Extreme Makeover Salary Cap Edition!

Move that player!  Or team in the case of the Jets.  Yes after a long summer NHL training camps are almost ready to open, players and a team have moved around and fans in every city are trying to predict what their teams’ opening night line-up will look like. In this salary cap age it has become quite obvious just how important smart planning and fiscal restraint really is if you want to ice a competitive roster for years to come.

Unfortunately crystal balls and time machines do not exist.  (If anyone knows of any feel free to comment at the end of this story.)  That means that being an NHL executive is an extremely tough job maybe one of the toughest in pro sports because so much of the job is based on assumptions and scouts opinions.  Drafting is a terrific example, when a team drafts a player they are usually doing so on a projection for 2 to 4 years in the future.  They project a players future talent and ability to fit into the clubs’ system but much of it is projecting and there isn`t a concrete or scientific way to know for sure.  Yet drafting has become so fundamentally important to success; the salary Cap means that teams with big bank accounts can no longer sign a player and hope it works out, or try plugging holes in the line-up with money.  Teams that win now have developed much of their talent from within.  The Penguins and Blackhawks were both built through years of top five drafting.  The Red Wings are a model organization not just for the NHL but for Professional Sports with years of smart signings and drafting.  The Canucks made it to the final largely with a team of players that they drafted and developed.  Maybe one of the most important draft moves in recent history came when Brian Burke got the Sedins two-three in 1999.

There are also examples of clubs that have tried to build a winner but not succeeded.  Some teams have mismanaged the cap and now are in a process of not only trying to build a winner but build a team that isn`t mired by cap complications.  The Calgary Flames are a terrific example; Jay Feaster replaced Darryl Sutter in late December and since that point he has tried to build a `more competitive roster`  His job has been made much more difficult because of the “salary cap hell“ that they were locked in when he took over.  Since he has been in charge he has made an effort to bring in cap friendly players and move contracts that aren`t cap friendly.  Franchise staple Robyn Regher was moved out in July with Ales Kotalik and just a few days ago Daymond Langkow was moved back to Phoenix for Lee Stepniak.  That is 12 million dollars moved out and allowed him to resign Alex Tangauy and build a roster that can better compete.

The salary cap makes every team accountable for not just the immediate future but potentially for years to come.  There are many long term deals that have been signed in recent years and they are similar to blue chip sticks.  VERY RISKY; they help to lower a players cap hit but if a players productivity falls off it becomes extremely difficult to move them.  Moving a player with 5, 6, 7 years or even more left on a deal is very difficult.  Signing a player to that type a deal can be just as speculative as drafting.  Look at Luongo in Vancouver.  When he played for the Panthers he was one of the top goalies in the game.  He has still had great regular seasons but has been mired by sub-par playoff performances and was a key part of the Canucks meltdown to the Bruins last spring.  If the Canucks ever do want to make a switch in net moving Luongo`s big contract would be very difficult.

It isn`t really anyone`s fault when a deal doesn`t work out the way it was supposed to.  Many GMs pull the trigger on a deal and sign or trade for a player in hopes of a great future.  Many players a drafted on the same notion but the NHL is the premier men’s league in the world and not everyone can succeed and win.  Disappointment happens sometimes players a bust sometimes teams don`t gel and sometimes it just doesn`t work out.  When it doesn`t work out teams have to rebuild and try to win.

Teams now have to plan for what they will look like not only today but for years down the road as well.  If they have a group of young talented players they will have to resign them and they must plan for that.  Sometimes that is not always possible.  The Blackhawks spent years building themselves into a winner and in one summer much of that team was disassembled.  The Nashville Predators have three big players that will need to be looked at in the near future.  Weber, Rinne, and Suter.  It will certainly be interesting to watch them manage cap and try to win.

Salary Cap management is so important now because it limits the amount of redos.  If a team signs one or two bad deals it can be a crippling blow for years to come.  If they are smart about signing, and draft well they will have a very good chance at being able to compete.  The Red Wings have shown for two decades that they can build winners, even in a salary cap age.  For other teams not so much but the beginning of every season breeds a rebirth of hope and reignites that dream of chasing the Stanley Cup.