I think a lot of the GMs are suckers and I think the players are extremely greedy. I do not like guaranteed contracts, I prefer the way the NFL has it. We have what we have and we have to live with it.

Bergevin has done a decent job of managing his cap.
- Champ

non-guaranteed contracts are never, ever going to happen so GMs just have to get smarter. I will never blame a player for a team signing a deal that has disaster written all over it from day one. If it looks like a reasonable deal and then it goes bad through some actual, tangible actions of the player (can't think of one of these off the top of my head) it'd be different

I agree on Bergevin though.

never mind that it was the Habs who screwed up initially by being cheap and signing him to a bridge deal, i fail to see what you're getting at here

Most bad contracts i would guess are either horrid UFA deals or old 10+ year ones that went bad. I think teams have gotten a lot smarter knowing which RFAs to lock up, which is why the UFA market seems to get worse every year
- S Kaspar Rollins

well said.
not meant to be an attack on bergevin per se;

but its rare that people are able to see the big picture and the potential benefits of signing the rfa's that look like good bets to be the real deal to long term contracts.
how many people saw pk tanking all of a sudden?
why waste your time lowballing your franchise player in johansen?
youre gonna get him at 4 for a few years. and then hes gonna want 8+ in a couple years. not to mention the strain it can put on a relationship with a player.
u mighta got him at 5.5 for 7 or 8 years...

there are certainly both pros and cons to either, but it seems like taking the bridge route is the conventional wisdom to many posters and anything else couldn't possibly make sense.

comon flames take him you've got over 10mil cap anyways
- monymonymony

We know...
- Iggysbff

Why would you know I haven't posted yet.

Eugenie looking dope in the hot pink...damnnnn

I wasn't referring specifically to Richards there, just in general.
- S Kaspar Rollins

I know. I didn't mean to imply that you were. These numbers are relevant here since the blog is specifically talking about Mike Richards, so yours was as good of a comment as any to reply to.

Why would you know I haven't posted yet.
- jake24242

Because we know you do nothing but dream of Richards all day long every day...

I kinda want richards
- jake24242

gross

Because we know you do nothing but dream of Richards all day long every day...
- Iggysbff

Shut it.

rinaldo suspended for 8 games

(frank)ing bum

Shut it.
- Drakaland

No

No
- Iggysbff

you tell him iggy

you tell him iggy
- Flyfreaky

Screw you man in a box! (Get it)

rinaldo suspended for 8 games

(frank)ing bum
- Flyfreaky

True, but I don't think he lives in a box.

So.................was he claimed yet?

So.................was he claimed yet?
- Garnie

Wont know till noon tomorrow

Wont know till noon tomorrow
- jake24242

ah, I see

Eugenie looking dope in the hot pink...damnnnn
- Ihateallofu

She is hotter than sharapova, more natural.... Love Genie....

She is hotter than sharapova, more natural.... Love Genie....
- EdEagle

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I couldn't take just 1 the other 1 would be jealous.

Wake me up when you guys have 2 cups in 3 years with the guys you got in the trade.



- classic321

That has nothing to do with the Trade. Flyers got the better players. LA was a team built for the playoffs, the Flyers weren't. Had the trade never gone down LA still likely wins both those Stanley Cups and the Flyers either barly make the playoffs or miss the playoffs more than they did. It is like saying the Flyers lost the Carter trade because even though Voracek is the better player Carter ended up being traded to LA by CBJ and winning 2 cups. It is irrelevant. LA got the pieces they needed and Philly got the pieces they needed to start a rebuild. If we continue to play what if scenarios, what if Weber didn't get matched and was a Flyer?

