I officially hate Brian, Teemu and Scott. If I think like a conspirist, the cap was the biggest fear for Brian coming into this year, but Scott and Teemu going away helped them settle down their roster, and their late returns have kept them in the money, while the team was able to keep them in contention. Even if there is no conspiracy, Scott shouldn’t be able to resign. There is something to this idea of a ‘declaration day’, that should be well long enough away from the end of the season that cap tricks like this can’t be pulled off, let’s say before Christmas at the latest. As for Teemu, even though he had no contract, unless something was keeping him out (injury), a similar declaration date should be needed, or at the very least a prevention from rejoining his team, to prevent conspiring, but allowing him to join others. Point is, this is just such utter BS. I hope Anaheim goes out in round 1, since my first wish of them not making the playoffs obviously won’t come true.

Posted by anonymouss from Waterloo, ON on 01/28/08 at 04:41 PM ET

Who saw this coming?

Posted by Itlan on 01/28/08 at 04:53 PM ET

Really…and to think people have been bitching about the Patriots and “spygate” for the entire (U.S.) football season!

The “Hoodie’s” got absolutely nothing on “Burkie” and his little bag of tricks. Lou Lamiorello would be proud (if he wasn’t so pissed he didn’t think of it first).

The BOG has nobody to blame but themselves—but, nonetheless, they had better close these loopholes fast.

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 01/28/08 at 04:54 PM ET

Who does this guy think he is, Glenn Anderson?

Posted by The Forechecker from Tennessee on 01/28/08 at 05:00 PM ET

ducks just became favorites in the west.

there are rumors floating around that foppa signing with flyers sometime this week.

Posted by FlyersFan on 01/28/08 at 05:08 PM ET

if burke was my gm, i’d be celebrating, but seeing how i’m a wings fan, i’m hoping for an errant puck to be shot his way.

Posted by thom from seattle on 01/28/08 at 05:43 PM ET

“but seeing how i’m a wings fan, i’m hoping for an errant puck to be shot his way.”

That’s the cue for Daniel Alfredsson.

Posted by Earl Sleek on 01/28/08 at 06:28 PM ET

OMG HOCKEY CONSPIRACY.

This is ridiculous,  Teemu and Scott both really had not reason to return this year, but Burke decided to give them time. Why else would the Ducks acquire Schneider?

Also, Burke said that this year was fine for Scottie and Teemu to make a decision. Next year? No dice.

Posted by Wild Wing from Los Angeles on 01/28/08 at 06:35 PM ET

ducks just became favorites in the west.
there are rumors floating around that foppa signing with flyers sometime this week.

I think they were favorites before this signing.

As for Forsberg, Colorado seems more likely than Philly, thats the feeling I get with Smyth and Sakic sideined.

But if not Colorado, then Philly.

I doubt he chooses the Predators and I doubt he chooses the Canucks, if those rumors are true.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 01/28/08 at 06:39 PM ET

“but Scott and Teemu going away helped them settle down their roster, and their late returns have kept them in the money, while the team was able to keep them in contention. Even if there is no conspiracy, Scott shouldn’t be able to resign.”

You do realize Scott Niedermayer remained under contract during his contemplation time, and his contract even continues to next year, at no point in time did he ever ‘resign’ with the ducks, correct?

Surely you also recall that because he could elect to return to the team, they were unable to spend the 6million dollars of cap space his contract ate up, correct?

I knew you did, pal.

Posted by VeryProudofYa on 01/28/08 at 06:55 PM ET

It does nonetheless show enormous disrespect for the players and fans of the Anaheim Ducks, as well as the nhl itself, to decide that the first couple of months of the regular season are not worth playing. If Selanne or Niedermayer didn’t love the game enough to play in fixture #1, they don’t love the game enough to deserve to play in game #82 or beyond. Personally, this season I have lost a lot of respect for both players, and feel sorry for Brian Burke, who is the real victim of this; if it wasn’t for the vacillation of two star players, Andy McDonald and Dustin Penner would likely still be Ducks, and the immense weight of Bertuzzi and Schneider on Anaheim’s cap would not have been necessitated.

