Targeting the salary cap ‘cheaters’ in the next NHL CBA

Really nice work by Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com putting together a "key issues" post on the next NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement's points of contention, from revenue sharing to "second contracts" for players like Drew Doughty to the Olympics. But at the heart of the next battle between the players and the owners is the salary cap and the current financial model. We're written about the war over the salary cap floor before, and that's obviously going to a huge topic for teams losing money (or just keeping their heads above red ink) in the current system. But LeBrun offered some interesting notes on the other end of the cap: How teams like the New York Rangers (Wade Redden, AHL) and the Chicago Blackhawks (Cristobal Huet, Europe) have been able to stash bloated contracts in places where they won't count against the cap — like a lazy husband who kicks dust balls under the couch instead of vacuuming. (Guilty.) Essentially, the issue is "cash ov...