NHL Rumors: Percentage of the Cap, and Shifting Comparables for Stuart Skinner

Percentage of the cap is making long-term deals tricky

Eric Macramalla: “With cap going up by $25M thru 2027, we are already seeing tension between teams wanting to pay players reasonable salaries versus players want percentage of cap. Agents see preserving percentage model as reasonable while teams won’t. See Kaprizov.”

• Marco D’Amico: “Agents are using the sharp projected rise of the salary cap (combined with expansion) to push for higher cap % on contract negotiations. In their minds, 10% of the cap today could likely become 6-7% by 2030. Players better off going short-term, unless…”

NHL Rumors: Blue Jackets, and the Senators

Comparables for Stuart Skinner have shifted a bit this offseason

Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf is now the 10th highest-paid goalie at a $7.5 million cap hit, after signing his seven-year deal after only 71 NHL games. What impact will that have on Stuart Skinner’s next contract, as he has 50 playoff games and two trips to the Stanley Cup Final?

If Skinner has a strong regular season, the Edmonton Oilers won’t be looking for a goalie at the trade deadline. They’ll be in a wait-and-see mode with Skinner.

Anaheim Ducks Lukas Dostal, who was an RFA, signed for $6.25 million. Dostal has 42 wins in 121 NHL games. Wolf is at 37, and Skinner, including playoffs, is at 124.

Kevin Woodley of InGoal magazine on Skinner and the market.

“But it’s all over the map. It’s Joey Daccord being a No. 1 (in Seattle) and getting $5 million. It’s MacKenzie Blackwood having all kinds of success in Colorado and looking like his potential is being fulfilled and he’s a $5-million (actually $5.25-million) goalie.

The overarching feeling is if you can’t fix it in free agency, then at least, ‘We know what our guy is and what he isn’t.’ I think Stu Skinner’s value in Edmonton may be higher than anywhere else. There’s a lot of different league-wide opinions on Stu.”

NHL Rumors: Predators, Oilers, and Carter Hart

Blackwood could be a good comparable in age and a big-bodied goalie, but have the younger Wolf’s and Dostal’s deals moved Skinner higher than Blackwood’s $5.25 million?

If the Oilers are looking for a veteran goalie at the deadline, if the New York Islanders and Nashville Predators are out of it, maybe they would consider moving Ilya Sorokin ($8.25 million for seven years) and Juuse Saros ($7.74 million for eight).

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league. We’re also posting some stuff on Instagram.