The NHL has a BIG problem (Cap Circumvention via LTIR)

[NatoGhost]

That's simply wrong. If Tampa didn't have Seabrook they would have been under the cap at the start of the season. The only reason Tampa was over is because they had Seabrook on the team.

Injured players like Seabrook do not have $0 cap hits, that's the fundamental misunderstanding here. Yes, Tampa would have to clear the space to activate Seabrook, but that's not going to happen. Seabrook is never going to play again.

Thank you for explaining this better than I could. So many people don't understand this.

 

[TaLoN]

BTW - as expected...

NHL, GMs not eager to close LTIR 'loophole' despite perceived abuses

The number of teams in LTIR that are doing well in the standings explains why the majority of the league’s GMs aren't eager to close the loophole that enables them to exceed the salary cap.

www.sportsnet.ca

Issue got tabled pretty quickly. It's not this big issue to the league as it appears to be by conspiracy chasing fans.

“And the league does a very good job; you can’t just put somebody on LTI and add to your cap without the league going through that with a fine-tooth comb. There’s been legitimate injuries. The way the system’s set up, you can do certain things. I don’t necessary look at it as abusive. Are there areas that need to be tightened up? Maybe. But the sentiment in the room there wasn’t that it’s fundamentally broken.”

And it’s not as if they—or any other team—are lying about the injuries.

“It’s no secret that around every trade deadline we reach out to the clubs and understand their injury situation and get a sense of projected dates of return,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said on Tuesday. “And whenever the projected date of return and LTIR is being used and the projected date of return is around the playoffs, we look into it. We deal with the clubs, we get their medical records, we employ an independent medical expert and we make sure the (details are accurate regarding) the injury. We’ve never had any issues that stemmed from that. But it’s a thorough process.”

 

[T REX]

You think the players will agree to shrinking the cap?

This adds extra money to players pockets.

You aren't going to close the loophole without a fight

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

GMs wont want to close this loophole, anyway they can get help with the cap theyll do it. (understandable)

Really wish the league would bring in some sort of mechanism to offer legitimate flexibility.

 

[TaLoN]

It's not a loophole if the injuries are confirmed as legitimate and the mechanism is working as intended... just as the league has said again after saying so on previous occasions as well.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

I thought it wasn't a problem? That's what TB fans were saying last year. Surprised now it's an issue again. My understanding of those arguments was that it isn't really a loophole. I guess that is incorrect?

It isn't a problem. And been proved again that it isn't. How about that? Looks like you're wrong again.

Seabrook's LTIR personal salary has no bearing on the team using it as a way to exceed the cap. Player replacement up and to that number while he's out. Which is until that contract expirers.

You keep talking cap dollars when it is LTIR dollars, and they can replace him up to that amount. The only way they couldn't/wouldn't is if he ever was truly going to come back onto/into the roster. He's simply never played a game for them since the trade.

That's simply never going to happen, and they are free to replace him up to that cap hit. Otherwise, why take that contract on. Look at Capfriendly, they exceeded the cap they otherwise would not be able to. They have nobody on LTIR except him.

Look below his name: Salary relief

They would simply not have been cap compliant this season without it. They had zero cap space. They currently have a roster at near the cap limit, had they ever intended to bring him onto the roster they'd have to clear that 6.875.

This was last year. Explaining the Tyler Johnson and Brent Seabrook salary cap trade

They gained space over the cap using LTIR.

That is a whole lot of text to be wrong. It's like instead of understanding what you read, you decided to just go off the rails.

If all the whiners want to close the "loophole" don't let players be LTIRetired. Contracts like Seabrook, Kesler, Gaborik, Weber, etc... Should be considered retired and not account to the cap.

 

[mouser]

If all the whiners want to close the "loophole" don't let players be LTIRetired. Contracts like Seabrook, Kesler, Gaborik, Weber, etc... Should be considered retired and not account to the cap.

If they want to allow LTIR/Retired players to not count against the cap then the only way to offset that shift in the 50/50 split of hockey revenue would be to lower the cap to restrict spending on the ”healthy players”.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

This loophole has been going on for too long and it seems fans are sick of it now, too!

 

[Arthur Morgan]

This loophole has been going on for too long and it seems fans are sick of it now, too!

how else do you avoid it? if a player gets injured for a long time teams shouldnt be punished for expensive players getting hurt.
LTIR needs to stay

 

[Ted Hoffman]

This loophole has been going on for too long and it seems fans are sick of it now, too!

Good thing fans are in charge of the league, so we can have solutions like ... [checks notes]

* Getting rid of the instigator. Or, calling it more often.
* Calling the rule book strictly by the letter. Even if it means a never-ending game of power plays.
* Cracking down on headshots for player safety, but more fighting.
* More divisional games. Or fewer.
* Larger rinks for more room for players and more scoring. Or, less scoring if you see how that works in Europe.
* Forcibly moving [any team you want to choose] to [any location that will produce higher revenue] whether the targeted owner wants it or not. [No clue on how they're going to deal with silly things like contracts and leases between the team and various entities.]
* A myriad of solutions to the salary cap, whether owners want them or not and whether they make any sense given the CBA-mandated 50/50 split point on HRR and how those changes might impact negatively impact the players via escrow.
* Shorter seasons. Which, presumably mean prorated (lower) salaries for players, but if salaries aren't prorated then it definitely means (much) higher escrow.

And ALL the shitty ideas lobbed to "fix" the "problem" of LTIR and the playoffs.

 

[pekka55]

The NHL doesn't have any problems with it. The owners don't, the GM's don't, the players don't.

Some viewers have a problem with it, that's all. There's always a reason for loop holes and that is to make money. There would be no loop holes if the owners couldn't make money from them.

 

[Zirakzigil]

We dont need to bring up buried threads. This topic is being discussed in others.