• For users coming over from tmlfans.ca your username will remain the same but you will need to use the password reset feature (check your spam folder) on the login page in order to set your password. If you encounter issues, email Rick couchmanrick@gmail.com

CBA Agreement Reached

Lesser Known Gains

Plenty has been written about some of the more well known aspects of the new CBA like the make whole, pension plan, player share and the like.

What we haven?t seen is some of the more basic nitty-gritty details because, in large part, a lot of them aren?t available.

While both sides continue to hammer away on getting the finalized legal language of the deal put together so ratification votes can be held by owners and players later this week, some of that info is finally beginning to filter out.

MORE RELATED TO THIS STORY

Among the tidbits are some pretty nice little wins for players amidst the rubble:

- The minimum salary in the NHL will eventually progress up rather sharply, going from $525,000 this season to $650,000 by 2017-18 and ultimately $750,000 by 2021-22. It?ll increase in relatively small increments until 2017, however.

- The money that goes to players on winning playoff teams has basically doubled from $6.5-million last season. There will be $13-million put into the playoff pool for each of the next two seasons, and that figure will rise by another $1-million every two seasons, culminating in $17-million in 2020-21 and beyond.

You always hear players don?t get paid in the playoffs, but that?s not true. For one, they receive 50 per cent of all hockey-related revenue, not just regular-season revenue, and part of the player share under benefits is allocated to this pool money, which will see a member of teams that go deep in the playoffs get a nice little bonus. I was told members of the winning Los Angeles Kings team, for example, received something like $75,000 each, money that would likely double under the new agreement.

It?s not much, but it helps pay for the after-party anyway.

- Another interesting one: Getting rid of re-entry waivers could really help some players on the fringe. Previously, those that were making more than $105,000 in the AHL had to pass through re-entry, which made teams reluctant to recall players in that situation and players reluctant to sign for more than that amount.

Expect to see higher salaries in general for guys in the AHL who are on the bubble. Call this the Mike Zigomanis (or Keith Aucoin or Wade Flaherty, etc.) rule.

- Another thing is that players? full salaries cannot be buried in the minors or Europe anymore. Anything over the minimum salary plus $375,000 will count against the salary cap. Teams? mistakes will now cost them dearly.

Call this the Wade Redden (or Jeff Finger) rule.

- While there is now a strict variance rule to prevent extreme frontloading, backloading deals are still permitted. Basically the old CBA?s loose variance rule applies, not the restrictive new one, which limits the lowest season in a deal to 50 per cent of the highest.

What?s a back-loaded deal? Well, if you look at contracts like Eric Staal?s with the Carolina Hurricanes, that qualifies.

The technical definition in the new CBA will be that a front-loaded deal is ?where the average compensation of the first half of the contract is greater than the cap hit.?

- Another relatively big but very subtle win was in arbitration, where teams are now not allowed to walk away from an award of less than $3.5-million. This amount will also increase as the average salary does.

- Players will also now be able to receive no movement or no trade clauses that come into effect immediately when they sign a contract extension, not when the new deal begins.

- It?s worth noting all of these changes don?t necessarily come at huge cost to the teams. The players? share will be 50 per cent, regardless of how high the various minimums rise, and all these various items mainly just change who is allocated the money.

That said, things like minor league salaries (below the new threshold) are dollars outside of that share, so spending in that area could certainly increase for teams that can afford to load up their AHL squads.
 
Britishbulldog said:
So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

Acquire Luongo and then buy him out for $20+ million? I assume the notion is to then re-sign him for a more reasonable term?

That seems completely bass ackwards to me. Yeah his deal is long and a bit pricey but that approach probably adds another $30 mil to the overall cost.  I assume you would have to sign him for at least 5 years at around $6 mil, so after giving him $20+ mil you then sign him again for another $30?  Why not just take him on at the current silly contract rate and hope he reitres early and Van gets stuck with that cap recoup penalty?
 
Joe S. said:
Corn Flake said:
Britishbulldog said:
So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

Acquire Luongo and then buy him out for $20+ million? I assume the notion is to then re-sign him for a more reasonable term?

Can't do that - if you buy someone out, you cannot re-sign them. I don't even think you can re-acquire them in any fashion once you've bought them out, be it trades, ufa or whatever.

This new buy out rule would actually make teams a little more tentative as per whom they actually wish to buy out/keep/sign player(s).  Since one cannot re-sign (or re-acquire) a player after a buy-out (even at a later date in time), it will force better decisions-making in terms of roster players/acquisitions, etc. in a way.
 
Corn Flake said:
Britishbulldog said:
So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

Acquire Luongo and then buy him out for $20+ million? I assume the notion is to then re-sign him for a more reasonable term?

That seems completely bass ackwards to me. Yeah his deal is long and a bit pricey but that approach probably adds another $30 mil to the overall cost.  I assume you would have to sign him for at least 5 years at around $6 mil, so after giving him $20+ mil you then sign him again for another $30?  Why not just take him on at the current silly contract rate and hope he reitres early and Van gets stuck with that cap recoup penalty?

