Huet signs in Switzerland

[WaukeeBlues]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=331425

Chicago goaltender Cristobal Huet has signed a one-year deal with HC Fribourg-Gotteron of the Swiss National League A, and the Blackhawks have agreed to loan his services, according to RDS. One issue that still remains, however, is determining the date Huet can be re-assigned. Chicago is working on that now.

The move would clear cap space for the Blackhawks, who signed veteran netminder Marty Turco to a one-year, $1.3 million contract earlier this month.

In 48 games with Chicago last season, Huet posted a 26-14-4 record with a 2.50 goals-against-average and a .895 save percentage.

He has two years left on a deal with Chicago that pays him an average of $5.625 million per season.

Okay, I will readily admit ignorance on the legality's here. Huet, a player who's rights are owned by the Blackhawks can just sign a deal with any team in the world and go play for them just so long as the Hawks allow it?

They pay the full salary Huet was set to make for the Hawks this year? But no cap hit just as if he were in the minors? Usually we see the other way around with NHL teams signing guys playing on other leagues so I'm assuming the legal issues are similar.

[philco_3]

I read they loaned him out so they wouldn't have to pay that 5 million.

[SteveO]

They're still on the hook to pay him, it's just that salary doesn't count against the cap hit.

I wonder if this could be construed as another way of circumventing the cap??

Another article:

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/20 ... -team.html

[WaukeeBlues]

They're still on the hook to pay him, it's just that salary doesn't count against the cap hit.

I wonder if this could be construed as another way of circumventing the cap??

I guess a built-in deterrent is the assumption that the player WANTS to play for that organization.

When you have the Hawks that say "hey we want you... wait no we don't you are only a burden at this point" you'd probably want to leave to. I can see how this is controversial though, this seems like a loophole to me. Or could be.

[DaDitka]

They're still on the hook to pay him, it's just that salary doesn't count against the cap hit.

I wonder if this could be construed as another way of circumventing the cap??

Exactly,

Like Kovy's deal got rejected because there were a bunch of 'fake' years on the end for little dollars.

If you wanted to give a 30+ year old a 5 year 50 mill contract, you could just write it up as 10 year deal and have him play the final years oversees when he's washed up.

Then the hit on the cap for the five years he played would only count 5 mill a year against the cap.