Compliance buyout options- if introduced for next year

[hab29RETIRED]

If we see a significant drop in the cap next year and the league allows a couple of compliance buyouts, who should we be buying out??  Alzner is an obvious one IMO, but he is in the minors anyways.

 

is it worth the gamble trying to pick up a bad contract now for picks/prospects, in anticipation of the League allowing compliance buyouts?
 

[dlbalr]

If it's a compliance buyout, it means no cap hit so yes, buying out Alzner is a no-brainer.  He wants a fresh start and the organization would love to give him one if they could.  The good news is there aren't really another prime candidates.  I'm also a little leery that they'll allow more than one of these per team this offseason.  Maybe they put in one per year for two years but I suspect they won't go two at once.

 

The fact that it's being speculated so much means that every team is aware of the possibility though.  Most teams aren't going to pay to move out a bad contract right now if there's a chance that they can get a cap-free buyout and just do that instead.  The only targets would be those that have more than one bad contract or are cash-strapped and can't afford the cash payout (although if they're cash-strapped, they're probably not up against the cap anyway).  It's a nice idea but if compliance buyouts come back, the likelihood of the Habs (or anyone) doing a deal like that actually goes down.

 

It's also worth noting that there is a full roster freeze which means no trade activity.  That won't be lifted until the parameters are set, either for a return to play this season or a plan to lead into next season so right now, there isn't really an opportunity to try to be proactive and take advantage of it.

[hab29RETIRED]

34 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

If it's a compliance buyout, it means no cap hit so yes, buying out Alzner is a no-brainer.  He wants a fresh start and the organization would love to give him one if they could.  The good news is there aren't really another prime candidates.  I'm also a little leery that they'll allow more than one of these per team this offseason.  Maybe they put in one per year for two years but I suspect they won't go two at once.

 

The fact that it's being speculated so much means that every team is aware of the possibility though.  Most teams aren't going to pay to move out a bad contract right now if there's a chance that they can get a cap-free buyout and just do that instead.  The only targets would be those that have more than one bad contract or are cash-strapped and can't afford the cash payout (although if they're cash-strapped, they're probably not up against the cap anyway).  It's a nice idea but if compliance buyouts come back, the likelihood of the Habs (or anyone) doing a deal like that actually goes down.

 

It's also worth noting that there is a full roster freeze which means no trade activity.  That won't be lifted until the parameters are set, either for a return to play this season or a plan to lead into next season so right now, there isn't really an opportunity to try to be proactive and take advantage of it.

Yeah - I don’t see a season or playoffs happening - given current situation it seems highly unlikely and frankly unless there is a drastic improvement in containment, i think it would be irresponsible.  Even if they decided to continue without fans, all it takes is one player to be infected without symptoms to have a pretty ugly situation develop.

 

my company has us working at home and there are few essential operational roles that there is a skeleton crew in the office and at operational sites and they get their temperature checked before entry into the premises- and even than there is the risk of someone who isn’t exhibiting symptoms.  But for those still in the office their are very tight physical distancing controls established in both process and actual physical barriers that have been put in place.  
 

if the nhl was to return with empty arenas, you can take those measures with tv and cleaning, maintenance crews, but You can’t take those measures for players and officials actually playing the game.  Like I said, it would only take one player that is infected, but is not showing symptoms.  Even with regular testing the risk is there:
 

if there is No playoffs, I have to think there will be a drastic cut to the salary cap.  That would mean that teams like the leafs, caps, lightening to be forced to trade guys they don’t want to move - potentially even top line players, which offers an opportunity for a team like Montreal.  The key is to not make deals with Teams offering up marginal top 6 players/top 4 Dmen, but target teams that have multiple highly paid impact players and. are forced to move one of those high impact players for cents on the dollar. I’m really hoping that there is a drastic cut to the cap - that’s the really only way I think we can fast track the rebuild.

 

but that’s a long ways away, right now we need to to get though the current pandemic and it doesn’t help that a country like the USA is being run by a guy who makes most morons look like Rhodes scholars.

 

and just for the record - for all you MB fans - no I don’t think he is as dumb as Trump😇

[tomh009]

19 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said:

if the nhl was to return with empty arenas, you can take those measures with tv and cleaning, maintenance crews, but You can’t take those measures for players and officials actually playing the game.  Like I said, it would only take one player that is infected, but is not showing symptoms.  Even with regular testing the risk is there:

 

Full face shields for everyone? No contact?

 

Seriously, I agree with you. I very much doubt we'll see any further hockey for this season. Let's just hope that we will be able to do that for the start of the 2020-21 season.

[Commandant]

The one location argument is flawed for a number of reasons. 

 

1) Players have to agree, that during a pandemic, they will be quarantined for several months, unable to see their wives and children. 

2) But its not just players.  The hotel staff, the cooks, the arena staff, the referees, the locker room staff, the cameramen, the commentators, the coaches, all of these people need to agree to be quarantined. 

3) Rosters have to be expanded in case their are injuries, the AHL players need to be training too, they can't come in cold.  These people need to agree as well. 

4) We already have areas where all doctors, no matter what their specialties are being redeployed to where they can help.  With this, what if a player gets hurt, needs surgery, now we are pulling doctors and nurses away from where they are needed in order to do a surgery on a player.  Also that player will need a hospital bed, which is in short supply.  Also going to the hospital now puts him at higher risk of catching Covid-19 from the doctor, nurse, other staff, or one of the other patients.

 

Yeah, I want hockey back too, but I don't see how it works.