Surprising NHL GM Open to Taking Bad Contracts in Exchange for Valuable Assets and Draft Capital
An NHL insider has revealed that the Columbus Blue Jackets are willing to take on a massive contract soon seeing as the team sits around the salary cap floor.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have ample cap space, and this could be one of those times when they can use that cap space to their advantage. There's some flexibility with the salary structure of the team that could see them take high-cap hit players in exchange for more valuable assets, such as draft picks or prospects. Naturally, there is a limit to just how far one can take this tactic because it is an approach that really does need much attention to the contract terms and their implications for planning down the road.
Via Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff: Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell is open to taking on unwanted contracts, but only if they fit their long-term vision. Waddell has indicated he won't entertain deals for players with lengthy multi-year contracts. His reasoning? Sometime in the next couple of years, Columbus will want to be a playoff contender, and Waddell doesn't want valuable cap space tied up in players who might no longer fit by then.
- Frank Seravalli
Waddell's message to other teams is pretty simple: if they want to send over an overpaid player, his contract better be short-term, preferably with just one or two years left on it. In doing so, he takes this course of action because it leaves the Columbus management with the flexibility for cap space as the team becomes more competitive. Waddell only wants deals that won't impede the team's future playoff aspirations.
The more relevant issue for the Blue Jackets involves a more immediate concern. As the year progresses, it appears Columbus risks falling beneath the salary cap's lower limit, that is $65 million, with their cap running only just less than $2 million above the floor. A move, whether in the form of strategic acquisition or otherwise, is likely to be taken by the team quite soon so as to help it avoid any probable penalties while bringing the team into compliance.
Off to a respectable 5-5-1 start to the season, the Blue Jackets are competing but seem to have a good dose of reality regarding their chances this year. While they might not be serious playoff contenders just yet, Columbus seems intent on building a roster that will be sustainable and ready for the future without taking on burdensome contracts that offer little in tangible, near-term benefits.
