Spungo said:
Would never happen. Absolutely never.
And why not?
I like the idea - it does two things (especially if the designation could only be given to drafted/long-term players). It gives teams an ability to keep immensly talent, immensly popular players that they would not be able to keep under normal capped circumstances. For the Stars, it allows them to sign Modano, it may in the future allow Calgary to sign Iginla (if it didn't matter who drafted the team - remember, Iginla was developed by the Flames but drafted by Dallas) or Colorado to re-sign the Swedish Wunderkind. Heck, for the smaller markets, it might allow Columbus to keep Nash, Atlanta to keep either Heatley or Kovulchuk (or both, as one could be designated and the other signed under the cap - a pairing that almost definitely would be split by a very restrictive cap) or Boston, which is not smaller market but acts like it, to keep Thornton. And it would allow whoever ends up drafting Crosby a much more realistic shot at keeping him rather than seeing hiim wooed away by a team that clears as much cap space as possible.
And it creates a very seperate market for your top players. No longer could a Tkachuk or Turgeon or Guerin point at the Modano's, Yzerman's and Forsberg's of the world as comparable mony. Since those players would most likely be franchised, the upper second tier couldn't use those salaries as negotiation starters as the contracts would be formed under an entirely different set of circumstances. Remeber, what really set off the escalation of salaries was the over-spending on the second and third-line players rather than the top group.
I think the NHL would jump on the idea provided they get a fairly restrictive linked cap, as it gives the PA a face-saving manuver, gives the league a great PR starting ground ("now home-grown talent really does matter!") and could, at most, affect about 4% of all player contracts.
And that's if every team chooses to go that route. The owners always have the right to say no if a player asks for the exemption.