The NHL salary cap is actually a very good system. every year there is a max and min every team has to be within, and cannot exceed from it in any direction. the cap is based on the NHL's revenue and has been climbing every year. it's now at like 55mil, and should keep increasing. no player can make more than 20% of the team cap, and contracts cant be renegotiated until it expires.
The Blackhawks are actually at the salary cap, such that they actually had to send someone down recently to prevent exceeding it. There was also rumor they may go after mats sundin, who half-retired, but he went to vancouver, not that we had salary cap room for him anyway. We'll get some relief because Khabibulin's contract will expire after this year, and matrin havlat will also be done. hopefully they can keep their guys, but it's gonna be hard cause there are so many of them. we may have to let havlat go, which is a shame, and i'm not sure if they'll want to sign sharp to a long term contract. Tallon has basically done what kenny williams does. Develop home grown talent, plus trade for other team's 1st round busts, sharp, ladd, eager, and get rid of his own 1st round disappointments in ruutu, borque, and mccarthey.
If you look at the penguins, they have two of the best players in the league in crosby and malkin, who are equally good, but they will take up 40% of the team cap. so their team actually sucks. they got to the finals last year cause their goalie, fluery, who's not good got really hot(sub 2 GAA) and trading for marian hossa did the trick. i doubt they'll be back in the finals any time soon. kane and toews arn't nearly as good so they wont make 9-10 mil per year so that should free up space to lock up Keith, Seabrook, Versteeg, Bolland...Long story short. The future is good!
Other sports should follow, especially baseball!
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