Lockout

[the wicked child]

I know... NPR but it's lockout-related and I don't want to go start a useless thread in NPR.

Haha. Awesome.

[mikey287]

Awesome and true. Ask the high anticipation goalies: Hank, Marty Brodeur, Glenn Hall, Billy Smith...they'll all tell you the same thing. Guys that would probably have their stats get worse if they dropped down to the AHL in their primes...

[Tico Rick]

That is hilarious.

[mikey287]

Just learned:

- As we all should have expected, you cannot re-acquire player (sign, trade, claim off waivers, etc.) after you use a compliance buyout on him in either summer 2013 or summer 2014.

- There IS an interview period for free agents now. It is from one day after the NHL draft until June 30. July 1st is still free agency day. Boy did they make me want to become a GM that much less...can you imagine, Stanley Cup Finals til mid-June, Draft next week, free agency next day. Heaven forbid.

[IanMoran]

I'm guessing that'll end July 1 FREE AGENCY MADNESS day . In a weird way I kind of liked that

[JeffDFD]

I was hoping the LA Kings twitter account would have something funny to say...not yet.

[Kovy27]

THE LUONGO RULE
This is another rule from the league aimed at hammering current back-diving deals (front-loaded, "cheat deals." However, this has changed from its original form when the NHL first proposed it in October.

In the original formula, if a player like Roberto Luongo was traded and retired before the end of his deal, the Canucks (the team who signed him to the contract) would assume his remaining $5.33-million cap early hit in retirement. The new rule in this tentative agreement is different. Now, for any contract in excess of six years, both teams involved in a trade on a contract like Luongo’s would be penalized if he retired before the end of his deal.

To wit: let’s say the Canucks trade Luongo soon. Luongo has played two years of his 12-year contract, the Canucks paying him $16.716 million in salary but only absorbing a $5.33 million cap hit each year. That’s a cap savings of $6.056 million over two years so far for Vancouver. Under this new rule, should the Canucks trade him now and he retires with three years left on his contract, Vancouver would be charged that $6.056 million in cap savings over the final three years left on his deal from 2019 to 2022. However, let’s say for argument’s sake Luongo gets traded to Toronto, the Maple Leafs also would be subject to cap penalties if Luongo retires before the end of his deal.

To wit, part 2: If Luongo were to play the next seven years of his deal in Toronto before retiring, the Leafs would be paying him $43.666 million in salary but only counting $37.31 million against the cap over those seven years, a cap savings of $6.356 million. So if Luongo retires with three years left on his deal (because his salary falls to $1.618 million in the 10th year and then $1 million in the last two years of the deal), the Leafs would get charged that $6.356 million on their cap spread evenly over the remaining three years of his deal.

And obviously, if players under these back-diving deals are never traded, but retire before the end of their deals (Marian Hossa in Chicago), their current teams get charged the cap savings spread evenly over the remaining years of the deal.

So, what do you think of this rule? I love it.

[MRandall25]

It definitely will punish the Flyers sooner or later

[Bioshock]

Anything that can punish the Flyers I'm a fan of.

[Lt. Dish]

I know... NPR but it's lockout-related and I don't want to go start a useless thread in NPR.

Haha. Awesome.

Handsome, stylish, excellent in his chosen field, and witty. Please don't hate me for appreciating King Henrik.

[Dan H]

Out of total curiosity, what happens if Luongo is traded two or three times, then retires? Is the cap hit split two ways or several ways?

[DudeMan2766]

I know... NPR but it's lockout-related and I don't want to go start a useless thread in NPR.

Haha. Awesome.

I do love the line "On a scale of 1 to Sweden"

[Tim Thomasen]

Dave Molinari is still good.

Very good. He just does his job and that's it, no BS from him. Yet he is never on the radio doing interviews and Rossi does. Never got that. He's a HOF award winning journalist and the writer that get's the most attention is a guy who's a sensationlist.

As for Dejan, I can't stand him. Ever since he moved to the Trib to become a columnist, he's taken a different tone in his writing. He's gotten more negative and he's constantly picking fights with people on twitter and blocks you if he doesn't like what your saying. For example I had a question about the column he wrote on the Hoka Hey e-mail. I asked him if the training methods the Pirates used on their prospects were the same the Pens used when they went to West Point? He responded by saying "Why don't you read my column before you start asking me questions?" I told him I read his column but it didn't answer my question. Shortly afterwards I was blocked from his twitter account.

Seriously, he supposed to be a critically acclaimed writer and he acts like a two year old on social media. What a tool.

[canaan]

I know... NPR but it's lockout-related and I don't want to go start a useless thread in NPR.

good god that is hilarious.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

Dave Molinari is still good.

Very good. He just does his job and that's it, no BS from him. Yet he is never on the radio doing interviews and Rossi does. Never got that. He's a HOF award winning journalist and the writer that get's the most attention is a guy who's a sensationlist.

As for Dejan, I can't stand him. Ever since he moved to the Trib to become a columnist, he's taken a different tone in his writing. He's gotten more negative and he's constantly picking fights with people on twitter and blocks you if he doesn't like what your saying. For example I had a question about the column he wrote on the Hoka Hey e-mail. I asked him if the training methods the Pirates used on their prospects were the same the Pens used when they went to West Point? He responded by saying "Why don't you read my column before you start asking me questions?" I told him I read his column but it didn't answer my question. Shortly afterwards I was blocked from his twitter account.

