Quoting: DavidAyers
Yeah no, and for reasons
Vegas is still a strong Playoff Team,
Avs need cap for Landeskog Makar, and soon, MacKinnon
Vegas has $4M in space with 11 forwards, 6 defensemen, and a goalie signed. If they move out Fleury with no retained salary or buyout and the Lehner $5Mx5 deal is true, then they will have $6M in space. They can fill out a roster with that space, but there wouldn’t be any room for upgrades. If they’re actually after big names, they would have to move out money. Wing is their strongest position. They wouldn’t be getting worse as a team if they’re using that cap space for an upgrade elsewhere.
Quoting: Xqb15a
I agree VGK says no but this such a falsehood everybody throws on the Avs about Makar and Landy. They are going to get raises, huge in Makar’s case but Sakic has been masterful in not giving long term extensions outside of Rantanen and Girard who are on good contracts. They have $22M in cap this off season and $40+ next off season minus any contracts that run multi-year, and the following year when MacKinnon is due a monster raise Donskoi, Compher and Johnson all come off the books. That’s when it will get tight.
You’re spot on. Cap space won’t be a luxury for them anymore beginning next offseason, but they’re not looking at a cap crisis by any means. If this offseason goes something like I proposed above, they would have roughly $22M next offseason with 9 forwards, 5 defensemen, and a goalie signed. Landeskog and Makar will eat up a good chunk of that - let’s say $8M each. They leaves them with $6M to re-sign or replace Grubauer, Cole, Nichushkin, Calvert, and Bellemare. The will also lose a player in the expansion draft - likely Zadorov, Compher, or Donskoi, which would create an additional $3.5M-$4M in cap space. Plus they have the luxury of prospects who should graduate this coming season or next season who can fill the voids created you their 2021 free agents and contribute on their ELCs for multiple years - Timmins, Bowers, and Newhook.