At some point youll need to free up atleast 2m in cap space to make room for bonus payments at the end of the year.

There is 5mil set for bonuses

Wont be enough. A cushion is only that, a cushion. Its not what theyll end up paying when the year is over. Bonus payments are paid directly against the salary cap.

You gotta figure that between Shesty and LAF one of them is likely to win the Calder and then hit the rest of the bonuses. That alone is around 5.5m, throw in Kakko, Chytil, Fox, Gauther and Lindgren youre looking at atleast 7m in bonuses to be paid at the end of the year.

The cushion is for bonuses there is no chance everyone hits their full bonuses. Everyone has factored in all bonuses for all players and there looking at 4-4.5 for bonuses so if the experts are saying that then I’ll trust them

Assuming Shesty is the starter and LAF is as good as he is, and theyll be in the running for the Calder, you have to assume theyll hit their bonuses which alone is about 5.5m.

The experts also keep making idiotic articles about trades without any consideration to what has to be done at seasons end.

Bud only one would win the Calder and I’m sorry but I think the experts like Vince know that taking on a could more long end contracts won’t do anything as it is adding these three guys is essentially the same as what they had before bc I sent down smith and a couple of other guys

Only 1 wins the Calder, however im pretty sure that the teams ‘B’ bonuses are not solely based on winning the Calder or not. I read the CBA, probably like 6 times over the last 2 weeks to get an understand for how the bonuses work, what they are and how theyre paid out. As well as what happens in a prorated season like we had last year. Which, if happens again, works against the team and for the players.

I understand that they get b bonuses but ur factoring in that everyone else hits their bonuses which is highly unlikely, yes one may win the Calder and one may get a b bonus from being close and yea maybe kakko has a good season and gets some of his bonuses but the chances of everyone hitting their bonuses are sooo unlikely

Im actually not factoring in everyone else, all Im saying is if Shesty and LAF play to our expectations theyll both max their respective bonuses with a Calder going to one of them. They can both max at 2.85m, however we understand that it includes a Calder bonus. We have to think though is that there is likely a bonus for placing top 3 in Calder race as well which theyll both likely do. So just between the 2 of them will amount to lets say 5.25m in bonuses. That clears out your whole open cap space.

Fox is slated to earn 850k in bonuses which look like its all in ‘A’ bonuses that hes likely to hit since hes gonna be our #1 defenseman.

Chytil, Gauthier and Lindgren. I only expect about 425k out of these 3.

Kakko is still slated to max at 2.65m in bonuses (which by doing some simple math, seems like 200k is the Calder bonus hes no longer eligible for). However this is one where you use your judgment on how good he will be if he will improve. I give him 425k in bonuses.

How I come up with these numbers, there are 6 criteria to be met for ‘A’ bonuses. They make $212,500 per bonus, however can only be paid for a max 4 even if they hit all 6, thus 850. Criteria are goals, assists, points, TOI, plus minus, points per game.