NHL Thread

[JaysAllMighty]

Habs played well for certain chunks of that game. Got lucky on some of those penalty kills where TB had like, 100% possession and zone time and kept just missing the net or ringing iron.

 

Happy that it wasn't a sweep at the very least.

 

Still in tough. The talent gap is pretty glaring.

 

18 million over the cap for TB, you think

[Laika]

18 million over the cap for TB, you think

 

Excuses - check

[BTS]

18 million over the cap for TB, you think

 

Every year many teams have playoff rosters that would exceed the regular season cap. This is such a stupid narrative.

[Laika]

Every year many teams have playoff rosters that would exceed the regular season cap. This is such a stupid narrative.

 

Nah man, Kucherov willingly faked an injury and sat out the entire regular season so they could circumvent the cap. It was their only hope to beat the Montreal Canadiens.

[Krylian]

18 million over the cap for TB, you think

 

Habs had every opportunity to exploit the loophole...they chose not to. Bolts management uses every weapon at their disposal. Wish my team did that.

[BTS]

Habs had every opportunity to exploit the loophole...they chose not to. Bolts management uses every weapon at their disposal. Wish my team did that.

 

There isn't even a loophole. TB is maybe the only team in the league good enough to easily make the playoffs despite losing a top-3 player in world for the entire regular season. If Auston Matthews needs surgery this offseason and is going to be out the entire season, nobody is going to call the Leafs lucky because they get to allocate his salary cap hit to their own version of Tyler Johnson and Ryan McDonagh.

[JaysAllMighty]

Well there's obviously something wrong when they said it will not be permitted for the playoffs next season.

 

Habs fans don't need any excuses unlike the poor Leaf fans.

 

 

LOL. Shameful.

[BTS]

Well there's obviously something wrong when they said it will not be permitted for the playoffs next season.

 

Habs fans don't need any excuses unlike the poor Leaf fans.

 

 

LOL. Shameful.

 

What won't be permitted?

[Krylian]

What won't be permitted?

 

Apparently they're rejigging the cap so you can't exceed it in the playoffs, or something like that.

[BTS]

Apparently they're rejigging the cap so you can't exceed it in the playoffs, or something like that.

 

How would they even do that? Teams have been “exceeding the cap” in this way with mid-season acquisitions since the cap was introduced.

[Krylian]

How would they even do that? Teams have been “exceeding the cap” in this way with mid-season acquisitions since the cap was introduced.

 

Every fan base that's lost to Tampa has been complaining like a little bitch this playoffs so I guess they want to shut them up.

 

I think it comes down to the optics. How long have people being questioning the validity of the Kucherov injury? Everyone knows he could play before the playoffs... But was held out. I have no problem with that. That's savy and crafty. But the NHL isn't interested in execs earning their paycheque by being smart.

[JaysAllMighty]

Every fan base that's lost to Tampa has been complaining like a little bitch this playoffs so I guess they want to shut them up.

 

Rules are rules, simple concept.

[Krylian]

Rules are rules, simple concept.

 

Tampa followed the rules. If they didn't they wouldn't have been allowed to dress their players and/or would've been fined and punished

[z3r0s]

I think hockey has been considerably worse since they introduced a cap. But if you are going to have a cap, why would you not have it apply to the playoffs?

 

Call it crafty, call it lucky, call it circumventing, call it cheating, call it whatever you want. It's odd to me that a team can have 2 additional highly paid players where other teams don't have the option. It seems an easy loophole to fix, so why not just do it?

 

Full disclosure, I'm a Habs fan, but I don't really give a s*** about hockey these days so maybe that cancels out some of my bias.

[BTS]

I think hockey has been considerably worse since they introduced a cap. But if you are going to have a cap, why would you not have it apply to the playoffs?

 

Because a team's cap number is just the pro-rated cap hit of all players on their roster for every day of the regular season. That's why teams with 2M in cap space at the start of the year can add a 7M player at the deadline.

 

Closing this "loophole" also kills the trade deadline, and for what? Does the NHL expect there to be teams that will start asking players to sit out entire seasons with fake injuries and come back for the playoffs? If so, there are probably ways to tackle the expected widespread fraudulent injuries that don't consist of completely changing the way the salary cap is calculated.

[Laika]

Call it crafty, call it lucky, call it circumventing, call it cheating, call it whatever you want.

 

How about we call it none of those things and label it appropriately:

 

A non-issue that is becoming a borderline conspiracy theory due to the degenerative effects of social media.

[BTS]

Connor McDavid goes down with an injury 10 games into the season. Doctors say he might be back for the second round of the playoffs, if Edmonton gets there. The Oilers use the cap space gained by McDavid’s LTIR stint to acquire a good C with an 8M cap hit, at the cost of a 1st and a couple of good prospects. They trade for a D upgrade with a 3M hit at the deadline. Do people actually believe the Oilers should have to pull 11M or whatever in salary out of their lineup for cap reasons in the playoffs if McDavid is able to come back?

[Laika]

Connor McDavid goes down with an injury 10 games into the season. Doctors say he might be back for the second round of the playoffs, if Edmonton gets there. The Oilers use the cap space gained by McDavid’s LTIR stint to acquire a good C with an 8M cap hit, at the cost of a 1st and a couple of good prospects. They trade for a D upgrade with a 3M hit at the deadline. Do people actually believe the Oilers should have to pull 11M or whatever in salary out of their lineup for cap reasons in the playoffs if McDavid is able to come back?

 

It's what the fans want to see, mate. They want to see $11M in hockey talent sitting in the press box as soon as Connor returns. They demand it

[Krylian]

Fans of teams whose management group is mediocre or are in cheap markets bitch and complain about it because they need that artificial advantage of castrating healthy and well run franchises.

