NHL's new playoff rule could spell disaster for Avalanche divisional rival
Photo credit: John Locher / The Associated Press
The Vegas Golden Knights might face serious challenges due to a new playoff rule. Here's what it could mean for them.
According to Chris Johnston, the NHL and NHLPA are in talks about implementing a playoff salary cap. The goal is to stop teams from taking advantage of loopholes in the current, contentious rule.
New NHL playoff rule could spell disaster for the Golden Knights.
Jacob Walters from Vegas Hockey Knight writes that if you're curious about the background, here's the scoop: Kelly McCrimmon and the Golden Knights have long faced accusations of exploiting this rule. Mark Stone in particular, has become the poster child, being places on injured reserve for a lacerated spleen, among other injuries.
Sure, other teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning have pulled similar moves. But for laughs and eye-rolls alike, Vegas always seems to be the prime target of the jokes.
"Ironically, one of Vegas's rivals is being investigated for the rule's abuse. Evander Kane and his $5.125 million cap hit are under additional scrutiny by the NHL after Edmonton's Stanley Cup Final loss. Currently, the rules are as follows. First, a player must be expected to miss at least 10 games AND 24 days of the NHL regular season. A team may exceed the salary cap when a player's on LTIR, with the amount a team may exceed being known as the LTIR pool. However, the cap hit must be under the salary cap once they're activated." -Walters
What this means for the Vegas Golden Knights in the playoffs
There's growing concern about the potential salary cap, suddenly teams might not be able to carry a $9.5 million cap hit during the postseason, which could pose problems for the Golden Knights down the line.
That said, the worry might be a bit exaggerated. The league has looked into Vegas before and found no evidence of wrongdoing, so this could just be business as usual for McCrimmon and his team.
"Fans have gotten used to their general manager finding ways to satisfy the NHL with appropriate moves. There are always the quips, memes, and jokes about who McCrimmon will acquire next. These jokes could still come into play should a playoff salary cap be implemented." -Walters
We'll see what develops over the course of the offseason.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 24 | 33 ANSWERS NHL's new playoff rule could spell disaster for Avalanche divisional rival As an Avalanche fan, which divisional rival team do you hate more? | ||
| Vegas Golden Knights | 9 | 27.3 % |
| Dallas Stars | 24 | 72.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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