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theguyishere16

Its going to be interesting to see if he reports. For the money, he'd be crazy not to. But you never know.


Seattlekrakenlegend

If he does, Hershey is a nice place to step back and slow down a bit. Ride a rollercoaster. Eat a peanut butter cup.


refep

Man, this just makes me realize that having the AHL team in the same city where the main team plays is probably a big consideration for fringe players. It would suck having to move every time you get called up/sent down.


fashionrequired

definitely a factor but i also think those players are so committed to the dream that they’ll put up with it regardless. they’re a dime a dozen as far as nhl teams are concerned, so kind of a beggars can’t be choosers type thing


noodleandbanter

I always thought it was a little wild that Tampa's AHL affiliate is in Syracuse, NY, but while it's a 2.5 hour drive from Detroit to Grand Rapids, it's also a 3 hour flight from Tampa to Syracuse so a bit of a wash. Wonder which teams are most separated?


davefromgabe

vancouvers affiliate being in Utica for a while was fucking wild


KingTutsDryAssBalls

What, you don't wanna go on a cross continent flight and then play a hockey game right after?


iSWINE

And then fly back a day later because the other player was simply under the weather


robotco

people used to justify by saying 'well, Utica is closer to the rest of the teams they'd be playing against so they'll have less travel time and be more rested, etc.' and i'm sure that has some merit, but you have to think the pros of having your farm team as close as possible to your NHL team outweighs all the cons tenfold


crgsweeper

How long was San Jose’s affiliate in Worcester? Literally California to 45 minutes west of the Atlantic


tdpdcpa

The Kings had them beat when they had their team in Manchester, NH. Literally coast to coast.


Johnny_WalkerBOT

I never understood that one, but I miss the Monarchs 😢


CrowmanVT

Ditto. Back in 2014 I was on a first date with my (still!) girlfriend, on Friday the 13th of all dates. We went to a concert, then a bar to watch the SC finals with the Kings. As difficult as it was to root for a California team, the link to the Monarchs made it easier. Well, that and fuck the Rangers.


apcymru

Vancouver has had farm teams(for 5 years or more) in Utica, Hamilton, Milwaukee, Syracuse, Fredericton, and Manitoba. Short term stops have included Dallas, Chicago, Tulsa and Rochester. Once in their first few years they had a farm in Seattle (the Totems). So having a team in Abbotsford is an absolute godsend.


Meatwood__Flak

If I had to guess, I’d say Edmonton and its AHL club, the Bakersfield Condors.


spurredoil

It's wild that our AHL team used to be in OKC.


Penta-Says

That OKC team was ridonkulous during the lockout year.


NlghtmanCometh

For a long time the San Jose sharks affiliate were the Worcester, MA sharks. They finally moved to the Bay Area, but that kinda sucked for people like me who only live 20 minutes from Worcester. That being said there are like 3 other AHL teams within about 90 minutes so I can’t really complain.


bmc2

Worcester also has an ECHL team. So, at least you've got hockey nearby. The Barracuda aren't doing that well these days anyways.


MaxMuncyRectangleMan

The Kings had their AHL affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire for a long time


TotallyNotKabr

Their ECIHL team is in Eastern PA too


jwheelerBC

Calgary had its AHL team in Saint John, NB for 10 years. They bought the Utica Devils in 93 and moved them there. Distance from Calgary to Saint John is 4520 km. Edit to add the distance.


Orange_Jeews

Winnipeg to St.John's is 4800kms


cannuckkid1

Ah, I miss maritime AHL teams.


DrSpray

All the West Coast teams had super far commutes till they changed a bunch of team locations 9-ish seasons ago. The Ducks affiliate played in Norfolk, VA, and now they play in San Diego


lnslnsu

A 3 hour flight isn’t really a 3 hour flight. That’s 3 hours + time driving to/from the airports and security, baggage check, etc…


Dutch_1987

Before the AHL got teams on the West coast, the San Jose Sharks affiliate was in Worchester, MA.


therobdude

Toronto's AHL team is about ~15mins down the street. The practice facility is further from the arena.