That has nothing to do with the Trade. Flyers got the better players. LA was a team built for the playoffs, the Flyers weren't. Had the trade never gone down LA still likely wins both those Stanley Cups and the Flyers either barly make the playoffs or miss the playoffs more than they did. It is like saying the Flyers lost the Carter trade because even though Voracek is the better player Carter ended up being traded to LA by CBJ and winning 2 cups. It is irrelevant. LA got the pieces they needed and Philly got the pieces they needed to start a rebuild. If we continue to play what if scenarios, what if Weber didn't get matched and was a Flyer?
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

It's not like saying that at all. It would be like saying Columbus lost the trade because Carter went on to win the cup. And winning the cup is completely relevant. LA wouldn't have won that first cup without Mike Richards. Winning the cup is what franchise builds there team to hopefully do. The Flyers may not have lost the trade with Richards, but LA definitely won that trade as they now have 2 Stanley cups in 3 years. In trades there can be two winners, LA already got their prize and maybe Philly can do great things with what they got too. I really Love Simmonds in Philly, hopefully if he doesn't bring you a cup, he'll bring a great presence to the team on and off the ice for the better part of his career.

That has nothing to do with the Trade. Flyers got the better players. LA was a team built for the playoffs, the Flyers weren't. Had the trade never gone down LA still likely wins both those Stanley Cups and the Flyers either barly make the playoffs or miss the playoffs more than they did. It is like saying the Flyers lost the Carter trade because even though Voracek is the better player Carter ended up being traded to LA by CBJ and winning 2 cups. It is irrelevant. LA got the pieces they needed and Philly got the pieces they needed to start a rebuild. If we continue to play what if scenarios, what if Weber didn't get matched and was a Flyer?
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Then Philadelphia would be about $20M over the salary cap instead of only $8M.

- glove_was_stuck

the kings did win two cups while the flyers have not since 1975

Gonna get less than 2" in Washington twp. Such a massive storm, oh my.

Recapture for the Kings won't be that bad if Richards retires before his contract ends. The way recapture works is essentially summing up the amount of total "cap benefit" the Kings received due to the front-loaded contract (actual salary minus cap hit), then dividing that amount over the remaining years of the contract.

The Kings only have to account for the seasons since they acquired Richards. Richards' cap hit is $5.75M per season, his salary for each of the years (and cap benefit) since 2011-12 are as follows:

Year: Salary - Cap Hit = Cap Benefit
2011-12: $6.6M - $5.75M = $850k
2012-13: $8.4M - $5.75M = $2.65M
2013-14: $7.6M - $5.75M = $1.85M
2014-15: $7M - $5.75M = $1.25M
2015-16: $6M - $5.75M = $250k
2016-17: $5.5M - $5.75M = -$250k
2017-18: $4.5M - $5.75M = -$1.25M
2018-19: $3M - $5.75M = -$2.75M
2019-20: $3M - $5.75M = -$2.75M

So if you take the cumulative cap benefit and divide it by the years remaining on Richards contract, that is the amount that the Kings would get hit with every season until 2020 if Richards decides to retire early. The year applies if he retires before or during the season listed.

Contract Year:
2014-15: $850k + $2.65M + $1.85M = $5.35M / 6 years remaining = $891,667
2015-16: $5.35M + $1.25M = $6.6M / 5 years reamaining = $1.32M
2016-17: $6.6M + $250k = $6.85M / 4 years remaining = $1.713M
2017-18: $6.85M - $250k = $6.6M / 3 years remaining = $2.2M
2018-19: $6.6M - $1.25M = $5.35M / 2 years remaining = $2.675M
2019-20: $5.35M - $2.75M = $2.6M / 1 year remeaining = $2.6M

Now compare that with the $1.47M cap hit the Kings would get hit with until 2025 if Richards is bought out this offseason (2/3 of $22M divided over twice the remaining term). I would almost prefer he retire early than get bought out.

*Edit* - Correction to the buyout amounts. In the new CBA, the cap hit for bought out players varies based on the amount of "cap savings" the team gets for the player going off the contract. Here are Mike Richards' AAVs by season if he gets bought out this offseason.


- tkecanuck341

the oilers need him they like over paying guys