Seriously, he supposed to be a critically acclaimed writer and he acts like a two year old on social media. What a tool.

He does this constantly which amazes me and his chats are even worse. It's gotten to the point I just laugh at him. He picked a fight with a columnist from another city over a quote on twitter. The guy was responding very professionally and Dejan was making a footl of himself responding like a child.

I feel embarrassed for him at this point.

[penny lane]

Genadi Boguslavski ‏@GenadiB
Kovalchuk will play today in Kazan. Some sources close to SKA say he could stay in Russia #Devils

I haven't read anything about Alex Ovechkin post- CBA settlment news.

[Idoit40fans]

Ovechkin is back in DC.

[Tim Thomasen]

Dave Molinari is still good.

Very good. He just does his job and that's it, no BS from him. Yet he is never on the radio doing interviews and Rossi does. Never got that. He's a HOF award winning journalist and the writer that get's the most attention is a guy who's a sensationlist.

As for Dejan, I can't stand him. Ever since he moved to the Trib to become a columnist, he's taken a different tone in his writing. He's gotten more negative and he's constantly picking fights with people on twitter and blocks you if he doesn't like what your saying. For example I had a question about the column he wrote on the Hoka Hey e-mail. I asked him if the training methods the Pirates used on their prospects were the same the Pens used when they went to West Point? He responded by saying "Why don't you read my column before you start asking me questions?" I told him I read his column but it didn't answer my question. Shortly afterwards I was blocked from his twitter account.

Seriously, he supposed to be a critically acclaimed writer and he acts like a two year old on social media. What a tool.

He does this constantly which amazes me and his chats are even worse. It's gotten to the point I just laugh at him. He picked a fight with a columnist from another city over a quote on twitter. The guy was responding very professionally and Dejan was making a footl of himself responding like a child.

I feel embarrassed for him at this point.

I hear ya. It's a shame, when he was with the PG he was a damn good writer for the Pens then Pirates, now he's reduced to being a columnist who is constanly negative and picks fights with people on twitter.

But hey it could be worse Burghers, we could be Buffalo Sabres fans who has to get their news from the Buffalo News. Their beat writers for the most part are lazy journalist and one of their main columnist Bucky Gleason is like a combination of Dejan (harps the negative, looks for controversy and never has an original thought) and Bob Smizik (angry, bitter and hates hockey) and always find a way to put down the NHL and the Sabres. So it could be alot worse media wise in this town regarding sports.

[Tim Thomasen]

Genadi Boguslavski ‏@GenadiB
Kovalchuk will play today in Kazan. Some sources close to SKA say he could stay in Russia #Devils

I would laugh if that would happen.

[beLIEve]

Genadi Boguslavski ‏@GenadiB
Kovalchuk will play today in Kazan. Some sources close to SKA say he could stay in Russia #Devils

I haven't read anything about Alex Ovechkin post- CBA settlment news.

Kovalchuk is due to make $11 million dollars (pro-rated for missed games due to lockout) this season by returning to the NHL. Obviously I don't know anything for certain, but to me, logic dictates there is pretty much no way he'd not come back. That is a boatload of money.

[mikey287]

I just tweeted it too...I see Kovalchuk out there on a regular shift with Viktor Tikhonov and Maxim Afinogenov. He's in no hurry right now it seems.

[JeffDFD]

Genadi Boguslavski ‏@GenadiB
Kovalchuk will play today in Kazan. Some sources close to SKA say he could stay in Russia #Devils

I haven't read anything about Alex Ovechkin post- CBA settlment news.

Kovalchuk is due to make $11 million dollars (pro-rated for missed games due to lockout) this season by returning to the NHL. Obviously I don't know anything for certain, but to me, logic dictates there is pretty much no way he'd not come back. That is a boatload of money.

Isn't the KHL money tax free? I do not know what he is making over there, but that would play a big role. I thought I heard they make 65% of their NHL contracts?

Just for laughs...everyone saw their taxes go up this 2013 at least 2% due to the medicare tax break expiring. On 11 million...that is $220,000. I also believe he would fall into the tax hikes for those making over 400,000 - haha. I don't know exactly how much in taxes he would pay here, but he may actually make more money in the KHL.

[Gaucho]

I'm sure they could easily find some oligarch willing to match his NHL salary on the qt just to spite the 'mericans. Modern Russia is a seriously f***ed up place.

[JeffDFD]

Just read that the rule was they could only make up to 65% of NHL contract. But with Kovalchuk in a high tax area like NY...state and federal...he probably would make more in KHL at 65% (if that is what he signed for) than making 11 mill in US and getting say 45-50% taken away by taxes.

[Idoit40fans]

Just read that the rule was they could only make up to 65% of NHL contract. But with Kovalchuk in a high tax area like NY...state and federal...he probably would make more in KHL at 65% (if that is what he signed for) than making 11 mill in US and getting say 45-50% taken away by taxes.

Assuming he's getting paid the max allowed and that salary here is logically prorated, before taxes even come into play:

$11 million /82 * 48 = $6,439,024
vs
$11 million * .65 = $7.15

He's netting way more money over there.

That said, I'm pretty sure everything so far is rumors. Daly has said that they expect the KHL hold to their agreement and the Devils haven't heard that he's not coming.