2017 Offseason Thread

Stunner_At_Staples_Kings said:

I am sort of in this boat. I have way more leeway for Dean Lombardi because he was really up against it with the cap. He made some bonehead moves, but overall, he has produced a competitive team going on about 6 years (Competitive in that there was a chance they could win the whole thing). He went all in every trade deadline and it worked out twice (and didn't work out a few other times).

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Dumbo is on my short leash too. You could see this kind of coming a few years ago, specifically summer 2014. The bad contracts started accumulating, he didn’t cut ties penalty-free with Richards, signed Gaborik to that contract. This on the heels of the Brown contract so it all kind of snowballed and here we are. I think he should be on watch as well.

While I think he did a wonderful job constructing this team from drafting and developing players who played a specific style and filled a role, signing key UFAs (Mitchell for example) and making solid trades (Regehr for example) it’s almost like he fell into a “uh, now what?” stage when the Kings won the Cup again in 2014. Simply put, he has not managed this roster well since then in many aspects.

I will admit and agree I loved his gusto, making bold trades for guys like Penner, Sekera, Lucic, Gaborik, etc. and not being afraid to roll the dice. Look at other teams between 2010-2015 and no GM pulled off moves like that. These can be career suicide moves and he had the balls to own them whether they worked out or not. He wasn’t shy at all and was all in at all costs.

Stunner_At_Staples_Kings said:

As much as I'm disappointed in Kopitar's play, he was going to get paid, and DL had to make the move. How Kopitar responds will be on Kopitar.

Sutter, though. I just dislike a lot of his attitude and some things he did this year. Throwing Budaj under the bus I thought was a little weak, but it is what it is. The main thing was that every time LA loses vs wins, Sutter says they're doing the same things, the only difference is that they're scoring or not scoring. Just feels like a total lack of accountability overall, and stubbornness in figuring it out offensively. His obsession with Dwight King etc.

Kings were unlucky this year in a lot of ways, but they were also just not built to withstand any major setbacks, which speaks to everything probably having to have been perfect for one last final run this year.

When you really look at it though, this team just underperformed. They got some reliable D, which was their issue last year. If they had this defense against SJ last year, they would have fared better, but then their offense disappeared.

Los Angeles Kings - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

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Kopitar mentioned the captaincy in a podcast not too long ago and much like Brown he said he didn’t realize how much went into it. Maybe the added pressure contributed to his lack of production this year but like we all gave Brown I think he should get a pass. Next year is what I am most concerned with, generally speaking if you look around the league all players who wear Cs are generally skilled and produce (or very good at what they do, like a SAH defender for example) and Kopitar did not meet expectations this year.

I think the whole coaching staff should really be looked at to be replaced, Sutter seems to have reached his shelf life in LA, and I am unsure how Stevens could change the team given he has Sutter 101 ingrained in him now. He wasn’t that great of a coach in Philadelphia, I would be reluctant to hand him the reigns to Kings unless he sat down with management, laid out a very specific plan, had measurable metrics and offered a fresh plan and look for the team.

I also agree the team in general underperformed. I don’t think the injuries helped, with guys going out long term (Gaborik, Quick, Toffoli, etc) with some of those injuries overlapping or on the heels of another guy coming back. They never really got on any type of roll and based on the cap situation outside help wasn’t a realistic option. That said however, the veterans really dropped the ball more than anything.

In a positive however, the team did get younger with 5 new faces in the line up – LaDue, Forbort, Brodzinski, Kempe and Gravel. I think Forbort and Gravel have established themselves as NHL players, especially Forbort. I really like the way he has progressed this season. Kempe also looks like he is ready for full time NHL duty and should be inserted into the lineup plans for 2017-18.

LaDue, he has been unnoticeable to me but for a defender that is a good thing. I would like to see him mature like Voynov did, who established himself quickly as a T2 defender. Gravel is a serviceable 5-7 defender and Brodzinski I don’t think we know enough about yet to say he is or isn’t NHL caliber.

