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George Zoran
Top Prospect
Canada
55 Posts |
 Posted - 12/20/2005 : 13:30:54
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Dan Cloutier has undergone knee surgery to repair a damaged anterior cruciate ligament and he will most likely be out for the regular season and the playoffs. Losing a starting goalie is never fun, especially when dealing in the new salary cap era.
Fortunately for the Canucks, the collective bargaining agreement contains a provision where if a team incurs a bona-fide long term injury, it is permitted to replace the full amount of the injured player’s salary and it will not go against the cap.
What does the league consider a bona-fide long term injury? According to the new CBA, any injury that sidelines a player for at least 24 days and 10 games. What does this mean for the Canucks? They can replace Dan Cloutier’s $2.45 million salary and stay within the constraints of the cap.
One team that has already put this provision into action is the New Jersey Devils. The Devils have been without their best player – Patrick Elias since the start of the season as he is still recovering from his bout with hepatitis A. The Devils have replaced his $4.18 million salary and operate very close to the $39 million salary cap. If and when Patrick Elias returns this season, the Devils will be about $4 million over the cap and will be forced to clear some salary. Alexander Mogilny at $3.5 million, Vladamir Malakhov at $3.6 million, and John Madden at $3.8 million fit into that range.
Trading players has become more difficult in the new salary cap era. The Devils can’t afford to obtain salary in return for one of the above mentioned players. Essentially, all the Devils can get in return for a $3-4 million player are draft picks. General Managers around the league are well aware of this and will take advantage through low ball offers.
The Canuck’s are limited to acquiring a goaltender that makes close to Dan Cloutier’s salary unless they are willing to move some salary. Aquiring Luongo from Florida or Kolzig from Washington, which have both been rumored to be available, would require a bit more room under the cap.
The trade deadline should be interesting…
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Making sense of the salary cap… 
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