Contending Teams To Make Cap-Related Moves Before The Trade Deadline
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period joined the Full Press Hockey Podcast and when asked by Jim Biringer about potential cap-maneuvering moves, he stated he could see those happening to set up even bigger moves at the trade deadline.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
In New Jersey, is it the goaltending, the blue line, or the coaching?
Jim Biringer: Do you think you will see any more like cap moves made before the bigger deals at the deadline like smaller things we saw with Vancouver before they made that Zadorov trade?
Dave Pagnotta: “Probably. I mean, there are teams that are willing to take on money you know, Montreal, Philly, although Philly is pushing now so that may have changed things a little bit. But Anaheim, San Jose, Chicago, like they’re willing to retain money, not retain on a contract per se, but take an expiring contract back to help offset another team’s cap situation and they’re gonna be options to do that.
So you can see some minor deals and you can see some cap-related maneuvering-type deals. And some teams that are just looking for extra pieces may take advantage of that. Like Seattle bringing in Tomas Tatar for you know, a late pick for a $1.5 million hit.
NHL Rumors: Boston Bruins, and the Toronto Maple Leafs
You take that chance if you’re the Kraken because you’re trying to gain some offense and get out of your funk and then from Colorado’s perspective it frees up an extra $1.5 million to go out and make a move, whether it’s whomever, but they want to make an impact type move. So this gives them a little more flexibility so sometimes it works out in both ways.
Even with Chicago and Vancouver like adding (Anthony) Beauvilier for a fourth or fifth or whatever it was. You have the cap space you have the roster space because Corey Perry was, was relieved and you take a chance and you think that maybe you hope rather that maybe the young kid or the young talent that he had with the Islanders can come back and be rekindled with a young roster in Chicago.
So sometimes the opportunity costs even out and one team takes a chance because of another team’s type positioning.