Someone we forget is Mersch, who I think may be moved this summer. My reasoning is his contract more than anything, he is 24, an RFA and arbitration eligible. The Kings suddenly have a slew of RFAs this summer who are arbitration eligible (LaDue, Gravel, Andreoff, Shore, Toffoli, Pearson, etc) and I can see them either moving guys or not qualifying them to let them turn into UFAs to free up space. Mersch is in a tough spot, he hasn’t shown enough yet to be NHL ready but also is approaching UFA status soon (he will be 25 in April).

Any thoughts from anyone on Iginla? I like what I have seen from him so far but man is he old; if he would like to return on a 1 year/$650,000 deal (league minimum for 2017-18 and 2018-19) I don’t see a problem in it, his veteran leadership is necessary after losing guys like Stoll, Richards, Mitchell, Regehr and Williams.

I'd love to see Iginla back but don't see it happening. For once thing, he'll be worthy of a much bigger contract than the league minimum. And second, the one thing missing from his resume is a cup. I really doubt he'll see the Kings as serious contenders after the way they've played with their backs to the wall since he arrived in LA.

Kings4OT said:

I am 100% ok with losing McNabb....I seriously hope those "experts" are correct. Trade A-Mart, no totally against this...him gone is very noticeable in a bad way for the Kings IMO. I was tough on him early but he has more then won me over and would hate to have him gone and Muffin here....horrible. Gab or Brown...as a fan I would rather see Brown in LA, but Gaborik save 1mil in cap and contract ends sooner and he is old so there is a possible retirement....or overly hurt vagina.....Gabs can potentially score...in theory.

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McNabb fighting Tkachuk last night was the best thing he has done all season long. I think it’s safe to say the McNabb experiment is over in LA, summarizing the two deals with Buffalo in April 2013 (Regehr) and March 2014 (McNabb) it was essentially McNabb/Regehr for Fasching/Deslauriers.

Those two haven’t done much for Buffalo in the 3 years since the trade, McNabb is McNabb but Regehr was huge in that second Cup for LA. I was expecting more from McNabb, a potential Mitchell clone, but don’t see that happening. At least not in LA.

Martinez has always been more of the consistent two-way defender than Muzzin, but the love affair with Muzzin runs rampant. I called this nonsense 5 years ago, you could tell Martinez was just a better hockey IQ player than Muzzin. He isn’t overly physical, but he plays the body, makes smart plays and is very good defensively. If one has to go, Muzzin would get the better return because of his analytics status; fine by me, LA keeps the better defender in reality.

Gaborik or Brown, I’d be happy with either one gone. Both contracts are money sucks, more so Brown since he got a few years head start on making a ton of money and sucking but neither guy is really productive for what they make. At least Brown played his best hockey in about 5 years this season but that isn’t saying much if you really think about it.

I mentioned in the other thread I would love to see Iginla back. Having someone with skill in front of the net is something the Kings are lacking and his success in LA shows it. His leadership and knowledge can only help and as shown in the game with Calgary he can spark a team at the right time.

I still disagree that the Kings did the right thing by not taking care of Tkachuk the night it happened, they would have withstood any penalty and kept their pride instead of being run over by a bunch of cocky kids

Someone we forget is Mersch, who I think may be moved this summer. My reasoning is his contract more than anything, he is 24, an RFA and arbitration eligible. The Kings suddenly have a slew of RFAs this summer who are arbitration eligible (LaDue, Gravel, Andreoff, Shore, Toffoli, Pearson, etc) and I can see them either moving guys or not qualifying them to let them turn into UFAs to free up space. Mersch is in a tough spot, he hasn’t shown enough yet to be NHL ready but also is approaching UFA status soon (he will be 25 in April).

Mersch was out for awhile this year with a knee injury. I still think they would've called up Kempe first, but probably Mersch again before Brodzinski. If a miracle happens and the Kings lose both the Gaborik and Brown contracts, then probably want to keep all those young Forwards. Barring a miracle, then maybe you're right, and Mersch is trade bait. Kings need the speed of Kempe and Brodzinski to mix up their line-up, even if they end up being B6 Forwards.