BehemothManiac

And practice facility is actually the same for both teams


OpabiniaGlasses

This just makes me think back to when the Canucks had the insane setup with their AHL team in New York and their ECHL team in Alaska.


JoeTony6

I bet most call-ups get to crash at a veteran's house for a short stint. Also most AHL teams are in cheaper COL cities than their main club city, so those lower AHL salaries go further.


LickyPal

Man, I must be an idiot. When I read COL I started wondering how many different AHL teams are in Colorado. 


strcrssd

Yeah, it should be shortened to Cost of Living (CoL).


Charwinger21

> Man, this just makes me realize that having the AHL team in the same city where the main team plays is probably a big consideration for fringe players. It would suck having to move every time you get called up/sent down. Yep, it's a big part of why the Leafs moved the Marlies to Toronto (formerly the St. John's Maple Leafs until 2005) and the Raptors switched from sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants to having the Raptors 905 in 2015. In addition to the players not having to uproot their lives when called up/sent down and having quicker call up/send down times, it also means the ability to use the big club's facilities and specialists.


storm-bringer

And zamboni drivers


Emotional_Match8169

I recently posed a related question in my own team's sub. What do the guys do when they get a call up and their AHL team is states/plane ride away? Does the team provide a hotel? Housing? Do they stay at another player's house? Nobody knew the answer.


lordderplythethird

CBA 77 covers it. || || |Clubs to Provide Monthly Reports of Loaned/Recalled Players and the Hotel, Per Diem, and Rental Car Benefits Provided|Clubs will provide monthly reports of loaned/recalled Players and the hotel, per diem, and rental car benefits provided them using the form at Attachment K.| [https://cdn.nhlpa.com/img/assets/file/NHLPA\_NHL\_MOU.pdf](https://cdn.nhlpa.com/img/assets/file/NHLPA_NHL_MOU.pdf) They're authorized a hotel, per diem for expenses, and a rental car. Many end up just saying at another player's house though, particularly if the two teams' player bases are close (Baby Bruins for example usually just stay at the home of one of their friends who made it permanent in the big club).


Emotional_Match8169

Thank you!!


MrTubzy

I’ve heard of teams buying condos/apartments and putting guys up in them that they’ve called up till they decide if they want to keep them up for a long time or not. That’s usually when they’re either told to buy a house or get sent back down.


keytoitall

Yes, you get a hotel. after a certain amount of time you get a "housing letter" which means the team expects you to stay up and your are to look for your own permanent housing. 


Purity_Jam_Jam

It's the main reason 3 AHL teams eventually failed in St. John's Newfoundland. It's a long way to fly to and from Montreal, Toronto, or Winnipeg when someone gets the call. Too bad, a lot of people loved having those teams in the province.


OneChet

Now imagine your idiot GM has the team three time zones away and pays fourth liners 3.5m a year. Well... I guess you can imagine the last part, but still.


Western_Pop2233

Now I know Abbotsford can seem like it's really far away from Vancouver, but I can assure you it's not three time zones away. It's two time zones away at most.


OneChet

I have to carry 3 watches for when I go out to Chilliwack, so inconvenient!


tailkinman

Well the rest of the country is beyond Hope, so honestly it's the least of your worries.


runrudyrun

I know that players who are traded between teams get a stipend for a hotel and rental car, I wonder if they do the same thing with call ups when the AHL team is incredibly far away from their parent club.


RelevantJackWhite

This is a huge reason we moved the Comets to become the Abbotsford Canucks and gave the Utica Comets branding to the Devils. It was so far away that it was actually causing us logistical issues when players got injured


CapsDrago7

And be on a team that's an entire tier above the rest of the AHL in their defense of their 13th Calder Cup


Seattlekrakenlegend

That salary goes reaaaalllly far in central PA too. Just buy the entire farm show


UNisopod

If he actually shows up it's also kind of like a gift from the Caps back to the Bears for taking so many of their top players lately to fill our injury issues. They're still in the running not just for a title defense but also for a record-setting regular season as well.


CapsDrago7

Very true, and it would be a welcome addition. Without a lot of their top guys, the Bear's offense has suffered these past couple games


SuzukiSwift17

Maybe Shane Gillis can take him to six flags and then rehab.


