Jones: Bruins Should Expose NHL Salary Cap/CBA Loophole
BOSTON (CBS) - Like the snow in Boston, there's been a flurry of trades in the NHL in the past month, many of them coming this week with the trade deadline fast approaching.
Andrej Sekera is on his way to the Kings, Daniel Winnik was dealt out of Toronto to Pittsburgh and Jiri Tlusty gets sent to Winnipeg, who recently jettisoned Evander Kane in a trade to Buffalo.
Meanwhile the Bruins are still on the sideline, and it sounds like they're not going to use a potential advantage between now and the March 2 4pm deadline -- at least that's how team president Cam Neely made it seem Tuesday afternoon on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
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Boston defenseman Kevan Miller will miss the remainder of the season, and now the Black and Gold will be without David Krejci as well for the foreseeable future. Boston's top-line center is slated to miss 4-6 weeks with a partially torn MCL, an injury suffered Friday night in St. Louis, adding more uncertainty and holes to the Bruins lineup.
But there is a way out . . . sort of.
The NHL collective bargaining agreement stipulates Boston could technically place Krejci on long term injured reserve, which frees up his money on the salary cap, and use that money to acquire another player for the playoff run, where there is no salary cap.
But as Cam Neely told Felger & Mazz, Boston is unlikely to go that route because the NHL would frown upon this practice if they suspected the Bruins of any funny business in regards to skirting the rules.
On Wednesday night, 98.5 The Sports Hub's Adam Jones makes the case for the Bruins to put Krejci on long term injured reserve, because they have a legitimate argument here.
"You have money to play around with now. You have an opportunity to go over the salary cap. So do it. I think the Bruins should do it and force the league's hand. What is it? A slap on the wrists? A cross-eyed look from the other 29 teams? What are they actually going to do?" asked Jones. "What? You can't sit at the cool kids table anymore at the general managers meetings? Is Peter Chiarelli worried about a slap on the wrist or is he worried about losing his job?"
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The situations aren't exactly the same, but Blackhawks right wing and NHL point leader Patrick Kane had surgery to repair a left clavicle fracture on Wednesday, and he's expected to miss 12 weeks. Chicago wasted no time in placing Kane on long term IR.
It's a longer term injury for Kane that it is Krejci, so Chicago definitely had an easier decision to make. But Jones thinks it'd be a bad look for Chicago to use this loophole and not the Bruins.
"I'd hate to see Chicago use that long term injury money, go over the salary cap and add a piece the Bruins want, whether it's Antoine Vermette or a stud like Phil Kessel. I don't want to see Chicago go over the salary cap, get Patrick Kane back for the playoffs and then have the Bruins sit there and say, 'Well we can't do it. We're not allowed to do it. The NHL would frown at us.' That's the last thing I want to see happen, is the Blackhawks take advantage of this loophole and the Bruins sit on the sidelines. That would be a bad look for the whole organization."
What do you want the Bruins to do by the NHL trade deadline?
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