I also read on ESPN that the playoff salary cap rules are different this year which may restrict teams from acquiring the higher-paid players. From what I recall it has more to do with the trades that involve two teams absorbing the salary of player traded to a third team...not something that typically happens.
Three changes in the new CBA that the league moved up to start this season (which the GM's are angry about saying the changes going into effect for this season was dropped on them last minute just before the season started):
1. There is now a de facto playoff salary cap. So, no more BS where you can have a guy sit out the regular season on LTIR, add a player with the same cap hit as the player who sits out the regular season, and then bring the "injured player" back for the playoffs without any salary cap implications or restrictions. It's a move Vegas and Colorado have used a lot. The new de facto playoff salary cap says teams must submit a 20-player game-day lineup whose "averaged club salary" is under the "upper limit" of the regular-season salary cap for that team.
2. LTIR rules were changed so teams could only replace an injured player's salary up to the previous season's average league salary, rather than replace his full salary cap hit. The only way to utilize the full salary cap space was to declare that injured player out for the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs.
Dallas just did this with Seguin. They had been using $3.82 million of Seguin's $9.85 million in salary cap relief. After declaring him out for the season (including the playoffs), now they can use the full amount.
3. The new CBA limited trades with "double retention" on a player's salary, in which two different teams retain a percentage of a player's cap hit to facilitate that player ending up with a third team. The new rule states there needs to be 75 regular-season days between trades in which that player's salary is retained, making them logistically unreasonable at the deadline.
Personally, I love the first two rules. I think teams totally took advantage of LTIR and the no salary cap in the playoff's "loopholes".
I hate the third rule, to me that's a trade. The "third team" coming in to retain a % of a player's cap hit gets compensated for doing so. The team that is trying to fit the player in under the cap is giving up something of value to get the "third team" to retain some cap hit. This rule screams of the NHL once again being WAY TOO restrictive with their cap rules, and I always say it really hurts the game, and makes it very difficult for teams to stay together over time. It limits flexibility and essentially is saying a team cannot give up assets/receive assets to retain a % of cap hit to facilitate a trade. That is overly restrictive and will prevent additional trades from happening.
