Anaheim Ducks 2015-2016 Financial Breakdown

The Anaheim Ducks have announced their opening night 23-man roster. We now have a clear understanding of the Ducks financial situation for this season.

Before we dive into the Ducks financial breakdown, there are a few things that must be understood.

First is an understanding of the Ducks internal cap.

The Ducks are not Billy Beane’s Oakland A’s playing moneyball because they have no money. But they are also certainly not the New York Yankees spending money like it’s their job.

Hockey is different than baseball as hockey has a salary cap, but you should think of the Ducks as a team in-between the spending style’s of the A’s and Yankees.

The reason for that is the Ducks operate under an internal cap.

When you see that the NHL has set the salary cap for the upcoming season at $71.4 million, this does not entirely apply to the Ducks because they will not get close to hitting that number due to an internal cap that may be set around $64-$67 million for this season.

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So, when you look at the Ducks salary cap hit right now and you see that they have a significant amount of cap space, don’t be fooled. They are likely close to their internal cap they have set for themselves.

Basically all you need to know is that Ducks GM Bob Murray does not have $71.4 million to spend on players this season, he is operating under an internal cap and that is why the Ducks cap space is misleading.

Don’t go thinking that the Ducks have the room to acquire a $7 million dollar player at the deadline without giving anyone up, because that is not true.

Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s begin to breakdown the Ducks financial situation for the 2015-2016 season.

Cap Space

The NHL’s ’15-’16 salary cap is set at $71.4 million and the salary floor is set at $52.8 million. This means no team may go over $71.4 million but the teams that are in tank mode must stay above the floor of $52.8 million.

In terms of cap space, the Ducks are ranked 8th with $7,982,502 in space. However as I mentioned, the Ducks have less cap room then that due to their internal cap.

The Arizona Coyotes have the most cap space, a little over $12.4 million in space, while the Blackhawks and Red Wings have the least amount of cap space because they both have essentially $0 dollars to spend.

Forward’s Salary Breakdown

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As you can see the Ducks spend a significant amount of money on their forwards. This is directly correlated to their young and inexpensive defensive group, but here is a stat that may surprise you.

In terms of percentage of total cap hit spent on forwards, the Ducks are tied for first in the NHL with 67% of their total cap hit being spent on forwards.

So what that means is the Ducks forward group carries a total cap hit of $43,069,166 which is 67% of the team’s total cap hit of $63,417,498.

67% is tied with Pittsburg and Columbus for highest percentage of total cap hit spent on forwards. Pittsburgh has Crosby, Malkin and Kessel on their roster so this is a pretty telling stat for the Ducks.

Calgary ranks last in terms of percentage of total cap hit being spent on forwards at 43%. That is directly correlated to their expensive defensive unit and the fact that they have a ton of young players in their lineup.

Defensive Salary Breakdown

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This is likely the last time for a while that the Ducks will have such an inexpensive defensive unit. Lindholm and Vatanen need new deals next summer and it’s safe to say they’re deserving of a raise, especially Lindholm.

Simon Despres was just given a five-year $18.5 million dollar extension but that will not kick in until next season. His cap hit after this season turns into $3.7 million.

In terms of percentage of total cap hit spent on defensemen, the Ducks are tied for 23rd with 25% of their total cap hit being spent on defensemen.

Montreal ranks first in this category with 42% of their total cap hit going to their defensemen, thanks to P.K. Subban’s hefty deal. The no name Buffalo defense ranks last with 16% of their total cap hit going to their defensemen. Can you imagine what that number would have been if Cody Franson did not sign with them, close to 10%?

Goaltending Salary Breakdown

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This is also likely the last time for a while that the Ducks will have such inexpensive goaltending. Freddie Andersen needs a new deal next summer and if he continues to shine as the Ducks number one, he will get a hefty raise. Anton Khudobin is a solid backup and his contract is reflective of that.

John Gibson is starting the year in the AHL but his recent contract extension wouldn’t kick in until next season anyway.

In terms of percentage of total cap hit being spent on goaltending, the Ducks rank second to last with just 5% of their total cap hit being spent on goaltending.

Dallas is spending the most on goaltending with 15% of their total cap hit going to goaltending, thanks to the arrival of Antti Niemmi. Edmonton ranks last at 4%.

Buyouts

If you’ve been living under a rock, here’s some breaking news.

The Ducks bought out the contract of Mark Fistric over the summer.

This means that the Ducks no longer needed the services of Fistric and they proceeded to buy out his contract. Fistric is still on the books for the Ducks however.

The rules of buyouts state that a player who has his contract bought out will then count against the teams salary cap for twice the amount of remaining years on the players contract. Fistric had two-years remaining on a three-year $3.8 million dollar deal so he will count against the Ducks salary cap for this season and three more.

The buyout pays Fistric two thirds of the total remaining salary that he is owed. Fistric will carry a cap hit of $516,666 for this upcmoming season.

Two-Way Contracts

The Ducks have five two-way contracts on their opening night 23-man roster. Rakell, Sekac, Wagner, Manson and Lindholm can all be sent down to the AHL without having to clear waivers. However, all of them, except for maybe Wagner, appear have solidified their spot with the Ducks for the entire season.

The Return of Nate Thompson

When Nate Thompson is taken off of IR and returns from injury, the Ducks will have to send a player down to the AHL. This is likely going to be Chris Wagner but there is also the possibility of him playing well and forcing Bob Murray and the coaching staff to keep him up with the big club when Thompson returns.

If Horcoff, Santorelli or another guy on a one-way deal does not perform and the Ducks want to keep Wagner in Anaheim when Thompson returns, waivers will be required. Keep an eye on this situation as it could effect the Ducks salary cap space.

To Wrap Things Up…

In conclusion, the Ducks have a pretty favorable cap situation for the time being. Despite an internal cap, the Ducks will have some cap space and Bob Murray should have trade deadline flexibility.

Next summer is a different story. The Ducks have a number of key restricted free agents needing new deals and that financial situation is going to give Murray some headaches. Next summer’s situation could effect Murray’s deadline decisions this season.

Keep an eye on all of the Ducks 2016 RFA’s, Murray could start handing out contract extensions soon.

Well, there you have it. A breakdown of the Ducks 2015-2016 financial situation. Feel free to reach out to me on twitter with any questions or concerns because half of the stuff I said in this article could seem like ‘gibberish’!

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