Or take an injury leave into retirement, and everyone's off the hook?
 
Corn Flake said:
Britishbulldog said:
So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

Acquire Luongo and then buy him out for $20+ million? I assume the notion is to then re-sign him for a more reasonable term?

Can't do that - if you buy someone out, you cannot re-sign them. I don't even think you can re-acquire them in any fashion once you've bought them out, be it trades, ufa or whatever.
 
Joe S. said:
Corn Flake said:
Britishbulldog said:
So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

Acquire Luongo and then buy him out for $20+ million? I assume the notion is to then re-sign him for a more reasonable term?

Can't do that - if you buy someone out, you cannot re-sign them. I don't even think you can re-acquire them in any fashion once you've bought them out, be it trades, ufa or whatever.

Then I definitely do not comprehend the reasoning behind why the Leafs would acquire him and then buy him out, unless he's coming here with 4-5 of Van's top prospects.
 
Corn Flake said:
Joe S. said:
Corn Flake said:
Britishbulldog said:
So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

Acquire Luongo and then buy him out for $20+ million? I assume the notion is to then re-sign him for a more reasonable term?

Can't do that - if you buy someone out, you cannot re-sign them. I don't even think you can re-acquire them in any fashion once you've bought them out, be it trades, ufa or whatever.

Then I definitely do not comprehend the reasoning behind why the Leafs would acquire him and then buy him out, unless he's coming here with 4-5 of Van's top prospects.

It doesn't make sense - and really, captain integrity Burke wouldn't ever do that...

 
hockeyfan1 said:
This new buy out rule would actually make teams a little more tentative as per whom they actually wish to buy out/keep/sign player(s).  Since one cannot re-sign (or re-acquire) a player after a buy-out (even at a later date in time), it will force better decisions-making in terms of roster players/acquisitions, etc. in a way.

I don't think it'll have much of an impact as it's very similar to what they had at the previous lockout.
 
Britishbulldog said:
So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

They can be used summer 2013 or 2014.
 
hockeyfan1 said:
This new buy out rule would actually make teams a little more tentative as per whom they actually wish to buy out/keep/sign player(s).  Since one cannot re-sign (or re-acquire) a player after a buy-out (even at a later date in time), it will force better decisions-making in terms of roster players/acquisitions, etc. in a way.

Just to be clear, teams are only prevented from re-acquiring bought out players for the period of one season. If they buy someone out in the summer of 2013, they're free to reacquire them in the summer of 2014.
 
TSNBobMcKenzie: In a 48-game schedule, there'll be no play between conferences. East plays East and West plays West. But here's the schedule matrix for 48:

TSNBobMcKenzie: Each team plays: 4 games vs. two Divisional opponents (8 ); 5 games vs. two divisional opponents (10); 3 games vs 10 Conference rivals (30).
 
Corn Flake said:
Why not just take him on at the current silly contract rate and hope he reitres early and Van gets stuck with that cap recoup penalty?

I think the idea is that the Leafs ( or whoever ) could also have a penalty, the way Lawton and Friedman were describing it at least, depending on the cap saving involved and of course the possibility of no penalty with LTIR.
 
bustaheims said:
TSNBobMcKenzie: In a 48-game schedule, there'll be no play between conferences. East plays East and West plays West.


Not my favourite type of scheduling (no interest-league play), but, since it's a truncated season, it's understandable.
 
Tigger said:
I think the idea is that the Leafs ( or whoever ) could also have a penalty, the way Lawton and Friedman were describing it at least, depending on the cap saving involved and of course the possibility of no penalty with LTIR.

The problem is you can't bet on him being injured badly enough to go on LTIR. If the league suspects there are shenanigans going on with it, they're allowed to have an independent physician examine Luongo (or whoever), and if that doctor determines he's fit to play . . . well, you know, it's ungood - likely doubleplusungood.
 
bustaheims said:
Tigger said:
I think the idea is that the Leafs ( or whoever ) could also have a penalty, the way Lawton and Friedman were describing it at least, depending on the cap saving involved and of course the possibility of no penalty with LTIR.

The problem is you can't bet on him being injured badly enough to go on LTIR. If the league suspects there are shenanigans going on with it, they're allowed to have an independent physician examine Luongo (or whoever), and if that doctor determines he's fit to play . . . well, you know, it's ungood - likely doubleplusungood.

That's true, I think the notion there was more about the cap implications for any teams involved in trading a long term deal like that but you're right, LTIR as an out is not something to bank on.
 
bustaheims said:
TSNBobMcKenzie: In a 48-game schedule, there'll be no play between conferences. East plays East and West plays West. But here's the schedule matrix for 48:

TSNBobMcKenzie: Each team plays: 4 games vs. two Divisional opponents (8 ); 5 games vs. two divisional opponents (10); 3 games vs 10 Conference rivals (30).

Please let Boston be one of the "only 4 times" division teams...
 

About Us

This website is NOT associated with the Toronto Maple Leafs or the NHL.


It is operated by Rick Couchman and Jeff Lewis.
Back
Top