Summer 2025: NHL Offseason

[Drag0nDan]

On 9/27/2025 at 9:21 AM, French Collection said:

With Barkov and Tkachuk on LTIR he has cap space to go after some big fish. I don’t think Tkachuk is all year though.

How does that work in the playoffs though?  Is it this year or next year when you're now required to be cap-compliant for any playoff games?  

[French Collection]

44 minutes ago, Drag0nDan said:

How does that work in the playoffs though?  Is it this year or next year when you're now required to be cap-compliant for any playoff games?  

I am not sure but I think it is 26/27 when that kicks in.

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, Drag0nDan said:

How does that work in the playoffs though?  Is it this year or next year when you're now required to be cap-compliant for any playoff games?  

 

2 hours ago, French Collection said:

I am not sure but I think it is 26/27 when that kicks in.

Technically it kicks in next year.  There have been credible reports the league and PA are looking into implementing some provisions of the new MOU (due to take effect in September '26) as early as during this season.  No data on exactly what will get implemented and what will slide to September.

[shrader]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

 

Technically it kicks in next year.  There have been credible reports the league and PA are looking into implementing some provisions of the new MOU (due to take effect in September '26) as early as during this season.  No data on exactly what will get implemented and what will slide to September.

I feel like they’d have to know by now if they were going to do the playoff thing and we would have heard it. You can’t change an accounting thing mid-season. If a team makes a move thinking it will be counted one way, changing that on them suddenly doesn’t go well. 
 

Which ones have they actually said are in place now? I can’t remember and the only things I see with a lazy google search are non-CBA rule changes. 

[Taro T]

47 minutes ago, shrader said:

I feel like they’d have to know by now if they were going to do the playoff thing and we would have heard it. You can’t change an accounting thing mid-season. If a team makes a move thinking it will be counted one way, changing that on them suddenly doesn’t go well. 
 

Which ones have they actually said are in place now? I can’t remember and the only things I see with a lazy google search are non-CBA rule changes. 

Haven't seen any of them officially put in place yet.  Not saying they haven't been, but haven't seen any reports of them actually getting enacted on an expedited schedule.

And, you seriously believe the N-H-friggin'-L can't change a rule interpretation mid-year?  We did mention we're talking the NHL, right?

This is the same league that put out a "clarification" memo on how to enforce the in the crease rule about a month before the RS ended and THEN completely ignored that guidance when it was expedient.  (Note to people in the Keystone State, not taking your bait from anyone when you respond to this post.)  This league also decided in late '06 that it wouldn't let players play in the playoffs if they had been on IR all year; a position the league has since done a 180 on.

But, teams have been told that it's very likely the new rules will be in place for the playoffs this year.  As long as they're up front about it and everybody gets the same info at the same time; of course they can change the rules.

You can argue all day as to whether they should or shouldn't; but it's not a should/shouldn't thing.  It's a will they won't they one; and they absolutely can so they likely will.

[shrader]

14 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Haven't seen any of them officially put in place yet.  Not saying they haven't been, but haven't seen any reports of them actually getting enacted on an expedited schedule.

And, you seriously believe the N-H-friggin'-L can't change a rule interpretation mid-year?  We did mention we're talking the NHL, right?

This is the same league that put out a "clarification" memo on how to enforce the in the crease rule about a month before the RS ended and THEN completely ignored that guidance when it was expedient.  (Note to people in the Keystone State, not taking your bait from anyone when you respond to this post.)  This league also decided in late '06 that it wouldn't let players play in the playoffs if they had been on IR all year; a position the league has since done a 180 on.

But, teams have been told that it's very likely the new rules will be in place for the playoffs this year.  As long as they're up front about it and everybody gets the same info at the same time; of course they can change the rules.

You can argue all day as to whether they should or shouldn't; but it's not a should/shouldn't thing.  It's a will they won't they one; and they absolutely can so they likely will.

These CBA-related rules? Yeah, they can’t just change them on the fly. The only thing you mention that was is the 2006 stuff. I don’t specifically remember what you’re saying, maybe that was the case, but I thought it was an issue where Darcy thought they’d handle it that way but was wrong. 
 

