The Puck Stops Here

Over the course of the summer many pundits suggested the Devils would have to be broken up to meet the salary cap, it appears this isn't so. The Devils found themselves well above the cap this summer with key free agents (Paul Martin and Brian Gionta) yet to sign. This was due to some poor contracts handed out in the summer of 2005 to Alexander Mogilny and Vladimir Malakhov. Neither is expected to play this year but because they are both players who were over 35 when they signed their contracts, both their contracts were expected to count against the salary cap.

Malakhov is all but retired. He says he is retired, he hasn't played since the middle of last season, but he hasn't filed his retirement papers with the NHL. Mogilny hasn't played in the NHL since the middle of last season either when the Devils sent him to the minors. Due to a degenerative hip condition it is doubtful that he will ever play again.

Lou Lamoreillo got himself out of trouble by trading Vladimir Malakhov (and his contract) to San Jose. San Jose expects that they will not use all of their salary cap room this season, so they can afford to sell it off. They received the Devils 2007 1st round draft pick in return (conditions are attached, but likely they will get it) in return for spare part defenceman Jim Fahey and Alexander Korolyuk (who is playing in Russia). Its a nothing much of substance for taking Malakhov's salary off the books in return for a 1st round pick.

The Devils have also had an independent medical examination of Mogilny show that he is suffering from a long term injury and thus can have his salary not count against the cap. Ironically, if Mogilny had retired or even died his salary would count against the cap according to the CBA - it is only because he has a longterm injury that it doesn't. This is one problem with a dramatic change to the rules in the CBA, loopholes can create unintended consequences in places where it would not have mattered in the old CBA.

The Devils have had Paul Martin, Brian Gionta and David Hale all participating in their training camp despite the fact they were unsigned - which has prompted some to wonder if they have agreed to contracts that would be filed with the league as soon as the Devils cleared cap space.

Some others complain that Lamoreillo's moves show favoritism toward him from the league. If he was a GM of lesser renown maybe they wouldn't be allowed.

I think the biggest problem is a needlessly complex CBA that makes big issues about stupid stuff like this instead of what is happening on the ice.

Here is TSN's story about the Malakhov traded and here is the story about Mogilny.