[CaptainCrunch]

So I worked today because most of my clients are merican, so I'm going to take Thursday and Friday off. But to my chagrin a lot of my Merican clients are taking the week off to spend with their stupid families.


So I got to thinking about the complaints about the cap that we've heard. its not fair because it doesn't take taxation rates into account, fans of big market teams complaining because it doesn't let them spend unlimited dollars. So then I started thinking, what are the alternatives, just some thoughts


1) Cap with a franchise player option. - This was bought up on TSN. That a team would have the option of naming a franchise player who's salary doesn't count against the cap. You can spend up to the maximum amount available to a player now based on a percentage of the teams total cap. But what if you modified the premise. What if the use of the franchise tag was optional, but for you to use it you would have to give up a draft pick.


Salary penalty


10 mil and above 1st round pick

7 to 10 mil 2nd round pick
1 to 7 mil 3rd round pick


This would allow a team to keep a developed player, or would allow them to get out of cap problems for one year. Every year you can change who your franchise player is at the end of the first day of free agency.


2) A soft cap with an add.


You have a hybrid cap. a hard cap of lets say $81.5, but then as a team you can go up to lets say $84 million dollars, but at the cost of your first round pick in the next draft. Again this would allow teams to get out of cap trouble for a year, possibly encourage shorter term contracts, but at a murderous cost to your development.


3) A true soft cap with luxury cap


Lets say you set your cap at 81.5, but teams are free to spend what they want. But the cost would be .50 cents on the dollar for every dollar over which is distributed to the less wealthy teams. That was the Rangers and Leafs and Flyers for example could spend what they wanted, and the smaller market teams would share in additional revenue?





4) Make the cap positional, split the cap between goalies, forwards and defensemen. That would force teams to actually address weaknesses, and create more competition and dare I say probably more RFA offer sheets.




Now I'm not saying that I don't like the current system, I do very much so, its allowed teams like the Flames to stay in place and at least compete. But this is just for fun, since we're now pretty much officially into the off season.