But if they’ve been told it will be in place, I’m good then. When it comes to how people are paid, it needs to be set in stone already at this point. 

[LGR4GM]

Holy. *****.

 

 

[inkman]

31 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Holy. *****.

 

 

And this is why you pay your young stars early.  It bites you in the ass occasionally (Power) but Dahlin and Tage making roughly half of Kaprizov is noteworthy.  

[shrader]

12 minutes ago, inkman said:

And this is why you pay your young stars early.  It bites you in the ass occasionally (Power) but Dahlin and Tage making roughly half of Kaprizov is noteworthy.  

They initially gave Kaprizov a 5 year $9 million contract after one year in the league.  They did pay him early.  He's just fortunate that his contract was ending at the right time.  Dahlin and Tage?  Their previous contracts ended a couple years too early for their bank accounts.

[DarthEbriate]

21 minutes ago, shrader said:

They initially gave Kaprizov a 5 year $9 million contract after one year in the league.  They did pay him early.  He's just fortunate that his contract was ending at the right time.  Dahlin and Tage?  Their previous contracts ended a couple years too early for their bank accounts.

This is where the Parise/Suter buyouts come into effect. They were both bought out months before the 5x$9 was signed. Move one + a protected 1st + some retention. Move the other a year or two later. Guerin was dealing with a flat cap at the time, so it needed to be done with care. But certainly they could have avoided a couple of the monster ($12M+ on the cap for neither player in the lineup) cap hits seasons which they could have maybe gotten Kaprizov for another season or two and another helpful 4D or 3W or something. Like 6x$9.5M or 7x$10M and jettison Suter (even if not great in the room) in the summer of 2024 for a smaller cap hit.

Edit: And I forgot to add, but Kaprizov may have been dead set on being UFA at 29 all along so he could land one more massive payday before his wheels started to slow.

But in sum: Yay for the players. 

Edited 4 hours ago by DarthEbriate

[LGR4GM]

Hmm Ryan Suzuki is on waivers. 

[Jorcus]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Holy. *****.

 

 

That is a boat load of money to pay a guy who has trouble staying on the ice. The first 4 years are the maximum contract they could pay him due to the 20% of cap rule at 19.1M per year. It may be a floor but it is also close to the ceiling of what someone can gat paid this year. Next year term length goes down and bonus money is limited to 60% of your contract. I don't know how this affects 2nd tier players other than there is less salary cap to go around for teams that are issuing a max contract. Right place right time for Kirill.

[French Collection]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Holy. *****.

 

 

There doesn’t seem to be a hometown discount with this one. The no 🌴 effect was in full force, Guerin had to pay up.

He is younger than Tuch but is he twice as good?

[JustOneParade]

Somewhere, Connor McDavid and his agent are smiling.

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Hmm Ryan Suzuki is on waivers. 

If Kulich is a winger in 25-26, I make a claim.  If not, I still might. He’s a pass-first, shoot-second play making C and the Sabres don’t really have that. Suzuki had a great year in the AHL last year (except for +/-) and it was the first time he has been healthy for a full pro season. 
 

If a claim is made, that pushes Geertsen & Doan to ROC. I think the Sabres like Krebs just enough to not make a claim.

One thing is for sure and that’s there is no logical spot in the Canes lineup for him. 

[dudacek]

17 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

If Kulich is a winger in 25-26, I make a claim.  If not, I still might. He’s a pass-first, shoot-second play making C and the Sabres don’t really have that. Suzuki had a great year in the AHL last year (except for +/-) and it was the first time he has been healthy for a full pro season. 
 

If a claim is made, that pushes Geertsen & Doan to ROC. I think the Sabres like Krebs just enough to not make a claim.

One thing is for sure and that’s there is no logical spot in the Canes lineup for him. 

He's 24 and got beaten out by Mark Jankowski.

He was picked in the same draft as Krebs and has played 2 NHL games total.

The grass ain't always greener.