Carbon Credit Salary Cap

[cmonster 11]

What if the salary cap was like environmental carbon credits? What if a team could trade draft picks for cap space? For example say a team had 3 mil in capspace, you trade them say a second round pick for 2 mil of their cap space. So in exchange for their cap space, you give them a draft pick and gain 2 mil in cap space. Small market teams who can barely afford to make the minimum payroll figure could trade cap space to a team like Detroit willing to spend the money. If payroll represents a certain percentage of revenue, and its not used its virtually wasted when it could be used by teams who could support the extra payroll. It's sort of a redistribution of the cap space.

Any thoughts or comments are appreciated!

[Echolalia 2,961]

Interesting concept, as it would help struggling markets (+ in Bettman's book), yet decrease the level of parity that they worked so hard to achieve (- in Bettman's book).

[toby91_ca 620]

Interesting concept, as it would help struggling markets (+ in Bettman's book), yet decrease the level of parity that they worked so hard to achieve (- in Bettman's book).

Not sure how it would help (financially) a struggling market.

[stevkrause 1,247]

Not sure how it would help (financially) a struggling market.

yea, me neither, unless that cap space came with an actual payout as well - ie - you trade a 1st round pick for an additional, say 3 million in cap space, and in turn, you also have to pay the club trading the pick 6 million... now that would be a more interesting concept...

[Doggy 130]

yea, me neither, unless that cap space came with an actual payout as well - ie - you trade a 1st round pick for an additional, say 3 million in cap space, and in turn, you also have to pay the club trading the pick 6 million... now that would be a more interesting concept...

I think he's referring to a struggling teams difficulty having a payroll above the cap floor. That's how they'd be helped financially. By going under the cap floor because space was traded elsewhere.

[b.shanafan14 733]

I think its a pretty intriguing idea. I think what he's getting at as far as helping the financially struggling teams is more about helping them improve their on ice product faster by obtaining draft picks for the salary they aren't going to spend anyways. Unfortunately, I could see a whole big mess as far as when that salary cap borrowing begins and ends. Would such trades only be valid before the season and the cap borrowing only for that one season? Does then the draft pick have to be for the upcoming draft? Who decides what a draft pick is worth to a team in terms of the cap? What happens when teams spend picks for cap, then the cap is gone the next season, they are sans draft pick and sans cap space to resign players?

I could see this causing mass confusion, great teams plummeting and mediocre teams building quickly. I guess that depends on preference whether you consider that good or bad.

[cmonster 11]

I think he's referring to a struggling teams difficulty having a payroll above the cap floor. That's how they'd be helped financially. By going under the cap floor because space was traded elsewhere.

That was my original intention. And I'm sorry I didn't explain it a little better. It was jumbled up in my head for a while. Trading cap space, in my mind, would help teams either get to the cap floor w/o spending the money, or to get cap space of teams that have self imposed budgets. And I think the determination of how much cap space for what draft pick would work similar to how rfa works. For a certain range a certain pick would be required in the current years draft.

[egroen 384]

I'd love it -- but a team should still not be allowed to go below the cap floor, or Bettman's parity would go out the window.

But for a team above the cap floor, but not anywhere near the ceiling - by all means trade that cap space away and get something out of it. There would always be plenty of buyers, Red wings included.

I like it because it 1) Another way to benefit struggling francheses and 2) Allows the better teams a way to retain talent.

Doubt it would happen, but I like it.

[Donaldjr2448 43]

I like that Idea, but I wish the NHL would just simply go to a soft cap! No one loses with a soft cap! I think the NBA uses a soft cap!

[LidstromIsASuperhero 29]

I think that's a pretty cool idea. I always liked a soft cap more than a hard cap as well. I think revenue sharing is the biggest piece of BS I've ever heard. Small market teams deserve to fail in my opinion.