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Vancouver Canucks: 3 Reasons Lower Salary Cap Helps

By David Joun

May 26, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly waits to present the Prince of Wales trophy to Pittsburgh Penguins after the Penguins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Eastern Conference Championship in game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won the game 2-1 and the Eastern Conference Championship four games to three. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly waits to present the Prince of Wales trophy to Pittsburgh Penguins after the Penguins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Eastern Conference Championship in game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins won the game 2-1 and the Eastern Conference Championship four games to three. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 1, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk (13) adjusts his stick during the second period against the Minnesota Wild at Joe Louis Arena. Red Wings win 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

Gauging the Impact on the Teams

Although the cap ultimately is going to rise, the broken expectations likely mean that the GMs are not going to be able to spend as much as they had originally planned.

The $77.7 million would prove to be a $4 million extra compared to the salary cap that now projects at $73.5 million max.

Read More: Draft Picks no longer Affordable for VAN?

Four million dollars? That’s a bonafide middle-six forward or a decent top-four defenseman. All NHL teams are looking for those, right? So now what? Are teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, the Minnesota Wild, and the Los Angeles Kings going to press the panic button and start dumping salary all over the league?

The above mentioned teams, as well as the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning, will all be looking for some cap relief heading into free agency, either to re-sign key free agents or to fill the voids in their NHL lineups.

The Canucks can Sacrifice Instant Cash for Assets

With all these teams looking for cap relief, the Canucks stand with the roster mostly filled out and still just $62 million projected in spending. Although RFA Sven Baertschi will surely look for a raise, the Canucks would still have about $8 million in cap space should the cap stay “low” at $73.5 million.

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As a team not working on an internal budget and always looking for ways to reel in assets, $8 million is a pretty team-friendly figure.

The Canucks could look to take on some tough contracts from other teams in exchange for picks or other assets. For example, the Detroit Red Wings are looking to move Pavel Datsyuk’s one-year, $7.5 million contract to make room for their RFAs.

With Datsyuk poised to head over to the KHL, the Canucks could eat up that contract in Detroit’s place. The Red Wings would have to send a draft pick to Vancouver to even out the deal. The Canucks could also send an asset back to Detroit to get their hands on Detroit’s 16th-overall selection at this year’s NHL Entry Draft.

When the Canucks have money, they should spend it to “purchase” assets via trades.

Next: ADVANTAGE CANUCKS: Dominating July 1st

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