For Iginla, I too would love to have him back. Though agreed, its unlikely.

Also remember that they need to sign a decent back-up. The Campbell reclamation project in Ontario seems to be going real well, and ahead of schedule (gotta figure the original plan was to have Budaj getting 50+% of the starts this year in AHL). But I don't think management would be willing to throw him into the NHL role without more goaltending depth in the organization.

LoCal Kings said:

Mersch was out for awhile this year with a knee injury. I still think they would've called up Kempe first, but probably Mersch again before Brodzinski. If a miracle happens and the Kings lose both the Gaborik and Brown contracts, then probably want to keep all those young Forwards. Barring a miracle, then maybe you're right, and Mersch is trade bait. Kings need the speed of Kempe and Brodzinski to mix up their line-up, even if they end up being B6 Forwards.

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Yup, he missed about 6 weeks between Jan and early March. He is producing at the AHL level, my first look is about .75 PPG which isn’t bad. At the NHL level though I want to see more, he goes to the front of the net and has the size to do so but I haven’t seen enough skill out of him. The Kings have plenty of those big guys who can’t score but I am intrigued to see what his potential is. Is he a T6 power forward? Or yet another B6 plugger?

I agree Kempe would have been called up regardless, he has the most natural skills of the 3 which is expected being a 1st round draft pick. I also like how he has quickly adapted to the NHL and seems to be part of the team, I didn’t expect a rookie to get involved in the Tkachuk mess but there he was, giving him the bump knocking him down as he skated by between whistles – loved it. He could be a pretty good T6 forward from what I am seeing and his speed is necessary on a team full of slow players.

Brodzinksi, I am not sure of anything yet with him. Two games isn’t any indication of what he may be and I’m hoping the hype meets expectations. We’ve all been down this road before with LA prospects (hello Loktionov, Pushkarev, Zykov, Fasching, Kozun, Teubert, the list is long) who were highly touted but never really produced at the NHL level so I am trying to keep an even keel with this guy. He did impress the first game I saw him, I just hope that’s not adrenaline but rather an indication of what he can be in the NHL. I don't put a lot of stock in prospects because they are just that, prospects - show me what you got at the NHL level.

That would be an unbelievable move if Dumbo could somehow lose both Brown and Gaborik to make room for these guys to grow however not to mention free up a lot of cap space. That alone would make up for some of the dumb moves he has made over time that has led to this team being restricted in its moves to improve.

LoCal Kings said:

For Iginla, I too would love to have him back. Though agreed, its unlikely.

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Probably a pipe dream, but he really seems to like it in LA. I am hoping Dumbo lays something out to him to entice him to stay by proving the Kings will once again be a Cup favorite next year and this is why you should sign here. The league minimum was low on my part, but even if they could get him for under $2 million I think he would be very beneficial to LA both on the ice and in the locker room.

I fully believe losing so much veteran leadership in a short period of time led to this locker room losing focus. That didn't happen under the watch of Mitchell, Regehr, Scuderi, Richards, Stoll, Greene, etc. and they were necessary to help guide this team and young players.

The Kings are once again pretty young overall and I personally do not think the leadership group of Kopitar, Brown, Carter, etc. is enough just yet for the younger guys like Gravel, Forbort, Kempe, etc.

LoCal Kings said:

Also remember that they need to sign a decent back-up. The Campbell reclamation project in Ontario seems to be going real well, and ahead of schedule (gotta figure the original plan was to have Budaj getting 50+% of the starts this year in AHL). But I don't think management would be willing to throw him into the NHL role without more goaltending depth in the organization.

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This summer will be a buyer’s market for goalies, there is a plethora of them, both starters and back ups. Shouldn’t be a problem.

An interesting scenario I read somewhere was trading Quick and his contract and signing Bishop instead. Not sure I would do that but it does free up a ton of cap space now and in the future.