Posted by fredster on 01/28/08 at 07:13 PM ET

via TSN-

Sources tell TSN that Selanne signed a one-year deal with an annual base salary of $1.5 million, which means Selanne will receive just under $600,000 for the balance of this season. But as a player older than 35, Selanne is entitled to performance bonuses and he will almost certainly earn another $1.35 million from the Ducks this season. That performance bonus is achieved by simply playing 10 games, so, barring injury, Selanne will actually receive close to $2 million in base salary plus performance bonus for the balance of this season.

His base salary will count against the cap this year, but his performance bonuses only count against the cap if they put the Ducks over the $50.3 million limit. If that happens, the Ducks must carry forward his bonus paid out to be applied to next season’s totals against the cap. But that only happens if the bonus figures put the Ducks over the cap this year, and as of now, the Ducks have plenty of cap room left to absorb Selanne’s contract. Or go out and get a player at the deadline, if they so choose, and carry Selanne’s bonuses to next year’s payroll.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 01/28/08 at 07:32 PM ET

Surely you also recall that because he could elect to return to the team, they were unable to spend the 6million dollars of cap space his contract ate up, correct?

I knew you did, pal.

Hey, VeryProudofYa, surely you recall that Niedermayer was suspended by the Ducks on Sept. 11, 2007 specifically so that his salary wouldn’t count against the cap, correct?

Yah, I knew you didn’t or you wouldn’t have made such a fool of yourself.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 01/28/08 at 08:00 PM ET

So I guess that Chairman Mao, who said that even Niedermayer coming back was a little fishy during Sunday’s All-Star game, will do what he promised if any particular team started to “make a trend” of bringing back players for the Cup run—first, he’ll grumble to the Board of Governors about closing the loophole, and then, he’ll give Brian Burke, who he told the CBC’s Ron MacLean is still a good buddy of his, a slap on the wrist and say, “Carry on.”

Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 01/28/08 at 08:14 PM ET

As someone that dislikes artificial markets, I have no problem with this. To me, this is exactly what the league had coming since they got the CBA they desired. As much as I hate Brian Burke with every ounce of energy in my body, he deserves a lot of credit for pulling off what he did in this situation, whether you believe it was a conspiracy or whether you believe he was the victim.

Eat it, NHL.

Posted by Nathan on 01/28/08 at 08:44 PM ET

“Hey, VeryProudofYa, surely you recall that Niedermayer was suspended by the Ducks on Sept. 11, 2007 specifically so that his salary wouldn’t count against the cap, correct?

Yah, I knew you didn’t or you wouldn’t have made such a fool of yourself. “

My point is that his possible return PREVENTED them from using the money his suspension freed up.

Which has the same result of what I said earlier, his potential return prevented them from being able to actually use the 6 mil.

Posted by VeryProudofYa on 01/28/08 at 09:02 PM ET

I wouldn’t blame Burke here—he’s obviously doing what he’s entitled to do under the CBA, just as Kevin Lowe did what he was entitled to do under the CBA in tendering offer sheets to Thomas Vanek and Dustin Penner.  There’s no conspiracy here, and Brian Burke sure as hell is anything but a victim—one gets a feeling that Burke has never been a victim of anything or anyone more than once in his life—so while it certainly is admittedly satisfying in a strange way to see these GM’s exploit every rule in the CBA to their advantage in a, “Stickin’ it to the man” kind of way…

As a Red Wings fan, I think it’s kind of fishy, and I’m not sure what kind of atmosphere must exist in the Ducks’ room when you know that you’re the one who won’t have the chance to compete for the Stanley Cup again because you’re the odd man out. 

