Jeremy Laura: With talk of return to pro sports, cap reality is setting in

When the 2012/13 lock out took place it appeared the older players lost jobs and the younger players moved in. If this season doesn’t resume and the cap holds, it might make way for an less expensive younger player movement.

When the 2012/13 lock out took place it appeared the older players lost jobs and the younger players moved in. If this season doesn’t resume and the cap holds, it might make way for an less expensive younger player movement.
- Tee56

It may end careers. You’re right. Tough times

The NHLPA could just agree to roll back salaries. So if the cap goes down 25% then all of us take a 25% cut. So Larkin's cap hit goes from $6M to $4.5M. That's his sacrifice for the current crop of UFAs and RFAs to get a slice of the smaller pie. As revenues rise, and the cap rises, then Larkin's salary rises proportionally. So it goes from $6M to $4.5M, but then revenues rise and the next year the cap goes up 10%. So now Larkin's cap hit gets adjusted to $4.95M. Some guys won't like that, but the PA is a democracy.

I would think that if the cap ceiling goes down significantly the NHLPA would probably agree to salary rollbacks.

Remember that in 2005-06 when the cap was first introduced, players with existing contracts took a 24 percent pay cut that continued for the entire duration of their contracts. Some players got really screwed by this -- Daniel Alfredsson for example had four years left to go on his deal and left something like $8 million on the table.

Also remember that Detroit had almost a $78 million payroll in the last season before the cap was instituted and had to cut that down to $39 million. And they won 58 games that year.

It'll be painful but the NHL and NHLPA have a mutual incentive to work together and prevent the worst from happening. Whether that includes salary rollbacks, increasing escrow, compliance buyouts, agreeing to a flat cap for a few years, spreading out payments, etc., whatever creative solutions they need. But they aren't going to leave players and teams totally in the lurch.

It's not like a lockout or strike where owners and players are fighting against each other to maximize the size of their own slice of pie. Either way players are going to get 50 percent of the revenue and owners are going to get 50 percent, at least until the current CBA expires in 2022. So it's in everybody's best interest to make this go as smoothly as possible.

Get rid of the hard cap until revenues recover.

Don't buy the laughable stories of the cap going down 30-40%-All 31 teams would be million sover.

They will work something out

Don't buy the laughable stories of the cap going down 30-40%-All 31 teams would be million sover.

They will work something out
- RogerRoeper

Exactly. They aren't going to say the new cap is $60M...So why don't you spend $20M to buy out a few players and then start re-signing UFAs for $1M each. The entire crop of current free agents, as well as guys coming due the next couple years all get screwed. So the NHLPA and owners will just agree on a rollback or massive escrow so that all share the pain.

This is a non-story.

I hate to see anyone lose their job but we have so many willing players that it’s a shame that we can’t get away from Franz or Abby this summer. What a waste of 9 mil....

I hate to see anyone lose their job but we have so many willing players that it’s a shame that we can’t get away from Franz or Abby this summer. What a waste of 9 mil....
- Manthamania

Franzen's contract only ran through this season. We have one more year of Z's contract hitting LTIR. But yes, Abby's contract absolutely sucks to have on the books for another three years.

Franzen's contract only ran through this season. We have one more year of Z's contract hitting LTIR. But yes, Abby's contract absolutely sucks to have on the books for another three years.
- RedDog18

I believe Neilsen has 2 years left. Bad signing at the time that was only going to get worse as he aged.

Franzen's contract only ran through this season. We have one more year of Z's contract hitting LTIR. But yes, Abby's contract absolutely sucks to have on the books for another three years.
- RedDog18

As much as everyone puts Franzen and Hossa together, the Mule was the right choice at the time. He was amazing for a short period but couldn’t stay healthy with the concussions. It’s a shame, always a blast to watch him score and piss everyone off.

As much as everyone puts Franzen and Hossa together, the Mule was the right choice at the time. He was amazing for a short period but couldn’t stay healthy with the concussions. It’s a shame, always a blast to watch him score and piss everyone off.
- Manthamania

I'm not going to wade too deep into the Franzen / Hossa debate (other than to say that I would have chosen Hossa), but I will say that I think Franzen was badly under-appreciated in Detroit.

He got labeled as "inconsistent" but if you look at the numbers he was actually super reliable. In six years from age 29-34 he was pretty much spot ~.33 goals and ~.75 points per game season after season, with no real major drop off until his concussions put him out of the game.

I think it was more that Franzen had a couple of absolute monster runs two playoff years in a row and that caused some fans to set unreasonable expectations, especially for a guy who was already close to 30.

I'm not going to wade too deep into the Franzen / Hossa debate (other than to say that I would have chosen Hossa), but I will say that I think Franzen was badly under-appreciated in Detroit.

He got labeled as "inconsistent" but if you look at the numbers he was actually super reliable. In six years from age 29-34 he was pretty much spot ~.33 goals and ~.75 points per game season after season, with no real major drop off until his concussions put him out of the game.

I think it was more that Franzen had a couple of absolute monster runs two playoff years in a row and that caused some fans to set unreasonable expectations, especially for a guy who was already close to 30.
- Sven22

Touché.... Now look at the decisions we have? Abby or Erne... Neilsen or Fillpula... Need Stevie to pull off some magic and find a ton of help for next year