John Flyers Fan said:
#1. The qualifying offers, and arbitration systems were both changed under the NHLPA's proposal, drastically reducing the inflationary ways of the past CBA.
#2. No RFA has gotten a bid since 1998, and plenty of "stars" have come up for new deals.
#3. If a big market American team bid on Iginla, Calgary could match the offer in cdn funds, and the NHL assistance fund would make up the difference.
It doesn't matter if no one else would bid on Iggy. If he wants 9 million next year, with the PA's proposal, he would have every right to hold out and even if the owner took him to arrbitration, the comparisons would all be 8-10 million dollar players. Becuase it has gotten this bad there is no way the PA proposal would help a team like Calgary hold onto Iginla.
and if they don't take him to arbitration then he would sit until they caved or traded him. If they cave then they have to lose other players to afford him and if they trade him, they won't get a lot in return since the other teams know they have to move them. Also a lot of times, players demand to be traded to specfic teams or they won't sign with them either, that further limits the hand of the GM.
You brought up the Yashin and Nieuwendyk trade as comparisons. Those were as much luck as skill from the GM. Most trades are like Weight, Tkachuk, Jagr... salary dumps don't bring back a lot in return, generally.
The system needs to change. Small market teams cannot afford to keep their stars today, or under the PA proposal.