[JaysAllMighty]

A cap is a cap. What's so hard to understand about that. You shouldn't get to manipulate the numbers for an advantage. Anyways, they obviously saw a problem with TB and they all the teams will need to abide by the rules including the playoffs, no more stacking up your team.

 

By the way, I get to cheer for my Habs tonight, anyone joining me or are your teams all eliminated?

[Krylian]

A cap is a cap. What's so hard to understand about that. You shouldn't get to manipulate the numbers for an advantage. Anyways, they obviously saw a problem with TB and they all the teams will need to abide by the rules including the playoffs, no more stacking up your team.

 

By the way, I get to cheer for my Habs tonight, anyone joining me or are your teams all eliminated?

 

Nope. Our team, The Lightning, are still in it.

[JaysAllMighty]

It's funny that he thinks he can get under the skin of a Leafs fan. Our entire life as Leafs fans has been built in disappointment and incompetence. We've been preparing our entire lives for it. And he thinks he can stroll in and make it worse? Lol. What an ego.

 

LOL, Leaf fan. Nice try.

[Krylian]

LOL, Leaf fan. Nice try.

 

I don't have to try. I'll be giving high fives and fist pumps when Tampa is crowned champ again.

They are the best team in the league...loads of actual talent...not even close. No one can touch them. They are run beautifully. They deserve the Stanley Cup.

[JaysAllMighty]

I don't have to try. I'll be giving high fives and fist pumps when Tampa is crowned champ again.

They are the best team in the league...loads of actual talent...not even close. No one can touch them. They are run beautifully. They deserve the Stanley Cup.

 

What happened last game? Only 3 more wins for the Habs... piece of cake! And when your team is out, you don't get to cheer for other teams like they are your team. If you do, you're not a loyal fan.

[Krylian]

What happened last game? Only 3 more wins for the Habs... piece of cake! And when your team is out, you don't get to cheer for other teams like they are your team. If you do, you're not a loyal fan.

 

Go Bolts Go!!!

[z3r0s]

Connor McDavid goes down with an injury 10 games into the season. Doctors say he might be back for the second round of the playoffs, if Edmonton gets there. The Oilers use the cap space gained by McDavid’s LTIR stint to acquire a good C with an 8M cap hit, at the cost of a 1st and a couple of good prospects. They trade for a D upgrade with a 3M hit at the deadline. Do people actually believe the Oilers should have to pull 11M or whatever in salary out of their lineup for cap reasons in the playoffs if McDavid is able to come back?

 

It's what the fans want to see, mate. They want to see $11M in hockey talent sitting in the press box as soon as Connor returns. They demand it

 

This is just an argument that cap's shouldn't exist (which I agree with).

 

But if the idea is that teams should have equal dollars of talent on the ice to keep things balanced, it makes no sense to me that this would be thrown out in the playoffs.

 

fwiw the idea equal dollars = equal talent is laughable for a ton of reasons, but that seems to be the idea behind the cap.

[Laika]

This is just an argument that cap's shouldn't exist (which I agree with).

 

But if the idea is that teams should have equal dollars of talent on the ice to keep things balanced, it makes no sense to me that this would be thrown out in the playoffs.

 

fwiw the idea equal dollars = equal talent is laughable for a ton of reasons, but that seems to be the idea behind the cap.

 

I agree that the salary cap is horrible. I f***ing hate it in hockey.

 

For some reason it seems to not be as bad in basketball...

[BTS]

This is just an argument that cap's shouldn't exist (which I agree with).

 

But if the idea is that teams should have equal dollars of talent on the ice to keep things balanced, it makes no sense to me that this would be thrown out in the playoffs.

 

fwiw the idea equal dollars = equal talent is laughable for a ton of reasons, but that seems to be the idea behind the cap.

 

It isn’t an argument that the cap shouldn’t exist. It’s existed in this format for 18 years or whatever. You’re really just arguing for a more restrictive cap.

[z3r0s]

Connor McDavid goes down with an injury 10 games into the season. Doctors say he might be back for the second round of the playoffs, if Edmonton gets there. The Oilers use the cap space gained by McDavid’s LTIR stint to acquire a good C with an 8M cap hit, at the cost of a 1st and a couple of good prospects. They trade for a D upgrade with a 3M hit at the deadline. Do people actually believe the Oilers should have to pull 11M or whatever in salary out of their lineup for cap reasons in the playoffs if McDavid is able to come back?

 

It's what the fans want to see, mate. They want to see $11M in hockey talent sitting in the press box as soon as Connor returns. They demand it

 

It isn’t an argument that the cap shouldn’t exist. It’s existed in this format for 18 years or whatever. You’re really just arguing for a more restrictive cap.

 

People (not me, I'll save my argument for no cap) are arguing that this status quo is not in the spirit of the cap.

 

I don't see (but honestly don't really look) people saying they are procedurally cheating.

 

I have seen people say they are 'cheating' by keeping players on LTIR beyond when they are actually injured. This isn't the same thing as saying they faked the injury from the get-go to game the cap system, just extended it at the end when the playoffs were assured anyway. This is theoretically cheating, as you are suppose to active guys from LTIR as soon as they are able to play, but pretty much impossible to prove anyway.

 

I would imagine the vast majority of people in that second camp are really saying the spirit of the cap is not being served by the current structure.

 

I don't get the conspiracy angel other than that it is being driven by fans/players of the losers. Just because it might be driven by bitter losers, doesn't mean it doesn't have merit. Bitter losers can have legit points.

[Spanky99]

GO BOLTS GO!!!