The business of winning is brutal, and that’s as normal as can be, but the fact that Niedermayer and Selanne’s returns have dragged out for so long must have led to the vast majority of the dressing room wondering if they were the ones who’d get axed because some players are more equal than others, and can cast as much uncertainty and doubt upon other players’ NHL futures as they see fit. 

That changes, of course, once the players come back and the “other guys” get moved, but it’s still a divisive force.

Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 01/28/08 at 09:11 PM ET

Perhaps, George, but I don’t know if it’s going to be that different than a lot of lockerrooms around trade deadline day.  Players losing their spot because another gets brought in is a sucky situation, but I don’t know if it’s going to be that foreign a scenario.

Posted by Earl Sleek on 01/28/08 at 09:45 PM ET

Teemu taking time was totally different than Niedermeyer’s because Teemu had the right as a free-agent, where as Nieds was signed to a contract and should have either been at training camp or retired.

Posted by NHLJeff from Pens fan in Chicago, IL on 01/28/08 at 10:19 PM ET

My point is that his possible return PREVENTED them from using the money his suspension freed up.

Which has the same result of what I said earlier, his potential return prevented them from being able to actually use the 6 mil.

Man, you don’t let the facts get in the way of a good theory do you, VPoA? The fact is the Ducks held less cap space in reserve than the Wings did. Niedermayer’s return only cost them $4.115 mil, not $6 mil.

And, as if by magic, his return came at a time when that’s exactly the amount of cap space the Ducks had left. Imagine that? Niedermayer’s “sudden” interest in continuing his career meshed perfectly with Burke’s cap situation. Why, it’s almost as if it were planned that way.

The bottom line is, Niedermayer’s “time away” didn’t hurt the Ducks one bit. Quite the contrary. They signed Bertuzzi. They signed Schneider. And now they have both Selanne and Niedermayer well rested for the final two months of the season and the playoffs.

Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 01/28/08 at 11:47 PM ET

As a GM, you have to tip your hat off to one of the shrewdest and most manipulative management of the salary cap since the new CBA was instituted.

That that both S.Niedermeyer and Selanne have said, “I just wanted to know if I still had it in me to compete at the NHL level.  Being with my teammates once again made me realize that I still love the game.”

Gimmeableepingbreak…

It’s just too damn convenient how the calendar year loophole is used to manipulate the cap’s limit.  The team payroll should be for the season’s worth:  from October to June…NOT from Jan. 1 2007 to Jan. 1 2008.  The payroll is basically split in half in that setup.

(At least, that’s my understanding of the loophole.)

I hope the Schmucks fail to make the playoffs and see these two idiots pull this dumbass stunt on the cap AND their teammates again next season.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 01/29/08 at 12:00 AM ET

Why, it’s almost as if it were planned that way.

Well, I guess Burke will have to suffer the hard weight of strong insinuation, then.  Seems like a light punishment.

Posted by Earl Sleek on 01/29/08 at 12:29 AM ET

Well, I guess Burke will have to suffer the hard weight of strong insinuation, then.  Seems like a light punishment.
Posted by Earl Sleek on 01/29 at 12:29 AM

Well, that and burning in “Hockey hell.”

Seriously, you have to give the guy a lot of credit for brilliantly weaseling his way around the cap (not that it was really that difficult). Hopefully, the BoG will do what’s necessary to close up the loopholes.

(BTW, did anyone honestly believe that crap Burke was spewing about how Teemu better not announce he was coming back during the All-Star break? Hoooo! That was a good one. Almost as good as how he let Bryzgalov go on waivers out of the goodness of his heart. Oh Brian…please stop…my sides hurt from all the laughing! And, oh yeah…those guys better not try this again next season…ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Stop, you’re killing me!)

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 01/29/08 at 09:22 AM ET

Hopefully, the BoG will do what’s necessary to close up the loopholes.

Or…

Any guesses which other players “contemplate retirement” next year to give their teams salary cap relief?  Maybe Burke is just a trend-setter.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/29/08 at 11:02 AM ET