I think today is the day, Nashville shut out Minnesota 3-0 yesterday so they have accumulated 2 of the 3 points necessary to lock up a PO spot. They will be playing the Blues at 1pm and then the Kings have the last game of the night at 7:30pm so by 4 or so we should know what's going on.

Ain't looking good at all boys.

Kings are something like 10-15 since Feb, that's why they are going to be golfing....that's pathetic no matter how you spin it. We can only hope they get the desire to win again before they get to old to do much about it

Kings4OT said:

Kings are something like 10-15 since Feb, that's why they are going to be golfing....that's pathetic no matter how you spin it. We can only hope they get the desire to win again before they get to old to do much about it

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Kings folded on Feb 16 -19th
It was a special birthday gift to Puck and me.
The sucked after the 5 day bye week and never came back

davnlaguna said:

Kings folded on Feb 16 -19th
It was a special birthday gift to Puck and me.
The sucked after the 5 day bye week and never came back

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Pretty much - the ASG killed any type of roll they had going, it was a 5 game winning streak. The bye week did a lot of teams in but the Kings never really recovered coming out of it.

Nashville loses 4-1 so the Kings live another day but on borrowed time.

Bob MacKenize post mortem:

Depending on how you look at it, this is either the team that has won two Stanley Cups in the last five years, or a club that has only won a single playoff game over the last three seasons. What’s the next step for Kings’ management?”

“That’s a good question,” began NHL Insider Bob McKenzie when asked that Rorschach-like query Monday morning on Montreal’s TSN 690. “I think there’s going to be some real hard evaluation done there by ownership on down. A lot of times when teams miss the playoffs you can kind of say, ‘Well, you missed the playoffs. That’s the way it goes. So be it.’

“And in fact, when the Kings last missed the playoffs people asked me, ‘What about Lombardi? What about Sutter?’ And I’m like, ‘I think they’ll be fine.’

“I couldn’t in good conscience just automatically assume that there won’t be any changes there. With that three year stretch that you talked about where they only made the playoffs once and had just the one playoff win, I think it’ll be a real critical assessment of where the team is at, what the direction is headed in.

“So yeah, I think that the future of Dean Lombardi and/or Darryl Sutter are very much being scrutinized and that’s one I’m sure where ownership is going to review management. If they were to get a vote of confidence, then management is going to review coaching.

“Put it this way: I’d be surprised if the Kings came back intact in terms of the management and the coach. But we’ll see what happens.”

Can't say I disagree with that assessment, and McKenzie is a straight shooter - he isn't Dennis Bernstein or Mike Milbury and is well respected. I think from 2006-2014 Dumbo was on point, the last 3 years there have been questionable moves and monies dished out that led to where they stand currently. Sutter said in the LA times they are not going to talk about the season but rather evaluate his players, I'm assuming he means the final 4 games.

I think there are some big changes coming up in LA before October.

Writing on the wall? The only other guy who has a discounted jersey is Quick's away white version.

Men's Los Angeles Kings Dustin Brown Reebok Black Home Premier Jersey

Men's Los Angeles Kings Dustin Brown Reebok Pewter Cross Check 2.0 Premier Jersey

Those ones are old, still sporting the C so I would think they are just getting rid of old inventory. Still not a fan of the stadium jerseys.

However, that would be a big step in allowing LA to make some significant changes so we're not stuck with another year of the Purcell and Trotman signings because there was no cap room to get someone who can make a difference.

Compliance buyout - Wikipedia

Is this still how it works? So Kings could theoretically pay 2/3's of a contract stretched over 2x the life of the Contract?

Dustin Brown is owed $5,875,000/year over 5 more years (starting next year), for a total of $29,375,000 left on his last 5 years.
2/3's of that is $19,583,333, spread over 10 years is $1,958,333 per year cap hit.