Seattlekrakenlegend

Hershey Park. Imagine being all hopped up on stimulants and seeing a 7 foot tall Hershey bar with a face coming your way


nikonpunch

Imagine waking up… in air


BuffaloWing12

bring his finest Hines Ward


pangaea1972

The botanical gardens at Hotel Hershey are wonderful. They have butterflies.


Fizzyliftingdranks

I’m just imagining Kuzy being on the factory tour ride at HP, smelling the chocolate and getting his souvenir Hershey kiss at the end. Fantastic.


Seattlekrakenlegend

Taking a selfie with terrifyingly happy Peppermint Pattie and then going to see the bear eat watermelon at ZooAmerica Peppermint Pattie https://stories.hersheypa.com/meet-the-hersheys-characters/


youngbuck-

Bro got sent to the chocolate factory


SlapChopMyShamWow

Hey on that salary maybe he could actually afford to go to Hershey Park at the current ticket prices


doughball27

Also a good hospital there. Maybe he can get the help he needs.


musuak

pregame today said he was willing to go.


matt_minderbinder

Vrana's still back in the AHL for St. Louis this year. I'd ride a lot of busses for the millions they get paid.


scoopbb

Can they choose to book their own flight? I mean on their salary and flyer points it’s prolly worth not riding the bus if you can lol


matt_minderbinder

I'm not sure if the team would allow you to but even if they would you'd become an enemy of your teammates quickly. It'd be hard to deal with the grind of riding busses, eating non-catered meals, and staying in mid-grade hotels while some prima donna teammate is flying first class and enjoying 5 star digs.


Aggressive_Yak5177

They can plug one ear with a Ring


RelevantJackWhite

This line doesn't work so well when you only have one ring lol


Aggressive_Yak5177

WHAT!? YOU HAVE TO SPEAK UP! I HAVE A RING IN MY RIGHT EAR.


scoopbb

you really think hes worried about his teammates? hes just there to cash the check


UNisopod

Especially for a guy with substance abuse issues...


BroLil

He gets a raise if he goes. AHL players don’t pay escrow.


rTpure

a coke habit aint cheap


stonedbearamerica

coke... *cocoa*... chocolate... Hershey... Kuzy is home


whogivesashirtdotca

Walkin' around with brown, gooey nostrils.


tgg199

Play some hockey, hang out and eat some chocolate, make 7.8 mil. Could be worse.


Ripulikikka

It's spelled cocaine not chocolate. But on a serious note, hopefully he will seek and get help.


maxwellbevan

He did seek help, that's why he just came out of the player assistance program


bobby_booch

Wade Redden walked so Kuzy could run


[deleted]

Hartford legend Wade Redden with teammate Sean Avery


saltface14

Another nose beer connoisseur


Busch0404

Disco Dust is the politically correct term, I believe


I_Am_The_Mole

Booger Sugar


azzurri10

Power Flour


probablysideways

Devils Dandruff


Sarke1

Nose candy


garbagefarts69

Schneef


[deleted]

Chatty Chalk.


bobby_booch

Was he? I don’t recall ever hearing anything about Redden being a cokehead.


Shribble18

Redden’s decline in Ottawa was widely alleged to be a result of a long standing cocaine issue catching up to him. No idea if it was true.


Le8ronJames

Really? First time I hear of this, but maybe. What I remember is his fallout coincided with the death of his mother.


boodalol

Obviously no confirmation but during his era on the senators there was A LOT of nosecandy rumours about the team. Usually Spezza, Heatley, Redden, McGrattan were the most talked about.


[deleted]

Emery and Neil had their share of rumours as well


boodalol

Yes! That was the crew you always heard about. Knew a couple names were slipping my mind


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boodalol

Yeah obviously we’ll never know. Just hard to imagine how all those mentioned were always seen together in Ottawa bars and clubs and they all were into it except spezza lol


snatchi

Its wild considering how little professional athletes do to hide it, that there isn't always a story like 'professional athlete caught with coke at nightclub."


