Quote:
Originally Posted by Aarongavey
The Devils were punished for giving a contract out that other teams had given out before, which may be a worse transgression in the NHL’s eyes.
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The Devils pushed it much further than any team had before. Long, back-diving contracts were getting out of control, and the NHL wanted to send a message. The CBA specifically allowed the league to take draft picks away from teams that have been found guilty of circumventing the cap.
As far as I know, the CBA says nothing empowering the league to punish actual criminal conduct by a team or its employees. I expect the NHL rightly considered that was a matter for the courts, not for the league.
Sometimes it's not a question of which offence is worse, but simply of who has jurisdiction.