Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka has taken the team’s salary cap room and cashed it in for currency, using it to the team’s advantage to buy players, and makes no apologies for it.
The Arizona Coyotes recent trade deal with the Florida Panthers landed them another hot prospect in Lawson Crouse.
It was a good lesson for those wishing to learn how to conduct business.
The takeaway? Use anything and everything you have to get you what you want.
In exchange for Crouse, who was widely viewed as the Panthers’ best forward prospect in their system, the Arizona Coyotes gave up two future conditional draft picks and took on Dave Bolland, an injured player with a burdensome contract.
The contract was an albatross around Florida’s neck, and they willingly unloaded Bolland so they could free up some cap space and make some moves.
Coyotes GM John Chayka took on the deal knowing Bolland was not playing. With Bolland headed for Long Term Injured Reserve, Chayka was really taking on $1.1 million a year for three years, plus losing two conditional picks, for a prospect he wanted.
This was not the Coyotes’ first adventure playing games with the salary cap.
The Coyotes are already using the contracts of Chris Pronger and Pavel Datsyuk in addition to Bolland, totaling about $18 million this year. None are playing in the NHL.
During the last couple of days people have been examining the Coyotes’ recent moves, and some crying foul over the Coyotes’ use of cap space as currency.
For better or worse, critics claim that the practice goes against the spirit of the CBA. They protest it’s not what the salary cap system was designed to do for teams. They say the Coyotes are somehow cheating the system.
They’re wrong.
The Coyotes’ use of the system is actually good for everyone.
First of all, let’s examine the actual deals. Each one enabled teams willing to spend more money, but restricted from doing so, to go out and spend more.
This is good for the NHL, and good for the players.
Each deal enabled the Coyotes to get what they wanted, in the form of players or prospects, or both. It’s not like the Coyotes were pulling a fast one, leaving the other teams with bad deals. Both teams in each transaction were happy with what they got.
In the Datsyuk deal, the Red Wings wanted to be able to participate in the Steven Stamkos sweepstakes, and though it never materialized when Stamkos stayed put, the Coyotes were the great enabler.
Had Stamkos chose to sign somewhere other than Tampa Bay, this deal could have allowed for a new bar to be set in player salaries.
No player will ever complain about that.
Plus, the Coyotes weren’t the team that signed these bad contracts. They were, however, the team that provided a solution for them.
These deals also build future value for the Coyotes organization. The NHL has got to be thrilled with that.
So are players happy? Check. Are teams trading with the Coyotes happy? Check.
Coyotes happy? Double check.
Chayka said last week that when it comes to all of the prospects in their system, he’s playing the odds. The more he has, the better his odds that he some real winners.
And if they all work out?
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Well, every team in the NHL should be scared of that happening.
And since those players will all need to be paid down the road, having the necessary salary cap room will be required in order for Arizona to keep them.