[News] And so begins the end... (or: Vegas can eat a giant D)

[FanIn80]

https://www.nhl.com/news/jack-eichel...us/c-329672480

Just in time to be reactivated from LTIR one minute after the trade deadline, when cap-compliance no longer matters.

[Toonage]

I'm betting he takes one big check and that's it for the year.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

https://www.nhl.com/news/jack-eichel...us/c-329672480

Just in time to be reactivated from LTIR one minute after the trade deadline, when cap-compliance no longer matters.

What are you talking about? You still have to be cap compliant after the TDL. Just not in the POs.

[wireframe]

The trade deadline is March 21st. Eichel is likely to play before then but I could see them holding off for cap reasons.

[nik-]

I had actually forgotten he got traded to Vegas and now I'm ####ing annoyed again.

[getbak]

Cap compliance matters after the deadline.

Right now, they're basically at the cap when healthy without Eichel. In order to fit him under the cap, they'll need to clear $10 million in cap space. It will be interesting to see how they do it.

[GioforPM]

If Eichel comes back after the TDL, but before the POs, Vegas will, in fact, have to make moves in anticipation (assuming no new LTIR) before the TDL and will be accordingly a little short handed during the interim until Eichel does play.

The fact he’s skating now means that Vegas can’t likely sit him until the POs. Kucherov only started skating a few weeks ahead of the POs.

[FanIn80]

Where did I pick up that the cap doesn't matter after the deadline? Or am I just simplifying it? Is it something to do with pro-rating a salary from deadline to start of playoffs that makes it insignificant to activate a player after the deadline?

I'm legitimately confused, cause I've been talking about this here since before Eichel was traded and this is the first time I've been corrected. I'm not suggesting the correction is wrong, just trying to understand what made me think this in the first place...

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by getbak

Cap compliance matters after the deadline.

Right now, they're basically at the cap when healthy without Eichel. In order to fit him under the cap, they'll need to clear $10 million in cap space. It will be interesting to see how they do it.

I think they will milk LTIR the whole way.

Every year, we hear about players playing injured during the season just to make the playoffs, when they justifiably could have been forced to rest. Vegas will be in the position to do this for their best players, some of which are almost certainly playing injured (Patches and Stone for example seems like always has something going on).

A lot of these guys are on big contracts and have nothing to prove. I am sure they would welcome a chance to go into the playoffs fresh and healthy for a chance to win it all.

[RedHawk12]

One "easy" fix for the Knights is just to acquire two big LTIR contracts, like Leddy for example. Will only cost them maybe a 3rd or 4th round pick each.

I've heard this is the approach they will likely take. As much as I want to see them have to trade away some good players.

[GhostCookie]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

If Eichel comes back after the TDL, but before the POs, Vegas will, in fact, have to make moves in anticipation (assuming no new LTIR) before the TDL and will be accordingly a little short handed during the interim until Eichel does play.

The fact he’s skating now means that Vegas can’t likely sit him until the POs. Kucherov only started skating a few weeks ahead of the POs.

And if I recall, Kucherov's projected return was originally going to be into the playoffs. JE hasn't been considered out for the rest of the year, so while I don't doubt Vegas has thought about how to keep him off until the playoffs, I don't know if they could get away with it without it being an obvious circumvention of the cap.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Where did I pick up that the cap doesn't matter after the deadline? Or am I just simplifying it? Is it something to do with pro-rating a salary from deadline to start of playoffs that makes it insignificant to activate a player after the deadline?

I'm legitimately confused, cause I've been talking about this here since before Eichel was traded and this is the first time I've been corrected. I'm not suggesting the correction is wrong, just trying to understand what made me think this in the first place...

We usually just ignore your craziness

The playoffs have always been the salary cap loophole (Tampa last year and Chicago with Kane back in the day)

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by RedHawk12

One "easy" fix for the Knights is just to acquire two big LTIR contracts, like Leddy for example. Will only cost them maybe a 3rd or 4th round pick each.

I've heard this is the approach they will likely take. As much as I want to see them have to trade away some good players.

That wouldn't solve anything, they still need to remove payroll from the active roster

[JackIsBack]

Originally Posted by getbak

they're basically at the cap when healthy without Eichel.

They have just under 5 million in space with their LTIR...Pacioretty is worth 7 million on IR and who knows when he's back.... and another 6 million in LTIR when Eichel comes off that list... so they need 5 million and I don't know how they do that... and when Pacioretty comes back after wrist surgery (Dec 30th).... who knows what they do to clear space for both to play.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by RedHawk12

One "easy" fix for the Knights is just to acquire two big LTIR contracts, like Leddy for example. Will only cost them maybe a 3rd or 4th round pick each.

I've heard this is the approach they will likely take. As much as I want to see them have to trade away some good players.

Leddy isn't on Vegas.

They also have Alec Martinez on LTIR - assuming he comes back - that's $15.25 million they'd have clear.

I don't know what the status is of Pacioretty, but he could go on LTIR to save $7m

[Sylvanfan]

No two injuries are the same. With a neck injury he might be able to resume light skating a lot earlier than you could with a knee injury. So the timeline to be cleared for full contact here may be longer than when a guy can start skating after a knee injury.

If I remember correctly the NHL does a paycheque cycle of every two weeks starting in like the first week of October, thru to the end of the season. So although the pay structure of the contract may not pay out that way, the cap accrual does. So every day the remaining cap hit comes down like 1/182 of the total AAV. Say the NHL ends up extending the season by 2 weeks for Covid delays, I wonder how that would work with the Cap Consumption cycle. Might there be time where the cap hits are consumed, and a guy like Eichel essentially can play games for no cap hit?

[JackIsBack]

Ok... got my calculator out.... looks like both play if they clear just over 5 million off their cap.... if they put Max on LTIR.... that lets Eichel play.

[RedHawk12]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

That wouldn't solve anything, they still need to remove payroll from the active roster

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

Leddy isn't on Vegas.

They also have Alec Martinez on LTIR - assuming he comes back - that's $15.25 million they'd have clear.

I don't know what the status is of Pacioretty, but he could go on LTIR to save $7m

No, I mean they can just acquire a couple of "retired" LTIR contracts like Leddy from Detroit. If I understand properly, LTIR allows the team to exceed the cap by that player's salary, so by acquiring Leddy, they can exceed the salary cap by 5.5M.

Either way, I think we will see Vegas fit everyone in with relatively little damage, and it will piss off a lot of fans here.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by RedHawk12

No, I mean they can just acquire a couple of "retired" LTIR contracts like Leddy from Detroit. If I understand properly, LTIR allows the team to exceed the cap by that player's salary, so by acquiring Leddy, they can exceed the salary cap by 5.5M.

Either way, I think we will see Vegas fit everyone in with relatively little damage, and it will piss off a lot of fans here.

They'd still have to pay Leddy his contract and have his cap hit against their upper limit, so they're no further ahead. They'd be taking on a $5.5M cap hit just to allow them to exceed the cap by $5.5M more, which creates a net gain of $0 cap space.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by JackIsBack

They have just under 5 million in space with their LTIR...Pacioretty is worth 7 million on IR and who knows when he's back.... and another 6 million in LTIR when Eichel comes off that list... so they need 5 million and I don't know how they do that... and when Pacioretty comes back after wrist surgery (Dec 30th).... who knows what they do to clear space for both to play.

The $5 million in space is for Martinez on LTIR, but it sounds like he's expected back next week. He was injured in November and started practicing last week, but was just put in COVID protocol. He could be cleared by their game on Monday.

Pacioretty had wrist surgery at the end of December, but it doesn't sound like it will keep him out the rest of the season.