Look at the value on towards the tail end of the deals, when the "cap went up" argument would apply. Briere's buyout is irrelevant - the question is whether he was worth $6.5 million by the end of his contract as a result of the cap going up. Corey Perry? Rick Nash? Travis Zajac? Has the cap going up made those deals into good ones so as to offset the decline of those players?
I definitely agree that the bet on Marchand paid off in spades, but I don't think making those types of bets is a great way to run a hockey team. And I certainly don't agree - which was the entire point of this conversation - that "the cap will have gone up" is likely to make any real difference as to whether a long term deal ends up being palatable.
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