One of my favorite players in the NHL is Jack Eichel. His skills are simply undeniable and had things not always been so dire in Buffalo I feel we would have all gotten to see one of the more fascinating, and frankly hilarious, personalities in the NHL. When the Knights announced his debut will be tomorrow night against the rival Avalanche I immediately put it on on the "Must See TV" list....I can't wait to see that dynamic team with perhaps the most skilled forward they have ever had...
He will be returning to center the top line between Patches and Stones, right?
Nope. Mark Stone has been put on LTIR due to a lingering "Back Issue." When GM McCrimmon was asked to explain, he iterated on how team doctors and many outside specialists have become baffled by the fact that a hockey player who has been taking a beating whilst bent over since he was 6-years-old could have back pain...not only could no one figure out where his back pain was coming from, no one could even conjecture how long he would miss..
A terrible blow for the Knights to get a Jack Eichel back on the same day they lose a similar salaried player. Good thing Stone wasn't in Beijing on Team Canada right now, where I am sure he would be also sitting in the press box baffled by his back pain instead of competing for Canadian Gold...cause if there is one thing fierce competitors like Mark Stone do its NEVER play through pain..
The situation was oddly fortunate for the Knights however, since by putting Stone on LTIR they have cleared up the cap space needed to fit a player they traded despite the fact they had "NO WAY or IDEA' of how they would fit Eichel into a salary cap. Voila! (or is it Voici?) Either way its dirty poker in a town that knows a bit about that sort of thing...
OK, tongue no longer in cheek, this is NOT dirty poker. The NHL rules state you can hide a few Aces on LTIR until the playoffs. It's a rule that was set up to allow for the fact that injuries happen and NHL teams should be allowed to replace players hurt long term without the Cap issues. So Vegas isn't doing anything technically wrong here...and Tampa wasn't with Kucherov either...What they are doing is allowed, almost encouraged, and has proven smart. The Penguins and Hawks have used it to a degree in the past too...Remember Patrick Kane's injury allowed for the Hossa trade?
Also, in fairness to Mark Stone...I am not belittling back injuries. They are terrible. I have two herniated discs and a few bulging discs...Sciatica and Numbness in your legs is no joke. I truly hope Stone finds out what is going on and gets relief.
The point is that even though the Knights are within the rules of the CBA and Stone is within his rights to take time off and seek medical attention AND I am sure he needs to get medical attention, the appearance here is overwhelmingly a bad look for the NHL. Especially given that the fix for this rule is so bloody simple. I will get to that in a second.
Back after the lockout there was this term called "Cap Circumvention." Remember that one? It was when a team did something that was trying to exploit a loophole via a ridiculous "non-hockey" trade or sending players to dress in AHL locker rooms across the hall at the practice facility to save a few bucks on the cap.
These weren't illegal due to the CBA, but the were obviously wrong. The NHL openly frowned and even blocked a few trades... In the last ten years though...we've seen all kinds of crazy trades happen that weren't even close skill-wise...like the NBA...
And its not that simple here. The LTIR rule is way harder to prove circumvention on because these guys are hockey players....and ALL OF THEM ALWAYS are playing through some sort of injury that would probably force most of us to bedrest...
The problem is not the LTIR rule. The problem is the ridiculous way the Salary Cap goes away in the playoffs. WHY? ANYONE? Why when the stakes are their highest do we suddenly let teams play over the cap?
The fix that is so simple it should have you wondering...
It would be so simple to extend the Season LTIR rules and how they work INTO the playoffs..
The NHL needs to fix this ASAP. Especially if we see another champion crowned as a result...If we see Mark Stone and Jack Eichel lighting it up together in the playoffs, beating up on teams like the Wild, Avalanche and others don't suddenly get to go 8 million over the Cap...
Without Kucherov in the opening round of the playoffs last year the Panthers likely win that series...and who knows...
What are your thoughts???
Back with rumors...
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— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) January 5, 2021