Maple Leafs could use LTIR loophole with Chis Tanev contract
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed 34 year old Chris Tanev to a six year deal, the LTIR questions began immediately.
LTIR loopholes have been around the NHL for several years now, with teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning using it to their advantage when considering trades and signings, but have the Leafs used the loophole to their advantage by signing Chris Tanev until he is 40?
On the surface, the Leafs did not break any rules by signing Tanev to a deal that many believe is 3-4 years too long, but under the surface, they might be thinking they can use the LTIR rule as it stands to their advantage when Tanev gets older.
LTIR circumvention is not new to teams, as players like Mark Stone, Nikita Kucherov, and others have missed large portions of the season, only to return in game 1 of the playoffs. Many fans and teams alike are calling for a rule change, but the NHL is unlikely to implement one.
David Duhatschek of The Athletic was quoted saying that he thinks if the NHL wanted to change the rule, they would, but NHL teams would quick to circumvent the new rule as well.
If the league genuinely wanted to do that [change the rules], they would find ways of plugging the loopholes in the system. This, by the way, is inherently just like the NHL. As soon as a rule is in place, teams try to find creative ways of circumventing it. Ever since the cap system was introduced, teams have found complicated, but legal ways to get around the theoretical cap ceiling.
All of these questions involve Tanev not living up to his contract, but there is a realistic chance that the defensemen plays a healthy six seasons in Toronto, making the chatter around his contract being a problem pointless.
Should Tanev not have the ability to play out his contract with the Leafs and be placed on LTIR, the debate will once again re-surface about a flawed rule that manipulated the salary cap, but at the end of the day, NHL teams will most likely find ways around any new rule or tweaks to current rules.
LTIR will always have fans up in arms, and the Leafs and Chris Tanev have now found themselves part of that conversation.
Source: The Hockey Writers
Chris Tanev's Iffy Contract Sparks Debate About NHL LTIR Rules
Chris Tanev's Iffy Contract Sparks Debate About NHL LTIR Rules
| POLL | ||
30 JUILLET | 94 ANSWERS Maple Leafs could use LTIR loophole with Chis Tanev contract Will Chris Tanev end up on LTIR at the end of his contract? | ||
| Yes | 76 | 80.9 % |
| No | 18 | 19.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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