Trades Betray First Signs Of New Economic Order
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
On Saturday, the NHL held its annual Entry Draft in Vancouver, and though the first few picks went as expected, the everchanging landscape of NHL business and finance made for a mad weekend of picks and trades. And it won’t end there. With the league’s free-agency period arriving this coming Saturday and as many as 150-200 players possibly switching teams, it could be weeks before rosters around the league are nailed down.
The NHL salary cap is set to rise from $39 to $44 million for the coming season, with the minimum team payroll rising even more dramatically (by 33%, from $21 million to $28 million). Last summer, teams were operating under a salary cap for the very first time, and some general managers experienced more growing pains than others. But this year, all 30 GMs have a much clearer understanding of the lay of the land, both with regard to rule changes and the cap’s restrictions. With this more level playing field, it came as little surprise that some enormous trades took place both before and during the draft.
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