Marian Gaborik is owed $4,875,000/year over 4 more years (starting next year), for a total of $19,500,000 left on is last 4 years.
2/3's of that is 13,000,000, spread over 8 years is $1,625,000 per year.

Would you consider just taking the hit for either of them?

Stunner_At_Staples_Kings said:

Compliance buyout - Wikipedia


Is this still how it works? So Kings could theoretically pay 2/3's of a contract stretched over 2x the life of the Contract?


Dustin Brown is owed $5,875,000/year over 5 more years (starting next year), for a total of $29,375,000 left on his last 5 years.

2/3's of that is $19,583,333, spread over 10 years is $1,958,333 per year cap hit.


Marian Gaborik is owed $4,875,000/year over 4 more years (starting next year), for a total of $19,500,000 left on is last 4 years.

2/3's of that is 13,000,000, spread over 8 years is $1,625,000 per year.


Would you consider just taking the hit for either of them?

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You have the general idea but the numbers are little off. The buyout is based on the difference between the cap hit, the actual salary (Brown’s cap hit is a steady $5.85 million a season but his actual salary this season is $7 million) and the savings so it will fluctuate annually.

I’m only going to take next 2 years from his contract as an example for Brown but will use actual numbers from his contract. Let’s assume he has 2 years left on his deal, the cap hit is the same $5.875 million but actual salary is $6.5 million in 2017-18 and $5.5 million in 2018-19, the Kings need space, and they want to buy him out (the buyout period is generally June 15-30 of every year):

Total Salary: $12 million

• 2017-18: $6.5 million
  
  
• 2018-19: $5.5 million

Buyout Amount: $8 million (Total Salary x 2/3)

• Per Year : $2 million (Total Buyout Amount /double the term of the contract left)

Annual Cap Hit: $5.875 million

2017-18 Savings: $4.5 million (2017-18 salary – Buyout Amount Per Year)

2017-18 Cap Hit: $1.375 million (Annual Cap Hit – 2017-18 Savings)

2018-19 Savings: $3.5 million (2018-19 salary – Buyout Amount Per Year)

2018-19 Cap Hit: $2.375 million (2018-19 salary – 2018-19 Savings)


This is why you’ll see guys with different buyout cap hits from year to year because the calculation includes actual salary and not just the cap hit. You were on the right track though. Generally speaking the lower the savings, the higher the cap hit.

And would I consider taking a hit on one of them? As a last resort, yes. I mentioned the 6/15-6/30 window, so decisions on buyouts need to happen pretty quickly at the end of the season for a team, especially if they go on a long run (the Kings in 2014 for example - Dumbo had to make a quick decision to buy out Richards because they went so late into June, and he made the wrong one by keeping him).

With the Kings missing the POs they are no doubt actively shopping Brown and Gaborik now to non PO teams like themselves, probably even having off the record discussions with PO bound teams too. I’m sure Vegas is involved in some way as well.

A team can only buy out 2 players per year, and I would not be surprised at all if one of these two is if they cannot be moved before June 15. A buyout however is a black mark on a GM, it is the final result of cap mismanagement and a bad contract.

Whelp, my brain sort of exploded trying to process actual salary. Thanks for the response nonetheless. That makes sense though overall, and I can see it being a last resort thing and a black mark on a GM.

I guess another question to ask is, what if LA doesn't do much? They go into next year with a (Theoretically) healthy Quick, newly resigned Toffoli and Pearson, hopes of a rebound year from Gaborik/Brown/Kopitar, McNabb is gone, Dwight King is still gone, and Kempe and Brodzinski take elevated roles. I have no idea what happens with Greene, but the rest of the D seems okay.

I would imagine that whatever Pearson and Toffoli get paid automatically offsets whatever King/McNabb savings and then some.

Does this sound crazy? Trade Muzzin and Brown to Colorado for Landeskog. No way they would trade McKinnon unless it was Muzzin, Brown, and a 1st, which I would still consider highly. They probably wouldn't do it though. I'd imagine that those two transform Colorado though and compliment the speed and talent they have, much like Edmonton was able to do. Add some more grit and size to play with their abundance of skill.

