Cap affect of paying as you go vs pushing out and having dead space
This is what 4 year contracts do to the salary cap when you pay as you go vs pushing into the future.
Let’s say in both cases the player earns 20M per season for 4 seasons. (4 years 80M)
The first team pushes the larger hits later and takes 10M dead the year after the player leaves.
Cap hit 10M
Cap hit 15M
Cap hit 20M
Cap hit 25M
Cap hit 10M dead
The second team pays as they go
Cap hit 20
Cap hit 20
Cap hit 20
Cap hit 20
No dead money
But every year we add a new contract with the same structure. The first team keeps adding contracts to push out and the second team keeps paying as they go.
Salary caps are the same for both teams as the years go by. We’ll stop the pattern when it starts repeating and shows the full effect of each strategy.
100
100
120
120
145
145
170
170
200
200
240
240
290
290
1st team (team Gute)
Year 1 (Salary Cap 100M)
Player A counts 10M (10% of cap)
10% of cap used in total
Year 2 (Salary Cap 100M)
Player A counts 15M (15% of cap)
Player B counts 10M (10% of cap)
25% of cap used in total
Year 3 (Salary Cap 120M)
Player A counts 20M (17% of cap)
Player B counts 15M (12.5 of cap)
Player C counts 10M (8% of cap)
37.5% of cap used total
Year 4 (Salary Cap 120M)
Player A counts 25M (20% of cap)
Player B counts 20M (17% of cap)
Player C counts 15M (12.5% of cap)
Player D counts 10M (8% of cap)
58% of cap used total
Year 5 (Salary Cap 140M)
Player A counts 10M dead (7% of cap)
Player B counts 25M (18% of cap)
Player C counts 20M (14% of cap)
Player D counts 15M (11% of cap)
Player E counts 10M (7% of cap)
57% of cap used total
Year 6 (Salary Cap 140M)
Player A off books
Player B 10M dead (7% of cap)
Player C 25M (18% of cap)
Player D 20M (14% of cap)
Player E 15M (11% of cap)
Player F 10M (7% of cap)
57% of cap used total
Year 7 (Salary Cap 160M)
Player A off books
Player B off books
Player C 10M dead (6% of cap)
Player D 25M (16% of cap)
Player E 20M (13% of cap)
Player F 15M (9% of cap)
Player G 10M (6% of cap)
50% of cap used total
Team Polar Bear
Year 1 (Salary Cap 100M)
Player A 20M (20% of cap)
20% of cap used total
Year 2 (Salary Cap 100M)
Player A 20M (20% of cap)
Player B 20M (20% of cap)
40% of cap used total
Year 3 (Salary Cap 120M)
Player A 20M (16.5% of cap)
Player B 20M (16.5% of cap)
Player C 20M (16.5% of cap)
50% of cap used total
Year 4 (salary cap 120M)
Player A 20M (16.5% of cap)
Player B 20M (16.5% of cap)
Player C 20M (16.5% of cap)
Player D 20M (16.6% of cap)
67% of cap used total
Year 5 (salary cap 140M)
Player A off books
Player B 20M (14% of cap)
Player C 20M (14% of cap)
Player D 20M (14% of cap)
Player E 20M (14% of cap)
57% of cap used total
Year 6 (salary cap 140M)
Player A off books
Player B off books
Player C 20M (14% of cap)
Player D 20M (14% of cap)
Player E 20M (14% of cap)
Player F 20M (14% of cap)
57% of cap used total
Year 7 (salary cap 160M)
Player A off books
Player B off books
Player C off books
Player D 20M (12.5% of cap)
Player E 20M (12.5% of cap)
Player F 20M (12.5% of cap)
Player G 20M (12.5% of cap)
50% of cap used
This is the comparisons, same players paid the exact same dollar amounts and how it affects the cap
Year 1
Gute 10% cap used
Polar Bear 20% cap used
Year 2
Gute 25% of cap used
Polar Bear 40% cap used
Year 3
Gute 37.5% cap used
Polar Bear 50% of cap used
Year 4
Gute 58% of cap used
Polar Bear 67% of cap used
And here is where the dead space should start eating us alive
Year 5
Gute 57% of cap used
Polar Bear 57% of cap used
Year 6
Gute 57% of cap used
Polar Bear 57% of cap used
Year 7
Gute 50% of cap used
Polar Bear 50% of cap used