CarltonTheBear said:
Zee said:
I really wish more teams would do this. Enough of the old-boys club "we can't do that" mentality, it's legal and it puts your opponent into an uncomfortable place to be. If you're scared that another team may do it to you, all the more incentive to manage your cap very well so you don't end up like this.
It just makes so much sense especially for young RFAs who don't have arbitration rights on teams with no cap space. Heck even Nick Robertson should be exploring this option. Current compensation levels means he could sign a deal as high as $1.51mil with another team and that wouldn't even require a loss of a draft pick if the deal isn't matched. The Leafs could technically fit Robertson in at that number but it would require either shedding some cap space through trade or waivers with guys like Timmins and Holmberg and running a small roster. If he signs an offer sheet with a team as high as $2.29mil the Leafs would only get a 3rd as compensation but they might be forced to take it.
I've been wondering about this with Robertson. I think it's actually a really interesting case for whether the RFA rules actually work.
As you point out, Robertson's issue is that as strapped as the leafs are, if he signs with someone for ~$1.5, the Leafs probably just match. No upside to letting him walk that easily. It's not 100% but other teams he'd be negotiating with would know this, so why put in the effort?
If he can get someone to sign him to $2.29, the Leafs probably have to let him go... but then you're left with injury prone, yet to break out Nick Robertson @ $2.3M. How sure are you that's something you really want? You're probably not going to gamble term on it, and in 12 months you're going to be looking at whether to qualify him at ~ $2.5ish? IF he's healthy AND IF he suddenly takes the next step, the upside is probably a discounted line 2 winger for 12 months weighed against what else can I do with $2.3M on my roster (plus that 3rd rounder)? Again, is it worth the effort of negotiating this deal?
It may yet happen, but in the meantime it suggests to me that at Robertson's end of the FA scale, the incentives in the CBA have been poorly built.
In the next iteration, they should probably be looking at this scenario. If you're Nick Robertson, a AAAA quality player looking for a chance to prove yourself, having so little control over your destiny must be very frustrating. As a fan I don't want the Leafs losing assets on the cheap, but I feel for Nicky Bobby.
