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Last night, Pierre McGuire was a guest on the Sick Podcast.
Along with Tony Marinaro, who's back from vacation, they discussed the Canadiens' salary structure, among other topics. That's to be expected: it's a hot topic.
McGuire believes that the Canadiens' players won't take it well when Kent Hughes signs a high-priced player, especially since everyone else has taken a pay cut.
But here's the angle that caught my attention.
In the podcast, McGuire was asked about rising salaries. And at one point, he mentioned that the exchange rate will hold back some Canadian clubs, which won't be able to easily afford players making $15 million a year. #RisingSalaries
Note: He didn't name the Montreal Canadiens. And we can assume that if there's one owner who'll still hand out a contract like that if needed, it's Geoff Molson.
But even if he does, it might not be an easy decision. That's really the point: it complicates the process of offering massive contracts in Canada, even though the Habs will undoubtedly do it anyway if necessary.
We know that $15 million per year in U.S. dollars is currently more than $20 million in Canadian dollars. And if the player has an $18 million bonus in a given year, that's a lot to pay all at once.
The Canadiens, the Oilers, and the Maple Leafs will likely continue to spend up to the salary cap regardless, in the coming years. But will the other Canadian teams do the same? Will they hand out big contracts?
Especially for a team in rebuilding mode, spending isn't very appealing. #Canucks
That's why I have a hard time buying into the idea of adjusting the salary cap based on each province's or U.S. state's tax rate. After all, some Canadian teams won't be able to afford big contracts because of the exchange rate… and yet their cap would go up?
Players calculate their contracts as a percentage of the salary cap. They're already asking for more in Canadian markets; it would be even worse with an adjusted cap, in my opinion.
And what a mess it would be when it came time to trade a player from Montreal to Dallas, for example…
extension
I don't understand this obsession with wanting to make everything equal (even if the debate is interesting), since life isn't fair and we just have to deal with it. The 32 NHL markets all have their pros and cons.
It's warmer in Florida, taxes are more favorable in Nashville, the fans are more passionate in Buffalo, and people speak French in Montreal, for example.
These factors are part of the game, and whining about them won't change a thing.
Just like whining about the no-trade clauses that teams have already agreed to hand out like candy to run-of-the-mill players, for that matter. Those guys deserve their clauses because they negotiated for them.
