The Oilers are getting creative with their salary cap moves this weekend, putting Andrew Mangiapane and Alec Regula on waivers. While some fans think this signals a trade coming, there’s actually a clever financial strategy at play.
It’s all about maximizing cap space while dealing with Mattias Janmark’s injury.
Here’s what’s really going on: The Oilers want to bring up two young players, Josh Samanski and Ike Howard, but they need to do it in a very specific way to save money against the salary cap.
These young guys have what’s called “entry-level contracts” – basic deals that could pay them extra money (bonuses) if they play well in the NHL. The timing of when they move between leagues makes a big difference in how much they count against the team’s salary limit.
If they do it right, Samanski and Howard will only count for their base salaries ($975,000 and $950,000) instead of their full possible earnings with bonuses ($1.46 million and $1.62 million).
The trick? Get these players on the NHL roster before Janmark goes on long-term injured reserve (LTIR).
That’s where Mangiapane and Regula come in. By putting them on waivers, the Oilers can send them to the minors temporarily to make room for Samanski and Howard.
The whole plan looks like this:
* Send Mangiapane and Regula down
* Bring up Samanski and Howard
* Put Janmark on LTIR
* Possibly bring Mangiapane and Regula back later
As PuckPedia explains: “Expect EDM to send the guys on waivers down after clearing waivers so they have room to call up 1 or both of Samanski & Howard. Once up, they can put Janmark on LTIR. Then, after the players sent down play at least 1 AHL game, they could be swapped back.”
It’s a bit like salary cap chess – every move has to happen in exactly the right order to work.
