Quote:
Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen
I never said it was. However, there was also no solid rule against what the Devils did. Unless you were in the room when the deal was signed and saw them shake hands agreeing that Kovalchuk would retire before it occurred you can not point to any section of the CBA saying a rule was broken with Kovalchuk's contract outside of the very vague "intentions of the CBA."
The bonus cushion wasn't intended to defer payment of 35+ contracts, it was to provide some insurance that a team could still spend to the cap without having to make room for a player like Knight winning the Hart Trophy. Giving a player an easily attained 10 game bonus of 4M is no different than giving him 4M salary.
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The difference between a contract like Iginla's & Alfredsson's this year to a contract like Kovalchuk's is this - In the case of Iginla's and Alfredsson's, the future cap penalty to the team is guaranteed. In the case of Kovalchuck's (and others), the future cap penalty wasn't guaranteed.
That's why this is not cap circumvention, and Kovalchuk's was. Either way, the hole was closed retroactively, so even if Kovalchuk's contract was allowed to stand, the current cap recapture penalties would cover the difference.