LAS VEGAS (AP) — Boos began raining down on Golden Knights captain Mark Stone at the American Airlines Center in Dallas the moment he touched the puck for the first time. They didn’t give up each time the first-round series went to Dallas.
Stars fans weren’t happy that the poster boy for all things questionable regarding the long-term functioning of injured reserve was back on the ice just in time for the playoffs.
Again.
No team is more scrutinized than Vegas for how it uses LTIR. To critics and skeptical fans, this looks a lot like salary cap manipulation — even though the NHL has steadfastly maintained that it’s all fine with it.
Stone has participated in LTIR each of the last three seasons, which allows the Golden Knights to be over the cap by approximately the amount of his salary until the start of the playoffs. The Knights took advantage by acquiring players such as Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev, Thomas Hertl And Noah Hanifin. It was Hanifin’s goal Friday night forced a Game 7 against Dallas.
For the past two years — after back surgery in 2023 and after recovering from a lacerated spleen this season — Stone has been activated off LTIR for the playoff opener.
While many fans around the league screamed at the remarkable moment of Stone’s recovery, a smile Hayley Thompson posed with a fan wearing her husband’s No. 61 jersey with LTIR on the nameplate.
THE STONE IN THE HONOR
Vegas is not alone in using LTIR to its advantage. Hart Levine of PuckPedia said that 69% of teams used LTIR this season to go over the cap, or $83.5 million this season. The website that tracks salaries around the league also lists 10 playoff teams finishing the regular season over the cap, the Toronto Maple Leafs ($14.15 million over) and the Tampa Bay Lightning ( $10.27 million) tops the list.
Vegas is third at $8.72 million over the cap. The team draws attention because it uses LTIR every year to scout for talent at the trade deadline. Unprompted, general manager Kelly McCrimmon took a few moments to address the issue before the start of the playoffs. He said “the NHL is 100% involved” in all matters involving LTIR.
McCrimmon said the league had full access to Stone’s medical information and that NHL doctors communicated with the Golden Knights’ surgeon and medical staff.
“That’s what keeps the system legitimate,” McCrimmon said. “They are the ones who are fully involved in all of this. I don’t know if the fans or the media understand how much scrutiny these injuries get. We had Mark’s case. Ironically, it’s the same player. We spoke openly about his surgery a year ago. This year it was a funny accident.
Levine noted that a timeline for Stone’s recovery should be provided to the league and the process should be documented. He also said parts of the process were open to interpretation.
“The fact that (Stone) was magically healed and ready to play in Game 1 of the playoffs for the second year in a row obviously leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth,” Levine said. “I certainly think it’s a bad image and it leads to frustration among the fans, which is important. I don’t think anything was done that was against the rules. Nobody cheated or anything whatever. It’s just about using the rules as they are and living in a certain gray area.
A TEAM OPTION
Chicago star Patrick Kane was placed on LTIR in 2015 due to a broken collarbone. The Blackhawks added three players at the trade deadline and he returned in time for the playoffs. The Blackhawks went on to beat the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.
Tampa Bay used the rule to its advantage when Nikita Koucherov missed the pandemic-shortened season due to hip surgery and Steven Stamkos went LTIR with a lower-body injury before the trade deadline. Every player returned in time to help the Lightning repeat as champion.
“We had a great season,” Carolina defenseman Dougie Hamilton said in 2021 after the Hurricanes were eliminated by Tampa Bay in the second round. “We lost against a team that is $18 million more Hood.”
Fans have accused the Blackhawks and Lightning of circumventing the cap, much like criticism of Vegas in recent years.
ARE ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED?
It’s unclear whether the league and the NHL Players’ Association will discuss the issue again this summer, although the topic is on the radar. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said so far there hasn’t been a wave of opposition demanding change.
Levine said there are possible solutions, such as limiting a team over the cap to replacing only 50% of the lost annual salary. He added that things need to be simplified; The amount of salary released depends on a complex formula which is not specified in the collective agreement.
“It’s in the memos and verbal discussions with the league,” Levine said. “A lot of people in the front office who manage the cap don’t really understand all the intricacies. »
He said no other major sports league uses this type of system in which an injury can end up benefiting a team early in the playoffs.
“I would say there’s definitely a possibility of change because I think it’s pretty embarrassing for the league,” Levine said.
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed.
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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup And https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
