I don't see the NHL doing that as they've cramped down and made it much harder in this current league setup over the last few years. You can no longer easily save yourself from cap hits by burying guys in the AHL or Europe, can't insanely long term sign a guy, can't structure contracts to a you retire here point, etc. The rules are becoming harsher for making mistakes and risky signings so I don't think they will want to see it lessening.
Exactly. I think the league if anything would 1st try to find a way to get rid of the albatross, overpaid lummoxes that don't add much to the game except maybe an occasional well-deserved beatdown to ass-bandits like Cooke or Torres; than to implement a system that de-levels the playing field and allows rich and/or successful teams to accumulate a fuckton of good players into a core system and run roughshod over the league for the better part of a decade.
Our fans are blithering out it now because we are on top and anyone not named Toews, Kane, or Keith is at risk of being shipped out to be a franchise player on another squad and make the big cash--and the club is again facing potential mediocrity down the line. And, that's the very key to it. The league wins big the closer games are. When you have games going to triple overtime in the playoffs because both teams are so evenly-matched the league and fans win. The only way to do that is make sure that the talentm is spread across the league.
Is the current cap removing incentive for teams to develop players?.
I don't think so for a few reasons:
1: Decline in play. We've seen it in Sharp and a bit in Hossa, but even Keith, Toews, Kane, Seabrook, etc. are some day going to start declining. While there are general rules about when a player could decline, the question is always when specifically, and how much. A guy like Keith could very well be the next Chelios and bring something to the table into his mid-40's, or, he could also face a career-ending injury in the next couple of seasons. If you develop talent from within, you see how they work in your system. If you don't, it's a crapshoot as to whether or not they'll work regardless of their skillset.
2: As aforementioned, acquiring talent from outside of the organization is a crapshoot. The three major pieces we've acqured this offseason (Dano, A², and Daley), all have aspects of their games which can help the 'hawks based on their play on their original clubs, respectively. However, it may not translate to the 'hawks well. We won't know until they've actually taken the ice.
3: Players that are in the EL/RFA portions of their development tend to be cheaper developed inside, as opposed to outside of the organization. which leads to:
4: IMHO the key to winning the cup in a cap world is always going to rely on a few key players playing far above and beyond what they make. 2010 it was Toews, Kane, and Keith. 2013 it was guys like Frolik, Bickell, Kruger, etc. This past year Saad, Dejardins, Kruger, T² stepped up. it's difficult to be in the position to have assets playing above their cap value if you get them from outside of the club.
