Theoretically, if they voided his contract and re-signed him, I would expect the NHL to insist that his new contract have to start next season or have him go through waivers. The CBA may not express this specifically, but it would be a case of the NHL deciding what is appropriate.
I think there has to be something in place to stop teams from doing this, otherwise more teams would do it. They could just tell a player that they will bury their cap hit in the minors if they don't agree to terminate the contract and sign a new one. Some players would say screw you and just take the bigger pay, but some would probably accept it to stay in the NHL and prove their value for their next contract.
__________________
"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
|