2025/2026 Season Trade Rumours and Speculation Thread

[Hockey-and_stuff]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

On the CHL piece I have a feeling the Flames / NHL / CHL might come to terms on a special agreement for Parekh...guy has no use to go back to CHL.

In terms of the playoff salary cap and accrual changes it does make things interesting.

Teams like the Panthers and Oilers really have no space to make in-year improvements to their team without having to make tough trade off decisions come playoff time.

You'd think it would mean teams like Dallas, LA, Colorado, Carolina, etc would be more aggressive in making their acquisitions now, as no real benefit of waiting to add a piece at the deadline any more since you can't load up on accrued salary players to have a team way over the cap come playoff time.

So if you're going to pay the acquisition cost might as well add the player now, and get them adjusted to your system for the full season.



No double retention, and the playoff salary cap should really make Andersson at $2.275M the premier trade asset available.

There will be no special dispensation for Parekh or any other star 19 year old in the CHL.

If they can't ratify it between the PA, the NHL and the CHL there will be no exceptions. All it will do is create headaches.

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[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Oh ok ... bigger change than I thought.

That's great for the game.

And it should change how team's approach the deadline.

You'd think it would make teams more active in the summer going forward.

Yep, it will definitely cut out a lot of contenders for an Andersson trade, most likely. As they will now need to fit his entire $4.6 (or whatever it is) on their playoff cap, and most contenders are near or capped out. And liek Cliff mentioned, its hard to move player for player with most players have some form of protection, combined with contenders being reluctant to trade away depth players when they're heading into a playoff run.

Non contenders won't really want Andersson either as the league now kmows he only has interest in signing for a small number of teams.

[jayswin]

Oh read that again, I get it. So retained salary is still counted as retained salary for playoffs (duh). So Andersson at $2.3mil would be a huge, cheap add for a contender.

[gvitaly]

I'm sure retention slots just became more valuable, but I don't think they're quite as scarace as some of you stipulate. Out of the 96 retention slots only 13 are used so far. Even if we only consider half the league on the outside looking in, it would still be 13/48. Leaving 35 retention slots which is enough for 2 players with retention for each and every playoff team.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

I'm sure retention slots just became more valuable, but I don't think they're quite as scarace as some of you stipulate. Out of the 96 retention slots only 13 are used so far. Even if we only consider half the league on the outside looking in, it would still be 13/48. Leaving 35 retention slots which is enough for 2 players with retention for each and every playoff team.

No no. It's not the volume of the retention slots. It's that you cannot double retain on slots any more. So those brokered 3 way trades like they did with Hanifin to Vegas cannot happen any longer. So under the new CBA Hanifin could only be retained once and that would have made for a different return.

Was it Chicago Vegas paid a 3rd to for double rention? Can't remember.

Long and short of it, it's going to help make Anderssons trade value since teams cannot go get a similar caliber of player and knock that players cap hit down to where Anderssons would be at full retention. If that makes sense.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Yep, it will definitely cut out a lot of contenders for an Andersson trade, most likely. As they will now need to fit his entire $4.6 (or whatever it is) on their playoff cap, and most contenders are near or capped out. And liek Cliff mentioned, its hard to move player for player with most players have some form of protection, combined with contenders being reluctant to trade away depth players when they're heading into a playoff run.

Non contenders won't really want Andersson either as the league now kmows he only has interest in signing for a small number of teams.

Well it is a 20 player cap as opposed to a traditional 23 or 22 player cap, so you can be at the cap with 23 players and likely still fit Rasmus under it. You definitely can if the Flames eat 50%.

[P-DAZZLE]

Could two playoff-bound teams trade with each other and both retain salary on the players dealt so that they lower each other's playoff cap hit?

Ex. Flames and Habs are both 1st in their conference. They swap overpaid 3rd line wingers making ~5 million and now they both have ~2.5 million wingers on their playoff roster.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by P-DAZZLE

Could two playoff-bound teams trade with each other and both retain salary on the players dealt so that they lower each other's playoff cap hit?

Ex. Flames and Habs are both 1st in their conference. They swap overpaid 3rd line wingers making ~5 million and now they both have ~2.5 million wingers on their playoff roster.

Interesting. I think you might have found the next loophole.

Unless retention and buyouts etc. still count towards the cap, but I haven't read the CBA or the whole discussion.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by P-DAZZLE

Could two playoff-bound teams trade with each other and both retain salary on the players dealt so that they lower each other's playoff cap hit?

Ex. Flames and Habs are both 1st in their conference. They swap overpaid 3rd line wingers making ~5 million and now they both have ~2.5 million wingers on their playoff roster.

I think retention spots and buyouts count towards your post season cap if I'm not mistaken

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Interesting. I think you might have found the next loophole.

Unless retention and buyouts etc. still count towards the cap, but I haven't read the CBA or the whole discussion.

Retention and buyout salaries always count towards the cap.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I think retention spots and buyouts count towards your post season cap if I'm not mistaken

The question is whether they count towards the 20-man roster that you can actually dress, as opposed to the 23-man roster that has to be under the regular-season cap.

If not, there's a definite loophole. I could trade you Eddy Hudge (who makes $5 million) for Teddy Gudge (who also makes $5 million), with each of us retaining half. Then I get to dress Gudge in the playoffs, and he only counts $2.5 million against my playoff cap. If the retained amount on Hudge isn't counted towards my 20-player roster, then I have gained $2.5 million in space. And you get the same benefit.

However, I see this as a theoretical loophole only, because how many teams have players making significant money who are that interchangeable? Unless Hudge and Gudge can do the same job and do it equally well, there's a risk of messing up the composition of the team that got you to the playoffs in the first place. And of course we're assuming that neither Hudge nor Gudge has an NTC.

Now, if retained salary DOES count towards your 20-man cap for the playoffs, there is no loophole at all.

[Sec214]

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by Sec214

Something big??

[getbak]

[dammage79]

Hopefully something is happening. It's been such a long boring summer.

[Sandman]

Zary and Wolf extensions?

[Snuffleupagus]

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Zary and Wolf extensions?

Please! All this talk all summer about Ras, what Wolf gets and for how long is the #1 priority for Conroy. We need that deal to be a good one.

[Ba'alzamon]

Nah, guys. Sec is just surprised we're having actual hockey discussion in this thread.

[Badgers Nose]

Why are folks saying this loop hole closing rule change is bad?

From Flames perspective all I see are pluses.

Cap space just increased in value, we have lots
Retention slots just increased in value, we have lots
Rentals with low cap hits just increased in value, we have Ras

Maybe the rental value for Ras even approaches the extended contract value for Ras, for a team with big Cup ambitions this year and a desire add depth to their backline. If so, the only question is, will that happen now or at the deadline.