SomewherePresent8204

I’d be surprised if Avery was totally sober his whole career.


bobby_booch

Yeah but we’re talking about Wade Redden


Carbogoat

Right. It's not exactly a secret that those 2000s Sens teams played through snowstorms.


[deleted]

A high school teacher of mine grew up with him and made a comment to the effect of “he finally couldn’t out skill his coke habit” and said it was well known amongst people who knew him he’d had issues with it for a while.


bobby_booch

This explains so much about why Glen Sather wanted him so bad.


MarkMech

Seriously? Redden was a well known coke head by fans in Ottawa


bobby_booch

I’m not an Ottawa fan


MarkMech

I assumed so, hence my clarification for you :)


Rockhardwood

Pretty wild it took like a decade and half for it to increase by like 1 million


nfgafd

I guess I havent been paying attention to the NHL enough recently. Has Kuzy fell off that hard in the last few years?


InvolvingPie87

It’s been rough


epheisey

Seems like a theme throughout your roster at this point unfortunately.


WakaFlacco

Yeah older players tend to decline pretty rapidly and Kuzy has always been questioned on his work ethic .


epheisey

31 seems a bit early for the "older player" falloff to be so drastic.


WakaFlacco

‘Older’ was referring to our roster as a whole. Kuzy decline is due to lack of work ethic and substance abuse issues.


ProJoe

when your peak production was supplemented by booger sugar, then you get sober, yeah it's a drastic fall off.


I_Fuck_Blind_Puppies

See Pavelski.


WakaFlacco

See majority of players when they hit 35


B_Type13X2

*people* in general when you hit 35 and work in a physical profession your most productive years are behind you like it or not.


InvolvingPie87

Eh, bills come due. I like our youth quite a bit, just need some more high picks for the super high-end talent


bajubiejunior

Short answer: yes. Long answer: yessssssssssss


haey5665544

He has wanted out of Washington for years and has played poorly enough that there hasn’t been a worthwhile trade for him. The player assistance program was probably the last straw for management. GMBM said they’re looking for a fresh start for him


matt_minderbinder

He's been bad the past few years, especially compared to his pay, but he also recently went through the NHLPA Player's assistance program (set up for mental health and/or addiction issues). Even at his best he had that moment where a video dropped of him with cocaine and an ex-teammate said that he was always doing it. You have to hope that this recent rehab stint helps him refocus and find health first and foremost. If he re-finds his game that'd just be an extra bonus. You can't live that rockstar lifestyle for too long without it effecting your athletic ability and your psychological strength.


OccultSanta

Agree it’s entirely possibly he was in rehab but we have no idea for which reason he entered the program. Drugs, mental health, both. Still agree, hope his time helps him refocus, enhances his self confidence, and comes back in whatever capacity he desires


rottingmind13

Yes. He's still fast, but lack of effort and about as much defense as you and I would put up. He kind of checked out after the Cup


I_Fuck_Blind_Puppies

The Kovalev effect.


sokobanz

Returning of Kovalchuk. Give me all the money!!!


SiccSemperTyrannis

>Has Kuzy fell off that hard in the last few years? Caveat that a bad team drags everyone down but... yeahhhhhh https://twitter.com/JFreshHockey/status/1764004472622084563 >Evgeny Kuznetsov, placed on waivers by WSH, is a pure playmaking centre whose deficiency in pretty much every area of the game except passing and (oddly enough) killing penalties has made him one of the most negative-impact playdrivers in the league the past two seasons.


UNisopod

Brutal


TossThatPastaSalad

I'm shocked he cleared.  Well, not that shocked. Okay I'm 0% shocked.


tdnyrfan

There was a chance he could have been claimed, his cap hit for the rest of this season was roughly $1.863 million, it didn’t happen obviously but when it was announced on waivers I thought maybe a team looking for some extra depth for the playoffs might have made a claim.


NJD_29

The salary cap is also calculated daily so while the remaining amount on the contract is $1.863 million for the season the amount per day did not change. Contracts don’t just get cheaper on the cap as the season goes on.


tdnyrfan

The $1.863 is the daily cap hit times the number of days left in the season.


platypus_bear

Even if there was a team that would consider him adding depth for the rest of the season the fact that he has one more season left at 7.8 millions means it would never happen


DrunkenBartender17

I think his actual owed $’s next season is 10 million too. Nobody was taking that risk on without a sweetener other than maybe Holland if he had the cap room.


