This rule is already in the CBA applied to buyouts, so I don't see why they wouldn't extend it to amnesty.

To be honest I never really got why contract restructuring is banned though. I suppose it's to prevent backdoor cap-circumvention agreements - ie. you sign a guy to a long contract with a $7M AAV while secretly agreeing to renegotiate it to $4M a couple years down the line.
- S Kaspar Rollins

why not just sign the guy to that deal in the first place then.... the contract restructuring is more to do with teams that make trades and then they restructure the contract to better fit the team who got the player.

why not just sign the guy to that deal in the first place then.... the contract restructuring is more to do with teams that make trades and then they restructure the contract to better fit the team who got the player.
- boltsfan48

This rule should be allowed, I agree.

This rule should be allowed, I agree.
- S Kaspar Rollins

or make it so a contract can only be restructured if the team did not sign that player to the current contract he has.... so only if he is traded/put on waivers etc.

If they lockout again they are dumb. Just signed the biggest TV deal in history and they want to squabble over petty stuff? Enjoy obscurity NHL and NHLPA. Quit your crap and get a deal done...

Amnesty is a crappy idea.

Amnesty usually involves a negative turning into a positive.

As such, it usually involves something someone/people did wrong, and getting off scott free.

I don't think an organization should be getting a get out of jail free card every time a new CBA is drawn up. If you pay someone more than they are worth based off a good season, etc., then you should be liable even if the player under-performs the rest of his contract.

you take the risk, you deal with the consequences, good or bad.

Amnesty is a crappy idea.

Amnesty usually involves a negative turning into a positive.

As such, it usually involves something someone/people did wrong, and getting off scott free.

I don't think an organization should be getting a get out of jail free card every time a new CBA is drawn up. If you pay someone more than they are worth based off a good season, etc., then you should be liable even if the player under-performs the rest of his contract.

you take the risk, you deal with the consequences, good or bad.
- StayTunedMTC

+1

He's not going to be cleared to play. He's still messed up and hasn't played for almost a year.

It's not surprising that amnesty supporters are Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Rangers fans.
- ubiqty

Just as we were not surprised Bruins had Colli Campbell in their back pocket

there will be a lockout, of course. if there's one thing the last lockout showed us, it's that what few fans this league has will come back after a work stoppage. as fans, we've eliminated ourselves from the equation. this leaves the league and PA to fight it out clear of conscience. i doubt the entire year will be lost, but i'd be shocked if there's hockey before Christmas.

as fans, we have no one to blame but ourselves for this.

Amnesty for Ville Leino please.

Amnesty for Ville Leino please.
- Losman

Can you explain what amnesty is please? I really don't understand.

No amnesty! I'm sick of all of these front loaded, long term contracts and all of those teams that circumvented the cap, should pay for playing this game.

Just as we were not surprised Bruins had Colli Campbell in their back pocket
- VANTEL

omfg dude get over it already, it's been a year, and you know it was bullpoop to start with

Can you explain what amnesty is please? I really don't understand.
- Deadmau55

yes

yes
- flyfan1212

I guess that was necessary?

Tortellini is such a joke.

Can you explain what amnesty is please? I really don't understand.
- Deadmau55

Idiot GMs who sign terrible players for long terms and lots of money get a mulligan

Your excitement over 2 top lines makes me sad. We have 4 top lines and they are golfing about now.
- EastBeast18

Can you explain what amnesty is please? I really don't understand.
- Deadmau55

Buy out period with no cap hit.

Hi.

If the amnesty becomes a part of the new CBA, teams that don't ulitize or exercise their amnesty option should be rewarded as well.

Seriously. Why should teams who have poorly managed or abused their franchise's contracts get off without penalty, while teams who have been diligent in their management practices get screwed?

Even as a Leafs fan, I'm against the amnesty!

Idiot GMs who sign terrible players for long terms and lots of money get a mulligan
- FinAddict

Understood. Thank you sir.

Hi.
- FLYERSROCK!

don't play with idiots anymore.

Amnesty is a crappy idea.

Amnesty usually involves a negative turning into a positive.

As such, it usually involves something someone/people did wrong, and getting off scott free.

I don't think an organization should be getting a get out of jail free card every time a new CBA is drawn up. If you pay someone more than they are worth based off a good season, etc., then you should be liable even if the player under-performs the rest of his contract.

you take the risk, you deal with the consequences, good or bad.
- StayTunedMTC

Amnesty sucks but if the team gets it so should players so here's the idea:

Teams get 1 buyout of a contract they don't like after year 1 of the deal on any deal of 3 or more years for each position: forward, defense, goalie (contracts become guaranteed after year 1 is complete on a certain date that has to be after the playoffs). If the team walks away, the player is a UFA. No additional salary cap hit. No player on a contract of 3 or more years can be traded until the guarantee period comes into play.

Players have the same benefit and can walk away from any contract under the same time constraints above.

You'll see more 2 year deals as a result where players get paid more to play in markets they don't really want to play in. That's probably a win-win for both sides. Non-traditional teams get the chance to get good players and to sell them on the location, etc.

Almost every guy on a bad contract is still an NHL'er. Other than Jeff Finger who says he would do it again b/c of the money every other guy would rather be playing where they're wanted. If I was Wade Redden, I'd be suing the Rangers for destroying his career. He wasn't that bad.

It could work if the new team has to honor their current market value, but I don't think it's a good idea to have poor teams with the option to buy a Gomez and Redden at a bargain (league minimum etc) just to get to the minimum. Talent would take a hit IMO.

Actually the arbitration process I proposed above could work even if the player is not staying with his current team. Let a neutral party decide what that player would be worth today, then adjust his cap hit to reflect that.
- J-P

I don't get it.
How is it amnesty if the current team has to hnor the market value?
The way I see it, the current team pays 100% of the contract salary, and gets out from under the contract and cap hit.
Then any other team has the option to sign that player to a new contract, but takes the remaning cap hit of the original contract with the player.

So the habs buy out Gomez for 14 mil. Anyone could sign him to a contract this summer. He is essentially a ufa. But if the leafs signed him to a league min contract they would still take the 7 mil cap hit. Wont happen.
But that same scenario could be attractive to someone like Phoenix who struggles to pay to the cap floor. They acquire 7 mil in cap for a 1 mil actual payout.