It was something I’ve been curious about for the past few days: why would the NHL and NHLPA agree to compliance buyouts, yet not allow teams to make that decision before the upcoming NHL season? Or, at the very least, allow teams to buyout injured players so they wouldn’t be forced to sit out an entire hockey season waiting for the buyout period?
Well, in only a matter of days, the NHL has back-pedaled on the issue, and will be allowing the likes of Scott Gomez and Wade Redden to be bought out before the upcoming season, meaning they could be wearing another team’s uniform in just a matter of days. Wade Redden back in the NHL? Exciting!
Here’s the news:
NYR, NHL, NHLPA believed discussing scenario under which NYR could exercise compliant buyout on Redden now while retaining AHL cap hit.
— Larry Brooks(@NYP_Brooksie) January 15, 2013
Hearing the #NHL #NHLPA have reached an agreement for compliance buyouts for cases like #Rangers Redden and #Canadiens Gomez. Details2follow
— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) January 15, 2013
With new agreement, 1st buyout window will start prior 2 season opener. 2nd one remains in summer. Cap hit stays 4 rest of this season only
— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) January 15, 2013
All teams will have option of using a compliance buyout now, as reported by @realkyper. Catch is, for this season only, cap hit stays.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 15, 2013
After this season, new CBA rule is buyout counts against players’ share of HRR but not against cap.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 15, 2013
So, as others reported, Gomez and Redden and any player for that matter can get an “accelerated compliance buyout” before Saturday’s opener
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 15, 2013
Teams such as NYR and MTL would take full cap hit on those players this season. But no cap hit next season.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 15, 2013
Clubs will save 1/3 of players’ actual salary this year – no cap benefit – by buying out now but players would get chance to sign elsewhere.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 15, 2013
And just like that, there you have it. Teams can save some money, players can play, balance is restored to the universe. More on this as it comes out.
UPDTATES:
Sorry, my mistake on this year, player gets 100 per cent on buyout, not two thirds. No saving to club. My bad.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 15, 2013
And to be clear: if you use a compliance buyout this week, you only have one left to use next summer. This isn’t an extra one.
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) January 15, 2013
Good for Redden. Hope to see him land in a good spot and hit game #1000
Redden will get a job. There’s a dearth of D in the league. If guys like Andreas Lilja and Kurtis Foster have jobs, Redden can find work somewhere for some lower amount of money.
Gomez, not sure. He can help some team in a limited role at a greatly reduced rate, but there’s a lot of stigma attached to his name and no similar shortage of serviceable forwards in the league.
Both will probably land jobs. How much they make is another question though.
I’m sure the stigma is media based only, any GM worth his salt would add Gomez if he was more affordable. The dude can still play.
Scott Gomez, welcome to the Toronto Maple Leafs!
Gomez to Detroit or Chicago probably
Finally common sense.
Not fair to gomez and Redden to have to essentially sit out a full year because GM’s signed them to ridiculou contracts. Let everyone move on.
Yep, common sense and good for them to be able to play somewhere…
But “Wade Redden back in the NHL? Exciting!”
Really??? exciting??
gomez stays with the habs, good two way player and they are paying him no matter what, mind as well use him, especially if they have injuriy problems
WTF are you talking about?
Well that worked out just about perfectly didn’t it? Nice to see some common sense at the end of this whole saga.
penguins gonna buy out crosby and malkin i hear, too big of contracts for them both
What’s the incentive for the team to buy them out now though? If the cap hit sticks for this season and they have to pay the entire salary? They could potentially be paying for the player to compete against them.
I assume they would have still counted as a roster spot despite sitting on the couch at home.
they can’t buy them out at the end of the year if they are injured
It’s not an advantage…it’s just that they would have lost a legal challenge if they sent him home like that.
Good for Redden….
…and bad for any team that signs him. People who say, “he wasn’t that bad” obviously didn’t see him in his last two seasons with NYR. He was slow, sluggish, disinterested, and always three steps behind the play. And that’s when he was making $6.5 mil!!!! Imagine how “inspired” he’ll be when he’s making $600k or whatever the minimum salary is.
Redden was sent down for good reason – it wasn’t just his paycheck. Caveat Emptor.
getting benched or sent down can be the perfect motivational tool for some players.. granted he’s old and rich, so he may not give a shit anymore, but we’ll see