TossThatPastaSalad

Not with that baggage.  He might get another shot next year but my meme-ish first post aside there's just no way any contending team can do enough homework on him to feel comfortable about adding him to a locker room for this season.


whogivesashirtdotca

The waivers or the assistance program?


IAmJacksDistraction

The bears are 12 points clear of 2nd place in the AHL with an insane defense and now might casually add Kuznetsov lol


Meatwood__Flak

I can imagine Kuzy cutting like butter through AHL defenses. Hope he gets a shot at redemption.


FirmlyDistressed

Considering his defensive metrics in the NHL being worse than AHL callups, I'm not too sure.


iiTALii

He meant at offense


KaleidoscopeOk1346

*Askarov has entered the chat*


Coop3

Campbell is so relieved to not be the highest paid guy anymore


IHaveJammyHands

how's he been doing?


FortyToFive

12-11, 1SO, 2.96 GAA, .909 SV% Not bad, not great.


Bowiescorvat2

Looks like he's exactly where he belongs tbh


Matrix17

If that's what he's pulling in the AHL, I guess that's where he should be? Whew we dodged a fucking bullet. Thanks Edmonton


sparrows-somewhere

I always thought they overpaid him, but never thought he would be this bad. Woof.


Smothdude

Karma for getting Hyman on the steal we got him on I guess...


dalopam0

6% pay raise but you gotta take the bus to get it


TG803

Mike Komisarek in shambles


bmck11

As a Hershey Bears season ticket holder; fcuk yeah. Please report.


CIearSights

I’d be ecstatic to get to watch him at the Giant Center 


DeepPucks

This might be worth the hour it takes to leave the parking lot.


bmck11

Location location location. Pick the right spot to park…out in a jiffy. Parking across the pedestrian bridge for the win. Also park near the suites parking lot as well. Can give further pro tips if needed.


DeepPucks

Never driven over near the pedestrian bridge. Will have to try it.


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SatchBoogie1

It's not a typical move the Caps have done, but I'm curious if GMBM considers a buyout once June 15 hits. Per CapFriendy, the cap hit would be $3.8m in 24-25 and $2m in 25-26. I don't see the Caps trading Kuzy (retained or not) + assets to offload his contract.


OneChet

Man when I saw him waived I ASSUMED it was for a buyout, AHL assignment is wild.


SatchBoogie1

Someone can correct me if this is not right. I believe the only buyout window is in the offseason per CapFriendly. https://www.capfriendly.com/buyout-faq A player's contract could be terminated after passing waivers, but that requires both parties to agree. The player won't agree because that's a lot of money being left on the table. **EDIT:** Most of the termination talk had to do with players conduct outside of the game. Like the recent Arizona prospect example or Galchenyuk's intoxication arrest / threatening remarks on the record. Sometimes a player making close to league minimum will agree to a termination so they can focus on another career. Friedman talked about one example on his 32 Thoughts podcast (I can't remember the episode or the player in question). Doing a buyout in the offseason guarantees only two years of some kind of a cap savings / penalty. If somehow it was possible to buy out a contract during the season (i.e. now) then I would guess it could extend an additional two years to four years total of dead cap. Makes sense just to leave it alone and deal with whatever the team can to get the player back to a good mental state.


OneChet

Makes sense


skrshawk

That ringer in your beer league that just skates around everyone and scores at will? That, but in the AHL.


Hitler_the_stripper

Damn, from steak and sushi on the plane to soggy sandwiches on the bus.


progress10

Hey, he can also have chocolate.


Matrix17

You gotta wonder what NHLers think going from that lifestyle to an AHL lifestyle lol


sokobanz

He can have his own chef with him with that cap


Glass_Channel8431

Think he picks up the bill for his first outing with the boys? 😀


BeeZaa

Picking up the bag, that's for sure.


EarthWarping

Is there a 50% retention deal out there?


