Gary Bettman reportedly accused Maple Leafs of violating CBA
Photo credit: 12 News on YouTube
After Toronto's recent deal with Chris Tanev, Gary Bettman reportedly accused the Maple Leafs of violating the CBA.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been struggling to make a strong impact in the NHL for decades, failing to make it past the first round of playoffs almost every year. Yet, it seems they were trying to reverse their fortunes after signing defenseman Chirs Tanev from the Dallas Stars to a six-year contract.
"The Leafs sign Chris Tanev to a six-year contract"
However, this offseason move did not go unnoticed by the league. According to reports, Gary Bettman was critical of the contract, accusing the Toronto Maple Leafs of attempting to circumnavigate the CBA by signing Tanev until he was 40, likely forcing him into LTIR and opening up more cap space.
"Gary Bettman has harsh words for Maple Leafs for violating CBA rules #NHL #LeafsForever"
This would not be the first time an NHL team has seemed to bend the rules by using LTIR, most notoriously the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights. However, if US teams can bend these rules, Canadians should not be under scrutiny for doing the same. Eric Duhatschek of the Athletic shared that this practice is ultimately inherent in the current system and will likely remain that way through the next CBA update.
"Teams who knowingly sign players well past their best-before date do so because that's sometimes the cost of doing business when an in-demand player becomes a free agent. Nor will the Maple Leafs be the first or the last team to do so. But the larger question posed by Jeffrey M. is really about cap circumvention � and his notion that the NHL should follow the spirit of the salary cap, which is to even the playing field for every team. If the league genuinely wanted to do that, they would find ways of plugging the loopholes in the system.
This, by the way, is inherently just like the NHL. As soon as a rule is in place, teams try to find creative ways of circumventing it. Ever since the cap system was introduced, teams have found complicated, but legal ways to get around the theoretical cap ceiling.
Change probably won't come until the next CBA negotiations, but those are not that far away."
This, by the way, is inherently just like the NHL. As soon as a rule is in place, teams try to find creative ways of circumventing it. Ever since the cap system was introduced, teams have found complicated, but legal ways to get around the theoretical cap ceiling.
Change probably won't come until the next CBA negotiations, but those are not that far away."
Whether or not the Toronto Maple Leafs made the deal with Chris Tanev to work through a loophole is unknown, but ultimately irrelevant. This issue comes from a poorly drafted CBA, and teams should not be chastised for following the same rules that other teams have clearly utilized.
Source: Blade of Steel
Gary Bettman has harsh words for Maple Leafs for violating CBA rules
Gary Bettman has harsh words for Maple Leafs for violating CBA rules
| POLL | ||
1 AOUT | 84 ANSWERS Gary Bettman reportedly accused Maple Leafs of violating CBA Does Toronto's deal with Chris Tanev violate the CBA? | ||
| Yes | 39 | 46.4 % |
| No | 30 | 35.7 % |
| Depends | 15 | 17.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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