Salary Cap

Earlier this week as the Washington Capitals packed up their equipment bags, taped bundles of sticks together and prepared to make trips to offseason homes, they did so confident of what will await them when they return for training camp in the fall. While there will certainly be some roster alterations following Washington's first-round playoff elimination, there is no doubt about who will coach, like there was last summer after Dale Hunter's departure. And no speculation about what type of...

Earlier this week as the Washington Capitals packed up their equipment bags, taped bundles of sticks together and prepared to make trips to offseason homes, they did so confident of what will await them when they return for training camp in the fall. While there will certainly be some roster alterations following Washington's first-round playoff elimination, there is no doubt about who will coach, like there was last summer after Dale Hunter's departure. And no speculation about what type of...

During the NFL's year without a salary cap in 2010, the league's 32 teams were told emphatically not to structure player contracts to gain an unfair competitive advantage when the salary cap returned. As the year unfolded, however, the Washington Redskins ignored those instructions, restructuring deals that violated the spirit — if not the letter — of the NFL's wishes. The team's actions so angered others in the NFL , including a number of team owners, that some urged NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to strip draft picks...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Running back DeAngelo Williams has agreed to a restructured contract that ensures he'll remain with the Carolina Panthers this season, said a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the move has not been publically announced. Williams, who turned 30 last month, is Carolina's all-time leader rusher having amassed 5,784 yards and 43 touchdowns. Williams started 10 games last season and...

One day after being told he had made the team, Chris Bourque was placed on waivers by the Washington Capitals on Tuesday because of salary cap concerns. Bourque likely wouldn't have been waived had the Capitals managed to move Michael Nylander as the team had hoped. Despite ongoing attempts, however, the Capitals have been unable to secure a deal to transfer the 36-year-old center to a team outside of the NHL and thus must absorb his $4.875-million cap hit. Because Nylander was not waived, it's expected he will be on the...

The arbitration case in which the Washington Redskins are challenging their salary cap reduction by the NFL raises complicated legal questions about the scope of the league's authority to promote competitive balance among its teams, according to experts. Gabriel Feldman, the director of the sports law program at Tulane University, said that "it's certainly not clear-cut" which way the arbitrator will rule in the case. The Redskins and Dallas Cowboys are contesting the salary cap cuts...

Without pause the verbal fusillade keeps coming from the team facility: Coach Mike Shanahan . General Manager Bruce Allen . Larry Michael , the in-house broadcaster. London Fletcher , the voice of the locker room . Really, every fan accustomed to competing for annual offseason championships has pot-shotted the NFL over what Allen calls "a travesty of fairness. " From their perspective, Roger Goodell is the cruel and unjust parent, and the team is a bunch of helpless, furled-lip toddlers...

For the fourth time in 11 seasons, the Detroit Red Wings hoisted the Stanley Cup on Wednesday night. The sights, sounds and context were much different from the other three titles. The man who signs the checks -- owner Mike Ilitch -- and the one who distributes the millions -- General Manager Ken Holland -- agreed that this Cup was uniquely significant. "Even with a salary cap, we proved we could adjust," Ilitch said. "And our Europeans proved they were tough enough, so I don't think we'll be...

Washington Redskins officials have dealt with their tight salary cap situation all offseason, managing to keep their division-winning team from last season basically intact even while absorbing the second half of their two-year, $36 million salary cap reduction imposed last year by the NFL. The next major cap-related task for the Redskins — signing their draft picks — might look imposing. But it really isn't, thanks to the way the salary cap works. The Redskins have seven...

The Washington Redskins abandoned hopes of being able to retrieve any of their lost salary cap space in time for the opening of the NFL's free agent market Tuesday, team officials said Monday. Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said he had maintained optimism until very recently about being able to recoup some of that cap space before free agency. "I had a lot of hope that we'd have money back, a lot of hope," Shanahan said during an afternoon news conference at Redskins Park. "I...

Washington Redskins officials have dealt with their tight salary cap situation all offseason, managing to keep their division-winning team from last season basically intact even while absorbing the second half of their two-year, $36 million salary cap reduction imposed last year by the NFL. The next major cap-related task for the Redskins — signing their draft picks — might look imposing. But it really isn't, thanks to the way the salary cap works. The Redskins have seven...

The Washington Redskins are about $30,000 under the salary cap, according to a person with knowledge of NFL cap figures. The team managed to fit the recent signings of tight end Fred Davis, cornerback DeAngelo Hall and quarterbacks Rex Grossman and Pat White beneath the salary cap without any further reworkings of other players' contracts to clear cap space. Hall's deal has a base salary of $1 million and includes a signing bonus of $250,000. It also includes $1.25 million in incentives but only carries a cap hit of $1.25...

Thirty-six games into this shortened season , the Washington Capitals sit in a rather unremarkable position, having only just reached the NHL's version of .500. But while their year has largely been defined by inconsistencies, injuries and various other roadblocks, over the past two weeks the Capitals have begun to see the potential they believed was there from the beginning. Predominantly healthy for the first time all season, Washington went 5-1-1 in its seven games prior to the...

The insider Redskins bring corner Hall back into the fold The Washington Redskins and cornerback DeAngelo Hall have finalized a deal that will bring the veteran back to the team less than a month after he was released. The deal is for one year, a person with knowledge of the situation said. Hall was owed $8 million for the 2013 season, but Washington released him on the eve of free agency to get below the salary cap. The cornerback was willing to negotiate a contract restructuring that...

RALEIGH, N.C. — The NHL's trade deadline — 3 p.m. Wednesday — is quickly approaching, but it's quite possible that this year will feature little fanfare and few blockbuster moves. The shortened regular season and exclusive intra-conference play have made for tight standings in both the Eastern and Western conferences. And with several teams still on the bubble and hoping to make a late push for the postseason, only a handful of general managers are prepared to sell off assets.

As the dust settles from the most intense portion of the NFL's free agent signing period , the Washington Redskins still find themselves in need of help in several crucial areas and forced to move on to Plan B. Handcuffed by the second installment of the $36 million salary cap penalty levied against them by the NFL, the Redskins were mostly forced to watch from the sideline last week as the league's top free agents signed elsewhere....

The NFL Players Association is willing to take joint legal action with the Washington Redskins against the league aimed at retrieving some of the salary cap space that the team lost last year when it was penalized by the NFL, two people familiar with the situation said Saturday. But the union and the Redskins have not discussed such an effort, the two people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic. According to one of those people, the...

Next season almost certainly would be played without a salary cap if NFL players succeed in their attempt to lift the lockout put in place by team owners. Players are seeking an injunction in federal court in Minneapolis to try to lift the lockout, which went into effect Saturday after labor talks between the league and union collapsed Friday. Players decertified their union Friday and filed a 52-page antitrust lawsuit against the owners. If that injunction...

Without pause the verbal fusillade keeps coming from the team facility: Coach Mike Shanahan . General Manager Bruce Allen . Larry Michael , the in-house broadcaster. London Fletcher , the voice of the locker room . Really, every fan accustomed to competing for annual offseason championships has pot-shotted the NFL over what Allen calls "a travesty of fairness. " From their perspective, Roger Goodell is the cruel and unjust parent, and the team is a bunch of helpless, furled-lip toddlers sentenced to...

As the NFL's free agency signing period got underway on Tuesday, the salary-cap strapped Washington Redskins ' moves were limited to restructuring veteran wide receiver Santana Moss's contract and re-signing punter Sav Rocca to a two-year deal. Meanwhile, the team appeared to be on the verge of losing linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, a Pro Bowler on special teams, because it lacked the resources to compete with opposing teams interested in his services. Despite ...