Rare salary cap loophole could be exploited by Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs this season
A one-time rare salary cap loophole has presented itself this year with the 4 Nations Face-off taking place in February, which may be exploited by Brad Treliving and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Moving players to the minors by NHL clubs at some periods, such as ahead of the 4 Nations Face-off this upcoming season, has sometimes allowed teams that better manage their salary cap to create advantages.
It is a way in which teams take advantage of available cap space flexibility, which often becomes crucial the deeper one goes into the season and gets closer to the trade deadline. This is something that Leafs GM Brad Treliving will look to do, considering how close to the salary cap the team is.
Here's how it works: If a team has, say, two players combining for a total cap hit of $1.7 million, by sending them to the minors during the period of the Face-off, which is going to be a period of time where there are no games played around the NHL, they save a small amount of daily cap space.
For instance, sending them down for that period could create an extra $106,000 in projected cap space.
While that may seem minuscule, these temporary savings really add up over the course of the tournament. By the time the trade deadline rolls around, the team could have built up enough extra cap room to add a player with an annual cap hit of up to $485,000, as per PuckPedia, which could be the difference in making a critical roster addition.
This cap management strategy would enable Brad Treliving and the Leafs to function effectively within the tight salary cap system of the NHL and leave them with sufficient flexibility to make an impact if they have to, such as acquiring a key player at the deadline, to really help them get over that playoff hump, without going over the cap. It is a subtle, intelligent way of managing a roster, especially for teams trying to gain an edge in a tightly contested playoff race.
If this is the loophole it's going to take to get the Leafs their first Stanley Cup since 1967, we're pretty sure their fans will be all for it.
Source:
PuckPedia on X
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Should Brad Treliving take advantage of this salary cap loophole? | ||
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