The salary cap floor for next season is $40.7 million dollars. The Kings, as of right now, have a total of about $29 million in salaries so far. I'm not the mathematical genius/geek that Earl is, but I think the Kings are going to be okay. They need to sign Patrick O'Sullivan to a deal, which hopefully will be not nearly as retarded as that Jeff Carter contract. They also need to sign Erik Ersberg, Brad Richardson, Matt Moulson, and Gabe Gauthier. O'Sullivan should get around $2-3 million over a couple of years, while the rest should get a million each. Say that's around $7 million, which puts the Kings at $36 million. If they then sign Mike Commodore (please?) and Rob Blake, the Kings should be sitting right at the floor. Some Kings fans will bitch and moan about the fact that the Kings aren't spending up to the cap, but when you consider the fact that Jack Johnson, Anze Kopitar, Ted Purcell and Brian Boyle are all going to be restricted free agents next year, it seems like a good idea to leave some space.
The Kings' situation puts them in a rather enviable position in the coming season. Take Philadelphia, for example. They're right up against the the cap and have yet to sign 5 restricted free agents. If the Kings wanted, they could offer just enough to keep Philly from matching but not enough to lose a 1st-round pick. Or, if they were so inclined, they could take on salary from another team that's near the cap in exchange for draft picks. The salary would have to be for only one year, obviously, but it could be done. Should be fun to watch.
The Kings' situation puts them in a rather enviable position in the coming season. Take Philadelphia, for example. They're right up against the the cap and have yet to sign 5 restricted free agents. If the Kings wanted, they could offer just enough to keep Philly from matching but not enough to lose a 1st-round pick. Or, if they were so inclined, they could take on salary from another team that's near the cap in exchange for draft picks. The salary would have to be for only one year, obviously, but it could be done. Should be fun to watch.