The NHL is a joke...

Detroit is pulling the pants down on the NHL and CBA for the last few contracts they’ve signed for the last little while.

They’re signing they’re big players for long term deals, bringing down the cap hit to very friendly dollar values (read: zetterberg, franzen) and ripping the CBA for all its worth.

Does no one realize that these players can retire at any time and the cap hit rolls off their backs like water on a duck? The players can be buried in the minors for little dollars (if they last that long) or they won’t count for anything once they retire against the cap? The cap hit only applies to players that sign deals at what, 30+ years old is it?

I’m not totally well versed in the cap and how it works with older players, but if you sign a young player for 10 years, what does it matter if he retires and / or you send him to the minors when he gets older?

Sign these guys for 40 years if you have to, but give them their money in the first 4 -5 years, then do with them what you want. The cap won’t matter if their last years are worth nothing. Bury them in the minors, let them retire. Either way, they get their money, and its circumvents the cap. Holland knows what he’s doing, and I think Wang knew what he was doing with DiPietro. This cap system is flawed, and front-loaded deals are going to be the norm going forward as far as I can see.