'll be over the cap limit with Kucherov on LTIR.

However, there will be a lot of other teams that can back cap space during his absence, so that may open up the options a bit for players Tampa will need to trade to be cap compliant once Kucherov is ready to return.

 

[HBK27]

They can also stash people in the taxi squad and about 1M per player in the taxi squad doesn't count against the cap. There is also the possibility of players opting out for this season and they wouldn't count against the cap.

I don't think the taxi squad is going to be any advantage to cap-strapped teams this season, as it'll be the same as sending a player down to the AHL.

The league is also going to look into anyone opting out of the season to make sure it's not being done to circumvent the cap. It's also a mighty big ask of a player to sit out a season and not get paid to bail a team out of a bad cap situation, but surely there may be some players that opt out on their own to the benefit of the team.

 

[majormajor]

Correct my understanding here.

If Kucherov misses half the season (in this case just a couple months), then half of his $9.5m cap will be available all year or all of it for half the year, or something in between. They could use the half for the season, or they could use all of it, figuring that something will pop up later in the year (like a trade, or perhaps Stamkos or somebody will provide a lot of LTIR this year in addition).

Anyways, I don't like this news as a Jackets fan. Jarmo has banked up a lot of cap space and the team was in a unique position to add a high salary forward (not likely from Tampa), as teams struggle to fit under the cap and later in the year to ditch salary if their season doesn't go well. What we're seeing now is that teams find ways to massage the financials, there isn't really going to be much of a unique position.