No cap come playoff time

Team: 2020-21 Montreal Canadiens

Initial Creation Date: Jan. 29, 2021

Published: Jan. 29, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Don't think this would be cap circumvention but...... what's stopping a situation like this:

Habs acquire Getzlaf from ANA if they are out of the playoff picture. They obviously don't have the cap to play him during the season, but there's not much in the way of MTL putting him on their taxi squad (where he can still practice with the team), and once the playoffs begin and the cap disappears, insert him in the lineup alongside Perry...

Getzlaf would have to go through waivers once acquired, but I doubt any team would even claim him since they would still have to pay his insane salary and/or stomach his cap hit just to keep him on the roster.... Not to mention Getzlaf could just to do the same "claim me and I retire" shenanigan's like Spezza, and voila!



At the moment Habs don't have a need to do this, since Evans is playing great on their 4th line. But come playoff time, a more experienced guy like Getzlaf would be worth his weight in gold, and reuniting him with Perry just puts everything over the top.
Let's go Bergy, get'er done on trade deadline day!


EDIT: so I guess the only way to make it work would if Habs could manage to have Getzlaf on LTIR during the season, since most of his cap hit would still count even on the taxi squad. You can't fake an injury...... but a guy Getzlaf's age does have a lot of bumps and bruises, if you know what I mean ;)