Randy Jones’ cap hit haunted the Flyers for two years, now half of it will haunt them the rest of the 2009-10 season.
Jones, 28, did not clear waivers as expected on Thursday. He was picked up by Los Angeles for $1.37 million to solidify their defense corp. This gaff puts the Flyers on the hook for the same amount, which becomes dead space against their cap.
Jones was placed on waivers prior to the start of the season due to mediocre play, matched with his high $2.75 cap hit, a number the Flyers weren’t comfortable paying for a third-pairing defenseman.
Hugged tight against the cap ceiling, the subtraction of Jones gave the team some breathing room financially and an ability to carry rookie James van Riemsdyk, who has eight points in his first eight NHL games.
The long-term injury to Simon Gagne freed up close to $5.25 million, giving the Flyers an opportunity to afford Jones again, who was toiling with the Adirondack Phantoms. However, to bring a waiver player back up, he first must clear re-entry waivers. If picked up, the team placing him on re-entry is responsible for half the player’s salary against the team’s cap, a move rarely made with players tagged with significant salaries.
But how calculated was this sloppy gamble by general manager Paul Holmgren? It has been speculated that the Flyers may have had a deal worked out with the Kings and that a trade might come as a result.
For Holmgren’s sake, lets hope that’s true.
There has been some speculation that Jones to LA may have been calculated because the mo
Phila.Bright 