Tuesday Caps Clips

Which is a sign of weakness.

Bit of a head-scratcher.

Because for some unknown reason, a lot of hockey writers think the Caps aren’t already set in their goaltending. One site said the Caps would be pursuing Turco and Nabokov in free agency – despite the fact we had just let go of a goalie who was paid less and outperformed them….

Pretty much any goalie being mentioned is being pursued by the Caps. Is there some sort of decent soccer blog on SBNation? I bet there are stories to be found with the Caps pursuing Iker Casillas. He’s a proven vet who has won a Cup — the only criteria in reporters minds of who the Capitals are after.

Niemi has more playoff wins than all Caps goaltenders combined since the lockout.

You like it better than “Ovechkin is dirty and Sid is better!!!!” ?

link?

Which is why they need to move contracts, immediately.

The Rolston and Zubrus signings are really biting them now.

Which also makes me wonder why Dirk Hoag referred to NJD as a big market team. Sure, they are in the NYC area, but they aren’t a big market team (contrary to MIN, who is treated as a small market team even though they can spend with just about anyone because their fan base supports them so well).

Saw the post below by JP on the 50 percent rule, too, and it leaves me with more respect for Lou in his ability to fit the pieces in a bigger picture.

I think the Devils benefit for 2-3 years, maybe come out even for a couple after that, but will be drastically overpaying for the majority of the contract.

Hang on, if he retires the cap hit goes away.

No dead money anchor.

If he decides to hang around until he’s 39, they’ll be overpaying, but that’s about it.

Devils got a decent deal.

Geez, I like Mikko Koivu, but this is over the top. The “11-dimensional chess” notion aside, I’m trying to get past the idea that while Koivu has improved over each of the last four seasons, the Wild have declined in each of them, too (48, 44, 40, 38 wins). Just like the the elites (Crosby and Ovechkin) the trick is in how the respective teams surround these players with talent. I suspect it will be easier (and the better bet) for the Devils to surround Kovalchuk with mid-tier talent and grinders than it will for Minnesota to surroung Koivu with finishers and other players who might excel in the individual dimensions that Koivu is good at en masse.

(And Kovalchuk’s deal doesn’t run afoul here because he makes $6m in each of his first two seasons and his deal never drops by more than $3m from one year to the next.)

Erat’s contract violated the “100 Percent Rule”

100 PERCENT RULE

Article 50.7: The difference between the stated Player Salary and Bonuses in the first two League Years of an SPC cannot exceed the amount of the lower of the two League Years. Thereafter, in all subsequent League Years of the SPC, (i) any increase in Player Salary and Bonuses from one League Year to another may not exceed the amount of the lower of the first two League Years of the SPC (or, if such amounts are the same, that same amount); and (ii) any decrease in Player Salary and Bonuses from one League Year to another may not exceed 50 percent of the Player Salary and Bonuses of the lower of the first two League Years of the SPC (or, if such amounts are the same, 50 percent of the same amount).

Example 1: An SPC provides for $2M in Year 1. The player can earn up to $4M in Year 2 and up to $6M in Year 3, but not less than $1M in Year 2 and not less than $500K in Year 3.

Example 2: An SPC provides for $1M in Year 1 and $2M in Year 2. The lower of these two amounts is $1M, so Year 3 cannot provide for more than $3M or less than $1.5M.

Example 3: An SPC provides for $1M in Year 1 and $1M in Year 2. The lower of these two amounts is $1M, so Year 3 cannot provide for more than $2M or less than $500K.

Example 4: An SPC provides for $750K in Year 1 and $1.1M in Year 2. The lower of these two amounts is $750K, so Year 3 cannot provide for more than $1.85M or less than $725K.

Example 5: An SPC provides for $2.5M in Year 1 and $1.5M in Year 2. The lower of these two amounts is $1.5M, so Year 3 cannot provide for more than $3M, nor less than $750K.

NOTE: this does not mean “change in salary is limited to 50% of the prior year’s salary” – it’s 50 percent of the lower of the first 2 years of an SPC. This means that a team cannot sign a player to a contract averaging $4 million per year by making the 1st year $16 million, and the other 4 years $1 million (or anything else that looks like this) – because it’s a violation of the 100 Percent Rule. It does mean that a team can sign a player to a contract averaging $4 million per year by structuring it as $8 million, $6 million, $4 million, $1 million, and $1 million.

Ahh, right. Forgot – thank you. =)

…that makes it worse! GRR!

Man, that is hilarious. Much appreciated, J.P.

2035-2036: $2,000,000

And Bobby Bonilla says “man, I thought I got payouts for a long time. And you still have eight of these to go?”

Wooooooow.

I picked the wrong career.

It’d be like taking a Bedazzler to a replica of the Mona Lisa.

Well, yeah, there are guys on both teams that it would be awfully nice to have…but could we get them? I’m doubtful.

In that example, they’d have in the neighborhood of $750K for callups.

This would be walking an extremely fine line, of course. If Turco goes for $2M, and the the fillers make an average of $800K, then their available cap space goes down to virtually nil.

They’d have an AHL-level bottom to their roster, but it’s theoretically possible.

Well, he’s had a month to think about the fact that he’s not getting what he wanted, so perhaps he adjusts his expectations downward.

Yes (per Capgeek).

I need to hire the mopes that got the entire Habs team elected to the All-Star game.

Any chance you could leave your thoughts re: it on the OTOT?

What are you guys talking about? He can’t speak French. Get him out of town.

I think Shanahan is good comparison. Ovechkin will lose some of his explosiveness as he ages, but he’ll still have the shot and nose for the net which will mean he will always be a PP threat.

Given his physical style of play I worry about his durability long term. I hope as he gets older he learns to pick his spots better.

That’s absurd.

When you look at the charts, it’s interesting to note that Ovechkin is really the only guy in the modern era that’s putting up a run of 50 goal seasons similar to what elite players were putting up in the 80s and early 90s.

He was out of the game by 31, and in his “worst” season (his final one) he only put up 38.

Most underrated player ever?

That’s what I’m thinking. If nothing else, this last playoffs had to prove that you need to be able to score in the playoffs. Sure, you still have to defend, but that’s three straight years of NJD winning the Atlantic by locking it down on D and then losing in the first round. They can’t be signing Kovy long term just to play the same style.

He got banned?

Aw, man. There goes one sure fire laugh.

Just throw the Pronger deal back at them.