In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the Carolina Hurricanes have signed Seth Jarvis to a unique long-term deal. It keeps the forward with the team for the foreseeable future, but the deal could also set a precedent for other teams in the NHL. Among the teams that might be thinking of a similar deal is the Edmonton Oilers. Finally, the Calgary Flames are still willing to talk about trades on big-name players.
Seth Jarvis Signs Long-Term Deferred Deal With Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes signed a long-term commitment with forward Seth Jarvis on Saturday, agreeing to an eight-year, $63.2 million contract. This deal is particularly unique because it includes a ninth year with a deferred payment. It’s not entirely clear how much the deferred payment is or what year the Hurricanes will be moving the money into the ninth year, but it has dropped Jarvis’ cap hit by $400K per season.
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This deal may set a new precedent in the NHL as teams are not assessed a salary cap hit for payments made that are deferred and there is no max that a team and player can agree to defer. The NHL will have to determine the value of the money in the ninth year as valued at the time the money was deferred, but both sides seem to be comfortable with the idea.
Could the Oilers Do This With Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid?
Frank Seravalli effectively explained how deferred payments work and then wondered if the Edmonton Oilers might use the mechanism while negotiating with Leon Draisaitl this offseason. His contract has been talked about for weeks but a deal has not been signed yet. Seravalli painted a picture where the Oilers and Draisaitl could agree to defer as much as $33.6 million over 40 years, bringing his cap hit down to $10 million per season versus the rumored $14 – $14.2 million.
Seravalli admits that the math isn’t quite as simple as he’s pointing out, but also writes, “That would pay Draisaitl $80 million over the first eight years of the deal, hypothetically making for a cap hit in the neighborhood of $10 million per year – or a discount of $4.2 million per year of the deal.”
If the Oilers go this route, could they look at the same with Connor McDavid. If Edmonton is willing to pay these players for several years after they retire, they could potentially save $8-$10 million per season on their cap hit for their two top players, bringing the total salary cap down to $20-$22 million instead of $30 million.
Calgary Flames Open to Major Moves as Trade Talk Out There
On NHL Network, David Pagnotta reported that Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy is open to trade discussions and ready to listen to offers for several key players.
Pagnotta contends that Conroy is willing to move forward Nazem Kadri, who has a no-movement clause but is reportedly open to moving east, though not necessarily back to Toronto. Additionally, the Flames are entertaining offers for defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who has one year remaining on his contract and limited trade protection. There’s speculation that this could be Andersson’s last season in Calgary if no deal is reached this summer. MacKenzie Weegar also drew interest from teams like St. Louis over the summer, with the Flames open to exploring options for him as well.
Although Calgary hasn’t officially committed to a full rebuild, their willingness to listen to offers on players like Kadri, Andersson, Weegar, and even Jonathan Huberdeau suggests that further significant changes could be on the horizon.
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