Grab another beer.

=)~~

Stunner_At_Staples_Kings said:

Whelp, my brain sort of exploded trying to process actual salary. Thanks for the response nonetheless. That makes sense though overall, and I can see it being a last resort thing and a black mark on a GM.

I guess another question to ask is, what if LA doesn't do much? They go into next year with a (Theoretically) healthy Quick, newly resigned Toffoli and Pearson, hopes of a rebound year from Gaborik/Brown/Kopitar, McNabb is gone, Dwight King is still gone, and Kempe and Brodzinski take elevated roles. I have no idea what happens with Greene, but the rest of the D seems okay.

I would imagine that whatever Pearson and Toffoli get paid automatically offsets whatever King/McNabb savings and then some.

Does this sound crazy? Trade Muzzin and Brown to Colorado for Landeskog. No way they would trade McKinnon unless it was Muzzin, Brown, and a 1st, which I would still consider highly. They probably wouldn't do it though. I'd imagine that those two transform Colorado though and compliment the speed and talent they have, much like Edmonton was able to do. Add some more grit and size to play with their abundance of skill.

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Quick correction, I accidentally put “2018-19 Salary “ in the 2018-19 Cap Hit but that should say “Annual Cap Hit”. Sorry for any confusion.

Cash needs to be included because that is the way contracts are structured. In Brown’s case for example, the cap hit is $5.875 million per year for 8 years but as you can see he makes a different salary in some years. In the first year of the contract (2014-15), he made $7.25 million in real dollars and in the last year of the deal (2021-22) he will make $4 million in real dollars and in some years that helps a team out with the cap.

Buyouts can haunt teams so that is an absolute last ditch resort when it comes to large contracts like Gaborik and Brown. You’ll see a buy out on a guy making $1.5 million or something but that usually doesn’t make or break a team’s cap situation, there is another reason why they are being bought out but the big ones can affect a team for years.

The Islanders for example gave Yashin a 10 year/$87.5 million deal in 2001 and ended up buying him out after 6 years. If I recall properly, they had about $2.25 million in dead money sitting on the books for 8 years, until the end of the 2014-15 season. That is insane.

What is even more insane but didn’t burn the Islanders in terms of cap space was the DiPietro contract. He signed a 15 year/$67.5 million deal in 2006, another dumb contract by the Islanders (you’d think they would have learned after Yashin) that was bought out in 2013. In this case the Islanders bought out the final 8 years totaling $24 million and have a cap hit of $1.5 million until 2029. The difference however is that is just money going to a player, there is no cap hit because they used one of the two penalty free Compliance Buyouts the league gave all teams coming out of the lockout in 2013 to get bad contracts off the books as a concession.

This is why the Richards deal looks so awful, even though Dumbo didn’t write the original contract (the Flyers did). He had not one, but two (2013 and 2014) opportunities to get him off the books with $0 cap hit repercussions and chose not to. We all were under the impression he was going to buy him out in summer 2015 when he was placed on Unconditional Waivers and be stuck with a 10 or whatever year cap hit but we know what happened after that. Dumbo hit aces when Richards himself got busted with the drugs, otherwise the Kings are in even worse shape cap wise now because Richards’ buyout hit would be on the books.

The hit we see is a cap recapture penalty (the actual language for this is the CARP – Cap Advantage Recapture Penalty. Your useless information for the day, you’re welcome) which is a “make up” penalty for the years where Richards’ contract was financially beneficial to the Kings. The CARP is incurred when a player retires during a contract or the contract is terminated. The Kings are damn lucky it is relatively low, a true buyout would have been on the books forever. But again this is on Dumbo, his loyalty got him again and by a stroke of luck he was able to get out of it.

