Quote:
Originally Posted by OptimalTates
Arizona pays you $750,000 to sit in the pressbox or pays Lucic $825,000 to sit in the pressbox. That's $75,000 difference. Right? If the Flames retain $75,001 does it all of a sudden jump from a cap dump like Ladd (multiple 2nd round picks) to a cap dump like Bishop (7th round pick)?
But now Arizona pays you $750,000 to sit in the pressbox and otherwise ices a roster of $61M to stay above the floor, or pays Lucic $825,000 to sit in the pressbox and ices a roster of $57M to stay above the floor thanks to Lucic's cap hit. All of a sudden they are saving 4M...that's why Bishop was traded for nothing, and why Lucic (if he waived) would be at least able to do.
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The cases are not comparable. Bishop will never play again. Lucic is an active roster player.
Buffalo acquired Bishop's cap hit so they could meet the cap floor on paper only.
Lucic, if anyone acquires him to sit in the pressbox, will be paid actual dollars for not playing. The alternative is not to add a different player at league minimum, but to add nobody and leave that seat in the pressbox empty. That won't help a team like Arizona make the salary floor, but there again, the alternative is to acquire an LTIR-eligible contract from a team that is willing to pay a high price to get rid of it. There are several such teams, and I think most of us know which ones they are.
Now, as it happens, because Lucic can still play effectively in a 4th-line role, I expect him to have a small positive trade value after his bonus is paid. But that's a very different thing from a paper transaction to acquire a player who can't play.