Tuesday?

[Cavs019 708]

All 30 teams having a shot is BS, but for the NHL to make any progress public relations/marketability wise, they NEED Crosby in a big market. People who don't know hockey know who Crosby is, end of story.

[Eazy_b97 1]

All 30 teams having an equal shot is perfect. With all of the UFAs any small market team can turn their team around with Crosby and a couple UFAs. Pitts is the perfect example, they, along with the Rangers and someone else (maybe Atlanta) would've had the most balls, but he'd be going to one of them, and then they've all been rumoured to sign some big UFAs. Pitts gets Crosby, kovalev, Recchi and Zhamnoc, thats a pretty good squad. Crosby going to Atlanta with Heatley, Kovalchuk, Savard, Lehtonen and a few up and coming D with UFAs out to sign, NYR with Jagr, Nylander more than likely Leetch and then money left with alot of prospects. If everyones teams were going to stay the same as past years I could see the weighted lottery, but not when everyones teams will look different. Not when the weighted lottery is under the assumption the good would've been good again and the bad would've been bad and the small market teams have gotten everything their way in this CBA.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Toronto, Detroit, Dallas were all in SERIOUS trouble this year. Why do the Rangers get a reward for running their team into the shitter for a year, then get 2 years of profit from it and the oppurtunity to buy a decent team? Everyone in the league has the oppurtunity to turn their team around with UFAs. Teams who have lost in previous years, mostly from crying poor, should be able to keep the players they bitched about loosing now, why should they also get a head start on getting the best players of the future? They got their top picks from the previous draft, the ones they earned. Look at the top picks from last year, they are were teams who weren't that bad in recent years. Pitts has just recently struggled, Washington was a favourite for their division at the start of last year, Carolina made the finals few years ago, Phoenix has shown they will spend money, NYR has also shown it and has now bulked up on prospects. Teams can be 1 good draft pick away from a playoff spot and I think alot of these teams will push. Not only did they get top picks last year (which they deserve) those players have had a year to develop and will be more "NHL ready" this year. The usual weak teams are getting stronger, and now they have a system to keep what they have built. A 30 team lottery is the fair way IMO.

[Chadd 916]

As a blackhawks fan my team would have a better than average chance with a weighted lottery but I think the 1 in 30 lottery is best. The only problem is if he ends up in NY, Toronto or Montreal there will be conspiracy theories for the next 20 years. Look at how many people still believe the NBA arranged to have Patrick Ewing in NY.

[Eazy_b97 1]

How? Washington went from 18 to 1st (pick). Toronto would've picked 19th last year. Everyone is good at one point or another. You're giving someone an extra top pick here, based on the assumption things will stay the same. Even though everything that is being put in place is to help the small market teams, the teams who "couldn't survive". So you've given them their system, you've had a proper draft, everything should be sorted out, why throw them a top pick, which this draft is heavy with top pick talent, but severely dops off after the top 10ish? If they want to add a player, go out and grab a UFA, you have the money and a system and their shouldn't be a big bidding war. Make your team better, don't depend on others to do it for you.

[Chadd 916]

Here's a good solution. Every team that reported a profit for the last year of "normal" operations are the only ones who get a shot at the number one pick. Only the teams that didn't shuffle money and who actually had tangible losses gets this reward after the lockout.

[CardinalHcky19 0]

i sure hope that its over though ive had enough of watching poker and skinny chinese guys winning hot dog eating contests

[Eazy_b97 1]

Alot of what he said today made me pretty upset. I just want this to be done so I can see what the real deal is.

[jrhky36 1]

check the tread on "eklund". most of what he says is garbage.

chadd,

yawney is the nwe head caoch of the hawks. detroit has a presser for noon friday to addres the coaching situation. please let it be that babcock is the new head caoch of the wings.

what will be intresting is how much of a salary cut the players will take. we will also see insane bonus clauses.

i'll use nic lidstrom for my example:

base salary 03/04 $10 million

24% rollback $7.6 million (mostly likely bought out under new cba)

base salary for 05/06 $2 million

incentive clauses:

for every 20 games played $1 million ($4 million)

25 points $1 million

all-star game $1 million

norris finalist $1 million

less than 50 penlity mins $1 million

+ in the +/- $1 million

total salary with incentives for 05/06 $10 million

this is just an example of how crazy the bonus clauses will be

[Chadd 916]

Everything I've seen has bonuses included under tha cap. Not to mention everything I've heard with buyouts prevent those players from returning to the same team.

You're in favor of Babcock? I guess you like trapping hockey. I'm not too enthused about Yawney after seeing how Norfolk played last season in the AHL.

[jrhky36 1]

he has a history with the wings. he coached the cincinati mighty duck when they shared it w/the wings. i like his intensity, that is something the wings have missed the last few years. but i would have been even happier if they had gotten paul maurice. it is time they moved out from the scotty bowman era.

if a team buys out a contract that player can't resign with the team that bought him out? if that is the case there will be A TON of high priced UFAs out there. but like i said what i'm waiting to see is how much of a cut the players will take and who will rework their contracts.

[Chadd 916]

if a team buys out a contract that player can't resign with the team that bought him out? if that is the case there will be A TON of high priced UFAs out there. but like i said what i'm waiting to see is how much of a cut the players will take and who will rework their contracts.

That would prevent NY or Toronto from buying out players every year, then reigning them again. It's an attempt to prevent the big markets from abusing the buyout clause.

[Eazy_b97 1]

That 20% range would keep Lidstrom under the 7.6 Mill. I've heard Bonuses will be included or else there will be standard bonuses (which I like if they cover the bases). The buy-out is good, I wonder if they'll restict the sign and trade. I JUST WANT 1 BALL PER TEAM!!!

I don't understand how bonuses would work if they were included. Say Kovalchuk gets a $1 mill bonus for scoring 50 goals, at the trade deadline he has 39, but gets hot.... what happens? Is it assume all bonuses will be met? Do they take say the $1 mill away the next year (37 drop down to 36)?

[jrhky36 1]

how can bonuses be included they are proforance bonuses, the nhf doesn't count bonuses in their cap. to include bonuses is wrong because not every player will earn their bonus.

[Jason Harris 31]

If my memory is correct, the NFL accounts for the bonuses at some point after the season, but I don't know whether it applies to the just played season or the one upcoming.

[Chadd 916]

how can bonuses be included they are proforance bonuses, the nhf doesn't count bonuses in their cap. to include bonuses is wrong because not every player will earn their bonus.

If they pay the player money for anything, it will count against the cap. The NHL saw what happened with bonuses in the Thornton contract when they thought they had the rookies capped. There will be no loophole as big as you expect for bonuses.

[jrhky36 1]

i don't know how they do the cap in the NFL. i think they don't count the bonus. the biggest one is signing bonuses, they are pro rated over the life of the contract.

[Chadd 916]

i don't know how they do the cap in the NFL. i think they don't count the bonus. the biggest one is signing bonuses, they are pro rated over the life of the contract.

NFL contracts are not guaranteed like NHL contracts are. If a player gets cut, the team doesn't pay the rest of the contract.

Considering the fact none of us know for sure what the CBA actually will/won't say, why don't we just wait another couple days and then we can debate all the finer points.

[jrhky36 1]

agreed we should wait until the deal is done