The Salary Cap Shuffle

By the time that wacky Mats Sundin finally picks a team, we'll be into the final weeks of summer. Call it salary dump season.

Exact numbers are hard to nail down. But the diligent folks at NHLSCAP.com show five teams currently over the 2008-09 NHL salary cap: the Ducks, Capitals, Flames, Flyers, and Blackhawks.

NHLSCAP cites Anaheim as the worst offender, with a cap overdraft topping $3 million. It's widely assumed that the Ducks will trade defenseman Mathieu Schneider (pictured) and his $5.75 million price tag.

Plenty of buyers are poised to take advantage of a fire sale. Half of the NHL's 30 teams have cap room in excess of $5 million. First in line would be the Kings, who have do some big spending just to make the minimum payroll.

At this point, the teams holding back some cap room look pretty smart.

Not only do they retain the flexibility to make mid-season moves, they're in great shape to pluck an orphan from what's left of the free agent pool. Unemployed hockey players come dirt cheap in August and September.

True, there isn't a ton of talent on the list. But any team needing an enforcer or a depth defenseman won't have to lay out the kind of foolish money thrown at guys like Georges Laraque and Ron Hainsey back when the market was hot.