Back on point…

I honestly do not think the Kings will sit tight this summer. Some guys are going to be gone, and honestly it wouldn’t surprise me to see a guy like Toffoli traded, especially if his contract is a tough one. He does have arbitration rights and I think I showed some comps in a different thread where it showed he should be around $4 and $4.5 million; I personally do not see him taking that so I am expecting a long drawn out negotiation. I think Pearson will get around that much too on a long term deal.

Toffoli really hit the skids this season, even before the injury he wasn’t exactly lighting it up and coming back he was worse than before. Pearson delivered this season and made a great case to get paid, Toffoli’s lack of production couldn’t have happened in a worse year for him.

King and McNabb made something like a combined $3 million, I think any new contracts for Toffoli and Pearson will well exceed that amount so there needs to be some trimming elsewhere. Losing Brown and Gaborik would be a coup as we have all discussed. Greene is essentially done, he has 1 year left on his deal. The Kings should just place him on LTIR and take full advantage of his $2.5 million hit and then he will be a GIII UFA in summer 2018.

If a move like Landeskog is on the radar, I’m not sure a Brown/Muffin package even with the 1st would be enough. That would clear out a ton of money though which would allow the Kings to improve, but I would actually target Duchene more than Landeskog. Good article on him not too long ago I read showing how his production has tailed off after his first year and the Kings don’t have the assets or space to try and risk that type of player in a trade.

I think guys like Kempe and Brodzinski should see more playing time next year, but that means some guys are going to have to be moved. The B6 needs some upgrades (how the hell did Nick Shore have a 4 point night the other night, I have no idea – HOS v2.0 there) but that area will be the easiest to clear space and room on the roster for these two. I’d like to see Lewis stay somehow and not taken in the draft, but guys like Andreoff, Shore, Dowd, Nolan, etc. will be possible guys to look to move.

The roster is getting too full and needs to be pared down for the newer guys to come up and stay.

Anyone see this?

LA Kings’ Darryl Sutter upset about Jordan Nolan’s no-show at morning skate

Guess you can say goodbye to him this weekend, he's probably going to get moved this summer. Bummer too, he really looked like he was starting to play some good hockey in the minimal games we saw him in.

His dad Ted Nolan was blackballed for a long time preventing him from coaching again, wonder if it some type of attitude/behavior that may run in the family.

I would rather move Sutter then Nolan...but ya, he should show up no matter what

For those interested, the capfriendly.com website has a Buyout Calculator. You can see what the cap hit over "x" years it would cost any team to buyout any player. Copying the Gaborik info below.

Also adding the alternative of simply burying Gaborik in the minors for the next 4 years. That would only save them $1.05 M on the cap hit per year, but it would be over in 4 years instead of 8 for the buyout option.

I'm sure its been mentioned before, but does anyone know what the maximum salary retention % is for a traded player? I believe its up to 50%? Here are Gaborik options:

SEASON INITIAL CAP HIT BUYOUT CAP HIT "BURY" OPTION Max Salary Retention
2017-18 $4,875,000 $1,125,000 $3,825,000 $2,437,500
2018-19 $4,875,000 $1,625,000 $3,825,000 $2,437,500
2019-20 $4,875,000 $3,025,000 $3,825,000 $2,437,500
2020-21 $4,875,000 $3,125,000 $3,825,000 $2,437,500
2021-22 $0 $1,325,000 $0 $0
2022-23 $0 $1,325,000 $0 $0
2023-24 $0 $1,325,000 $0 $0
2024-25 $0 $1,325,000 $0 $0

Total cap hit options for Gaborik:
Stays on the Kings: $19,500,000 over 4 years
Buyout option: $14,200,000 over 8 years
"Bury" option: $15,300,000 over 4 years
Max Retention: $9,750,000 over 4 years

Question: Could a team "Bury" a player in the AHL all season long, then recall him in April for the NHL playoffs??? Seems like a huge cap circumvention, just wondering if its possible.

Looking at this info, I would favor the "Bury" option over "Buyout" in regards to Gaborik. Obviously, trade is the best. Of course, the caveat is finding a reasonable trade and a team willing to take him.