The lock-out was a total waste!

Ando · Guru

The lock-out was a total waste!

macneil · Guru

not so and-o , as i have stated in earlier posts , the lockout was to limit team spending not players salaries , before the lockout do you think toronto and detroit and the others would be looking to fill roster spots with plugs .look at toronto's roster , how many of those players would be there if there was no cap, no they would have went out and signed shanny ,sammy ,and everyother free agent . newyork had a payroll of 80 million 2-3 years ago , what is it now 40 ish. dont think its because they are stacked , its because they are tied to the cap the same as us . it will take a few years for the dust to settle , and when the gms learn the ways of the cap then we'll see better salary structures .

heet_150 · Guru

While I agree with macneil's synopsis of the new CBA, I do agree with Ando that the arbitration process needs to be looked at. Do the arbitors understand the game? Do they fully understand the realities of NHL finances? Or, more importantly, do they care?

macneil · Guru

i addressed the arb. process in another post , its as if they only look at numbers , so i agrre with and-o to that extent .

Figaro · Guru

With the cap being relatively low, it was inevitable that teams would get to it sooner or later. And, as time goes on, more teams will get to the cap. These arbitration awards are forcing the "market value" of players up and teams will hit the cap sooner. Really, teams are going to have no choice but to max the cap if they want to compete (eventualy). You may have a team with a lot of young guys but that really only gives you 2-3 years to plateau before they got from $800K to 3-5M. So, 2 things happen. More teams will spend at/near the cap and talent will be spread out more evenly because you can't stack your team with the top talent anymore.

barry33 · Guru

Figaro wrote:

With the cap being relatively low, it was inevitable that teams would get to it sooner or later. And, as time goes on, more teams will get to the cap. These arbitration awards are forcing the "market value" of players up and teams will hit the cap sooner. Really, teams are going to have no choice but to max the cap if they want to compete (eventualy). You may have a team with a lot of young guys but that really only gives you 2-3 years to plateau before they got from $800K to 3-5M. So, 2 things happen. More teams will spend at/near the cap and talent will be spread out more evenly because you can't stack your team with the top talent anymore.

We are slowly but surely heading right back to square ones gentlemen and ladies. The players and agents are retaking control of the wheel. Figaro is right. A young team only has 2-3 years to get it together and then they get ONE shot and ONE shot only at the cup. Look at the Oilers. Where will they be next year? Buffalo? Bufallo had their shot last year. All it managed to do was inflate the salaries of players like Miller and Briere to the point that they will have to start dumping salaries.

Same as Jersey. People laugh because jersey spent too much and are over the cap. That is the new reality folks. You can build a young team trhough the draft etc. But what will happen is that as the players and team get more successful, the cost of keeping them escalates..next thing you know you are over the cap. Gainey signed Ryder to one year 2.2 million. If Ryder continues to get better and scores say 40 this year..what do you think BG will need to pay him next year if he goes to arbitration?

plouf · Guru

Why is everybody so sympathetic with the "poor" owners? Who cares about the owners. My only concern is with the fans. Total salaries have gone down, actually, and still ticket prices are basically the same or higher. The day when prices go down in any real way because overhead is cheaper is the day I'll give a crap about owners.