Vegas' use of injured reserve raises salary cap questions. Other NHL teams are doing the same

LAS VEGAS (AP) It started raining on Golden Knights captain Mark Stone at the American Airlines Center in Dallas the moment he first touched the puck. They didn't stop when the first round took place in Dallas.

Stars fans weren't happy that the poster boy for everything questionable about how long-term injured reserve operates was back on the ice just in time for the playoffs.

Again.

No team is scrutinized more than Vegas for the way it uses LTIR. To critics and skeptical fans, it looks an awful lot like salary cap manipulation, even though the NHL has steadfastly maintained that it's all fine with them.

Stone has been on LTIR each of the past three seasons, allowing the Golden Knights to exceed the cap by approximately the amount of his salary until the playoffs begin. The Knights have benefited from players like Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev, Thomas Hertl And Noah Hanifin. It was Hanifin's goal On Friday night, that forced a Game 7 against Dallas.

The past two years, after having back surgery in 2023 and recovering from a lacerated spleen this season, Stone was activated via LTIR for the postseason opener.

While many fans around the league cried at the remarkable timing of Stone's recovery, there were smiles Hayley Thompson posed with a fan she wears her husband's jersey No. 61 with LTIR on the name tag.

STONE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Vegas is hardly alone in using LTIR to its advantage. PuckPedias Hart Levine said 69% of teams used LTIR to exceed the limit this season, that's $83.5 million this season. The website that tracks league-wide salaries also lists 10 playoff teams that exceeded the cap at the end of the regular season, with the Toronto Maple Leafs ($14.15 million more) and Tampa Bay Lightning ($10.27 million) top the list.

Vegas is third with $8.72 million over the cap. The team is getting attention because it uses LTIR every year to find talent at the trade deadline. Unprompted, general manager Kelly McCrimmon took some time to address the issue before the postseason began. He said the NHL is 100% involved in all matters related to LTIR.

McCrimmon said the league had full access to Stone's medical information and that NHL doctors communicated with the Golden Knights' surgeon and medical staff.

That's what keeps the system legitimate, McCrimmon said. They are the people who are fully involved in this. I don't know if fans or media might understand the extent to which these injuries are scrutinized. We've had the situation with Mark. Ironically, it's the same player. We talked openly about his surgery a year ago. This year was a freak accident.

Levine noted that a timeline of Stone's recovery should be provided to the league and that the process should be documented. He also said parts of the process are open to interpretation.

The fact that (Stone) was magically healed and ready to go for Game 1 of the playoffs for the second year in a row obviously leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth, Levine said. I definitely think it's a bad look and it leads to frustration among the fans, which is important. I don't think anything was done that was against the rules. No one cheated or anything. It's just using the rules as they are and living in a bit of the gray area.

A TEAM OPTION

Chicago star Patrick Kane was placed on LTIR in 2015 with a broken collarbone, the Blackhawks added three players at the trade deadline and he returned in time for the playoffs. The Blackhawks went on to defeat the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.

Tampa Bay then used the rule to its advantage Nikita Kucherov missed the pandemic-shortened season due to hip surgery and Steven Stamkos went on LTIR before the trade deadline with a lower-body injury. Each player returned in time to help the Lightning repeat as champions.

We had a great season, Carolina defenseman Dougie Hamilton said in 2021, after the Hurricanes were eliminated in the second round by Tampa Bay. We lost to a team that is $18 million more than that the cap.

Fans accused the Blackhawks and Lightning of skirting the cap, much like criticism of Vegas in recent years.

ARE TWEAKS NECESSARY?

It's unclear if the league and the NHL Players Association will discuss the issue again this summer, although it is on the radar as a topic. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said so far there has not been a huge amount of opposition demanding change.

Levine said there are possible solutions, such as limiting an over-capped team to replacing only 50% of its lost annual salary. He added that things need to be simplified; How much of a salary is released depends on a complicated formula that is not laid down in the collective labor agreement.

It's in memos and verbal discussions with the league, Levine said. There are a lot of front office people who manage the cap, but they don't really have a good handle on all the intricacies.

He said no other major sports league uses this type of system, where an injury can ultimately benefit a team when the postseason begins.

“I would say there's definitely an opportunity for change because I think it's kind of embarrassing for the league,” Levine said.

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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed.

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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup And https://apnews.com/hub/nhl