One thing we've seen every so often in the cap era is the so called "cap dump", where a team trades a player who has a significant salary along with an attached asset with the primary purpose to shed salary. This doesn't necessarily mean there is no return, but the return is smaller than would be expected for the high-value asset alone.

An example of this is the Detroit-Arizona trade that sent Pavel Datsyuk to the desert.

My question to the cap friendly community seems simple, but can be very complex: what is (or should be) the price of a cap-dump?

Depends how big the contract is.

Depends on the cap hit, actual money owed, length of contract, talent of the player. Of course it also depends on the other team involved in taking the cap dump.

The ARZ/DET deal wasn't really a normal "cap dump" since Pavel wasn't planing to play the following season.

I mean I think it's obvious it depends on all those factors, but I'm talking a more general, per-million or per-2mil basis.

ARZ/DET was a cap dump in the strictest of definitions since Datsyuk's contract took up nothing but cap space. If you want another example, look at the Marc Savard trade to New Jersey, or the Bryan Bickell trade to Carolina.

So many types of cap dumps.
Datsyuk being plus 35 contract was costing Wings cap space, though not money. Arizona has cap room.. Both sides win
Arizona taking LTIR contracts, a win if only to get over the cap floor which isn't an issue any more. Players on LTIR do not really affect any teams cap space really, except it might affect WHEN they pay their Performance Bonuses
Leafs trade with Columbus was unique. Leafs cleared cap space by trading a poor player at 5.25m. Leafs took Horton would was getting paid out of pocket 5.25m due to his uninsured contract.
Leafs trading Phanuef. Short term the Leafs lose because they gave up an NHL Dman and took on expensive cap and cash dumps. Long term Leaf got relief from Phanef's contract.
Kessel to Pens. Leafs wanted relief from Kessel's 8m contract and average play. Leafs didn't get much in return....Kapanen and a first rounder, but were able to 6.8m (after retention) to spend on other players. Of course Pens and Kessel won, because Phil turned his career around and became a good, very good player again.
At TDL we see some cap dumps of expiring contracts from a contending to a out of the playoff team. Reason is the the contending team has made deal for a better player and need cap space.

But that is just it, there is no "should be" price because of all the factors.

I don't see the Hawks trading Seabrook unless they're getting something of value, and the Hawks don't have to trade Hossa because they can spend his 5.275 cap hit this summer because Bowman (or any GM with a LTIR contract) can go 10% over the cap... Of course Bowoman would probably trade Hossa if a team wanted him for salary cap reasons..

So I could see Hossa getting moved but not with any assets, maybe the Hawks get a pick or something in return or a player that makes around 1M per in salary (Hossa's salary).

Hossa, Forsling & 2019 second round pick for Hjalmarsson.

many factors go into the price, desperation, upcoming extensions, usefulness of said cap dump, severity of the dump.

I don't see anyone trading for Seabrook and giving up something of value

the question will always be when paying or overpaying for a player, taking seabrook for example, can a team spend spend 6.8m more efficiency for in ufas or other trades than seabrook, probably yes, and in case of seabrooke why would the team want to give up anything of value to acquire him.
similarly when so many habs fans wanted to trade 7.8m weber to the leafs for a first, kapanen and liljegren, virtually no cap returned to the leafs. Leafs could spend 7m on a UfA and keep the youngsters.

Oh yeah, let's just trade three years of dead salary, a bottom-pairing defenseman, and a 2nd round pick for a legitimate top-pairing defenseman. Makes sense.

Shhh. It's the Hawks. You are supposed to give them good players for them helping a team get to the floor of the salary cap.

That's why the Hawks won't trade him.

Seabrook is still a solid #4, a player the Hawks need - they couldn't afford to move him.

"Dead salary"....... Perhaps you should learn Hossa's contract before you go bashing it..

Hossa Is basically a "4.275 million dollar cap coupon" - he basically allows a team to circumvent the cap floor (or the salary cap in general) by $4.275 million in real money and that has value..

The Hawks have no reason to trade him, they can go 10% over the cap (or in this case) 5.275M for LTIR replacement(s)...... So taking Hossa is doing the Hawks no favors...

Oh right, but of course, why in the hell would Arizona want to save 4.275 million in real money a season for 3 seasons? Not to mention Forsling will be a top 4 defenseman over the next couple of seasons, and second round picks are nice....

Oh yea, and Hjalmarsson's contract is expiring at the end of the season.

Wow, what a salesman. You make it sound like Arizona is committing highway robbery. If Hossa's contract isn't hurting the Hawks, why not keep him and your supposed top 4 defenseman in Forsling and the nice 2nd round pick rather than trade for the guy with only one year left? Is Bowman just doing this out of the goodness of his heart?

The Hawks can get a replacement for Hossa as long as that replacement doesn't cost more than 5.275?

Amazing that anyone still thinks the Coyotes are acting like a budget team. They took on more salary than was going out in the:
- Galchenyuk trade (Max Domi probably would've gotten something along the lines of the same bridge deal as he did with the Canadiens)
- the Krüger trade
- the Pánik trade
- the Demers trade
- the Hjalmarsson trade
- the Stepan/Raanta trade
And they're probably giving OEL 8 x 8.25 M.

The Hawks have an extra 5.275 in cap space to spend this summer because Hossa will be placed on LTIR on the first day of the regular season, hence bringing the Hawks 5.275 under the cap...... This summer Hossa "technically" counts against the cap but Bowman can go 10% over the cap so...

Officially the Hawks have $9,225,705 in cap space w/18 players signed. Bowman (GM's with LTIR contracts) can go 10% over the salary cap this summer, so the Hawks have $14,500,000 in cap space to play with this summer..... To sign 7 players...

The Blackhawks will have enough space to make significant improvements.

They'll be contenders going into 2018-19 season........ This is the most cap space the Hawks have had since forever...

Hossa has a cap hit of 5.275 but only has a salary of 1M, he's a "5.275 cap coupon"....... The Hawks don't have to trade him, they can spend his cap hit but I'm sure a team would love his contract since the cap floor just went up 5 million...

I'm fine with keeping Hossa, because his contract doesn't matter.... The Hawks can spend that 5.275, however his contract would be an asset to a team that needs to hit the cap floor or any team floating around it......Not only because of the 5.275 cap hit but because his salary is only 1 million which allows a budget team to save 4.275 in real cash money... With all that said Hossa's contract has value. How much value? I don't know but it has value - especially since it runs another 3 years...

Hossa is actually being shopped (according to rumors) so im sure none of that matters anyways

I mean, yes, that's correct. Dave Bolland's contract was the same way (ish; it's not stupidly backdiving, but the Coyotes only pay out 20% of his salary, or $1.1 M, and insurance covers the rest).

my point was "pick a different team." the Senators seem like a real good target for that sort of trade nowadays.

What's the limit any given team is aloud to be over the cap (during the offseason) before the season starts regardless if they have placed someone on LTIR or not?

10% of the upper limit..... So I suppose since the salary cap is 79.5 then 7.950M this summer.....

https://www.capfriendly.com/ltir-faq

I'm not sure if the 10% only applies to teams with LTIR contracts or for all teams tho..

So yea, I expect the Hawks to spend the 5.275 on free agents this summer..... I don't see why Bowman wouldn't .. They "officially" have 9.5M in space now, but that's not including the 5.275 from Hossa.