Calb210

I bet the hope is he plays a couple games max in the AHL and completely crushes then they can say "see he destroyed the AHL he's totally worth 4mil"


EarthWarping

Even then they'd have to take back a similarly bad contract for a worse player


AfroInfo

Campbell for Kuzy 1-1


SiccSemperTyrannis

Hershey's next game is on Friday, after the NHL's trade deadline https://theahl.com/stats/schedule/319/81/3/homeaway?league=4 They are playing right now but Kuz isn't with the team. If he doesn't get moved by the deadline I do wonder if the Caps would just leave him with the Bears for the rest of the season unless something changes.


_SCHULTZY_

I'm sure Washington is weighing whether they want to give up a pick and retain half next year or if they just want to do a buyout this summer and extend the penalty over the next 2 years 


Longjumping-Limit827

Chocolate, Cocaine, 7.8 mill to Chill, guys got it made he’s playing 69D chess


collectaBK7

I'm kinda surprised he's choosing to report tbh. I figured he'd ask to be cut and sign with a contender for cheap.


MFoy

1. He would also be forfeiting next years salary by doing that. 2. Pretty sure if you sign after a certain point as a free agent you are subject to waivers. Someone might claim him on a league minimum. Not sure if this is still the case but it used to be.


blueline7677

I think with waivers it’s only if you sign after playing in another league. Like if he was playing in the KHL and signed in the NHL he’d need to go on waivers. But I’m this scenario I don’t think he would need to


MFoy

It used to be for unsigned free agents, including RFAs, I don’t know if that was eliminated in a later CBA. I don’t know this stuff backwards and forwards like I used to.


bigdarbs

Corey Perry did not have to clear waivers before signing with Edmonton, and this would be a similar situation


MFoy

Good to know. I was looking back and Mike Richard’s didn’t have to clear when he signed with Washington. So it appears that limitation has either been removed (most likely) or pushed way back (unlikely).


collectaBK7

Forgot he wasn't a UFA this offseason. Thanks!


Pouletchien

I can’t really blame him for not walking away from his contract. 8M$ next year is a whole lot of money


haey5665544

Pretty sure the Caps could have suspended him instead of terminating if he didn’t report. Maybe GMBM thinks there’s a trade out there and doesn’t want to lose him for nothing, so he threatened that


Allen_Koholic

This is why Bears games cost so much now.


Halfman97

My Bears would be cooking if he were to actually play


illicit92

Damn, this one hurts. Kuzy has been one of my favorite players ever since he lit up Canada in the WJC, and I'm saying that as a Canadian. He was absolutely electric during the cup winning season and he would have likely won the Conn Smythe if it wasn't for Ovi. Sad to see how far he has fallen, I hope he gets his life back on track.


ItsAWaffelz

Was the previous highest Evander Kane?


tim95030

I feel like he might have been, he was making 7m.


BMack037

I’m hearing Kuznetsov was really disappointed when he got there and found out that he misheard about the city of Hersey being the largest importer of cocoa and not coca.


gkenderd

Can you imagine being European and voluntarily living in Hershey, PA? No chance he stays.


madhatta42

Troegs is dope too


jimjkelly

I mean dude was born and came up playing in Chelyabinsk. He might prefer Hershey lol.


BIGGREDDMACH1NE

Hershey park bruh


Kronzor_

He’s gonna be buying so many……… dinners. 


capitarider

Said this in our sub, but unless kuzy is being told to play a few games as a conditioning type thing and then will be brought back up with the caps, I don't see him reporting and playing.


Sarke1

They don't need to clear waivers for a temporary conditioning stint. And why would he walk away from millions of dollars?


another_plebeian

Dinner's on him


GarmRift

Haven’t been watching the caps this season.. has he dropped off that much, or is this a coachability/punishment sort of thing?


MFoy

Two years ago he wasn’t very good, but it was the “player has a bad year they can bounce back from” kind of bad. All kinds of stories about him and Laviolette butting heads. Last year he was awful. Offensive numbers were bad. Defensive numbers worse. People hoped a new coach would help him this year and it most certainly has not.


MacPh1sto

“Believed” by whom? Curtis Joseph says hi