This podcast is getting some attention because of the discussion of double retention trades. As you know, in the new CBA those trades are no longer possible.

Forget the trade and the retention, what these deals are is a form of buying and selling cap space. So a team retains on a trade for a player they've never had on their books, and they pay a portion of that player's salary for the term of the deal. The acquiring team gets a lower cap hit.

This isn't very different to trading LTIR contracts, but for whatever reason the CBA left that alone.

As Jeff Marek explains, the theory behind this desire to stop teams selling cap space is that it incentivizes what he refers to as small-market teams to use that cap space to reach the salary cap floor. Or in other words, end run the rules that are there to bring a minimum level of competitiveness to all teams.

The issue here isn't parity, which is actually good, sorry, but it is. But the related concept of the overall asset value of teams. To boil this down, Arizona held back the whole league by making even rich and successful teams grow in value more slowly than they should have.

So it's in the interest of the teams running at the cap ceiling and trying to win at all times to not buy cap space from a team that is fake. Fake teams make the NHL less valuable overall. I'm not doing a podcast, so I can just call them fake.

Plausible, to be sure, but when the Habs sell Carey Price's contract after his signing bonus gets paid next month, it's going to be hard to sell the idea that this other, minor use of dollars for space was the real villain. There's a lot of teams with space to take that deal on instead of a player that might make them better.

In other NHL news, the Sens signed two low-level players yesterday, and we have now had one entire month pass with no trades in the NHL.

Maple Leafs Reportedly ‘Still Keeping Tabs’ On UFA Jack Roslovic As Training Camp Approaches
The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly <a href=“https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/they-re-trying-to-move-money-around-maple-leafs-reportedly-haven-t-closed-door-on-signing-ufa-jack-roslovic”>still keeping tabs on unrestricted free agent Jack Roslovic</a> as the offseason begins to wind down.
The Hockey NewsNick Barden

They sewed a player tracking chip into his clothes. They know where he is at all times.

That is it for today. Have a good Tuesday, everyone.

From The Branches