Can someone explain the wings salary cap

[cmac19 0]

Can someone explain to me how the wings salary cap issues break down now that Happy

Hudler has taken his no defense style of game to Russia...?

Quote from the Detroit News:

With Hudler not in the fold, the Wings are approximately $1.5 million under the salary cap for next season, with one forward left to sign (assuming Justin Abdelkader remains on the NHL roster).

So I don't understand how this is true if we've lost a huge portion of their pay with Hossa, Conkln, Sammy and Hudler leaving...

Can someone clarify this for me?

[weGotTheCup89 41]

Zetterberg and Franzen just got sizable raises from their rookie contracts, so they are eating up a lot of the space that we would've had if they continued to earn a combined $3.5M or whatever it was. Because their combined salaries went up by $6M or so, we had that much less available to sign our other FA's and whoever else we wanted.

[mmamolo 287]

Not to mention replacing the following:

(last year's salaries)

Hudler ~1.015M

Samuelsson 1.2M

Kopecky .5M

TOTAL=2.715M

with:

(this year's salaries)

Helm ~.6M

Leino .8M

ABdelkader .85M

TOTAL=2.25M

That is only a saving of 465k to interchange those three players.

Then you look at:

(last year's salary)

Hossa 7.45M

with:

(this year's INCREASE in salaries)

Zetterberg 3.433M

Franzen 3.012

TOTAL= 6.445M

That is a saving of 1.005M

So when you think about what happened we got rid of Hossa, Hudler, Samuelsson and Kopecky and replaced them with Helm, Leino, and Abdelkader and gave raises to Zetterberg and Franzen. This saved up a total of 1.47M in cap space. This is all assuming Abdelkader is on the active roster come the beginning of the season.

[Echolalia 2,961]

Not to mention replacing the following:

(last year's salaries)

Hudler ~1.015M

Samuelsson 1.2M

Kopecky .5M

TOTAL=2.715M

with:

(this year's salaries)

Helm ~.6M

Leino .8M

ABdelkader .85M

TOTAL=2.25M

That is only a saving of 465k to interchange those three players.

Then you look at:

(last year's salary)

Hossa 7.45M

with:

(this year's INCREASE in salaries)

Zetterberg 3.433M

Franzen 3.012

TOTAL= 6.445M

That is a saving of 1.005M

So when you think about what happened we got rid of Hossa, Hudler, Samuelsson and Kopecky and replaced them with Helm, Leino, and Abdelkader and gave raises to Zetterberg and Franzen. This saved up a total of 1.47M in cap space. This is all assuming Abdelkader is on the active roster come the beginning of the season.

This is a good analysis, and welcome, everyone, to the boards

Edited July 16, 2009 by Echolalia

[mmamolo 287]

I think the Wings cap situation just got all that much more complicated with the news that the KHL won't officially register Hudler's contract until after the arbitration hearing which all but ties Holland's hands in terms of making any other moves.

The only way this won't affect the Wings is if Hudler fully commits to Russia regardless of what the arbitrator awards him and Holland tells him to go.

This kind of puts a kink in their cap planning I would think.

[MadMan Mark 0]

If Huds remains with the team, we will lose 1 D-man during training camp, unless Lilja goes on LTIR. If Huds is gone, we are still in the position we are now, and look to add someone at a great price right before camp. I am liking the Grier signing more and more as it brings a hitter to the Wings. If it looks like Huds will not be a Wing, can Wings trade Hudler to someone else and they deal with his arbitration issues, or are the Wings locked in to an arbitration decision with Hudler before he can/might be moved?

[mmamolo 287]

From a lot of what I have read there seems to be some confusion on what can and cannot happen after arbitration. From what I understand there is nothing that prohibits Detroit from trading Hudler once the arbitration process is complete and the Wings agree to a deal. I think a lot of ppl are confusing the arbitration situation with the offer sheet situation which is when you cannot move the player for a minimum of one year.

As far as I know the Wings can sign Hudler to a deal and then either keep him on their roster, let him walk to the KHL or trade him. At the end of the day it's some what arbitrary at this stage as Hudler is all but going to the KHL anyways. All this process does is determine what contract Hudler will have if he chooses to come back to the Wings and the NHL after his KHL contract expires.

[Donaldjr2448 43]

Welcome to the board mmamolo! Where have you been???(ROFL) You have alot of good insight! We need that here!!

I do believe the Wings can trade Hudler before the court hearing because he is still under contract here, that meaning we still have his "rights".

I highly doubt any other team would offer at a trade!

[eva unit zero 271]

The differences between last year's cap and this year's:

Zetterberg ($2.65m) and Franzen(942k) had their cap hits increase to $6.083... and $3.954..., respectively.

Hossa ($7.45m), Kopecky ($500k), Samuelsson ($1.2m), Conklin ($750k), and Chelios (750k) are gone as UFAs.

Darren Helm ($599k), Jonathan Ericsson ($900k), Jimmy Howard ($717k) and Ville Leino ($775k) are definitely on the roster.

The difference in those changes allows the Wings approximately $1.213 more in cap space this coming season. However, this is with five players having left and only yet four replacing them, so much of that cap space will be used.

This roster has 10 forwards, 7 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders; assuming Lilja is on LTIR. Most projected rosters also assume Justin Abdelkader is on the roster at a cap hit of $850k, which would leave $2.954m in cap space to sign 1-2 forwards. However, Abdelkader's cap hit has been projected anywhere from $740k to $850k, meaning if it were at the low end, the Wings would have $3.064 in cap space. Abdelkader could either be the 12th forward at that salary with Hudler at a $3m cap hit, or he could be in Grand Rapids with Oulahen or another player filling out the fourth line for the league minimum, thereby leaving the Wings approximately $250k in cap space.

[mmamolo 287]

Thanks for the welcome Donaldjr2448. I believe that Abdelkader's salary hit is 710k with 140k in bonuses. If I remember correctly you are allowed to go over the cap by ~7% due strictly to bonuses. So I guess technically only the 710k counts directly towards the cap. Problem is you also have to factor in years previous bonuses. It's all a little foggy. Either way, 140k isn't going to make or break our cap situation one way or another.