Payroll going down

Not right away but next season if the team doesn't make significant inroads in the playoffs. Team president Ron Campbell said ownership has approved a payroll of $40-million. That is $2-million less than this season's current cap number of $42-million. It is $4-million less than the current league-wide cap. How much less it will be than next season's cap will be determined after the league calculates this season's revenues and sets a new bar.

Campbell said the $40-million number allows the team to keep its star players but also run the business more responsibly. Campbell estimates without a playoff run this season, Palace Sports & Entertainment, the Lightning's parent company, will lose $9-million on its entire Tampa operation.

Even so, there are no plans, Campbell said, to cut salary this season, and the team is looking for ways to improve as it strives to get to the playoffs. The equation changes, of course, if the teammakes a deep playoff run. Then, Campell said, things can be reassessed.

Campbell said the team is not for sale but it cannot sustain such losses. Campbell said the only year the company turned a profit in the city was the 2004 Cup season when it made $3.8-million.

Hey, at least it won't be a fire sale at the trade deadline.

Comments

[Tony]

As a fan I do not really want to hear it. I know how big business works and I say they lost money as TBL but what does that money include? Concessions? Concerts? Merchandise?

Well if they think they are losing money now wait till they cut payroll and see attendance drop back to what it was when they first took over.

They should not punish the fans and the team for poorly running the operation. How about all the officers take a 25% pay cut in their 6 figure salaries? They do not mind asking the players to play for less, can they ask themselves to work for less?

Team is trying to find theor stride and did not need anythink like this as a distraction. They should be focused but why even tempt them to use that!

[keith]

Couldn't have said it any better than Tony. Don't ask the fans to feel bad for a poor executive and badly managed business. Let the fat cats take a cut.
Ticket prices are already expensive. Cut some players, raise the seat prices, I believe Tampa would be losing a team.

[h29]

Don't worry, I'll make it up myself. Maybe $25 for each of my Molsons and $15 for the Nathans hot dog will close the gap. I'll even stop using more than 1 packet of mustard. :(

Seriously, I think the Lightning run a class operation. The arena is expensive, but not in the price range that you would have to pay to go to a game at MSG in NYC. This makes the arena feel more like a collection of real fans and less like a bunch of suits parading around their clients.

Every employee inside the building is incredibly fan-friendly. The TV and radio crews are great. I have really become an avid fan based on how the organization is run, on and off the ice. And I love the team (especially if Arty comes home next year). Kudos to Campbell, Feister and the entire management team.

Yet, its sad that this delicate balance is running in the red,and to staunch the bleeding, something will have to give (if this is more than a threat).

Maybe the owners should have thought about revenue sharing while they held the sport and its fans hostage a few years ago.

Hope this is just posturing, albeit very poorly planned when the team is finally winning.

[Greg]

Here is a suggestion, have Jay Feaster stop overpaying for a player. Richards makes 7.8 million, 2nd highest paid player in the NHL. Granted Richards is an asset to the team, but not worth 7.8 million. For 7.8 million, you better get a perrenial 50 goal, 100 point man.

This is all a pain in the ass, seriously there needs to be a change in management. I would have never paid Richards that much.

its not Richards' salary per se that is causing the problem. Its that they can't make enough money (supposedly) to profitably pay the total cap amount. If you want to criticize management, then its about not enough revenue or too many other (non-player salary) expenses. Cutting executive salaries,killing Lightning Bug's pension and charging Carrier double to sponsor the ice would be a first step.

[Manny]

This is just another ploy by management to get the city to give PS&E some tax relief. You will also see an increase in ticket prices next year. We hear this same rhetoric every year around this time and I’m not buying it.

[Pete]

I think of an easy way for the Lightning to save money. First step, Richards contract. They are paying him way too much. I don't know what Jay Feaster was thinking on this one? I'm not trying to knock Richards, he is a good player but 7.8 million??? I think not.

[Fred]

I know it's been said before, but folks were calling for Marty's head last year when he wasn't producing. Nobody questions his worth now. Richie will come around. If Feds, Perrin, or Prospal could bury the biscuit now and then Richie's assist total would be much higher. How much money should Richie make? Players with comparable skill levels, by the numbers, make 4-5 mil. Maybe Richie's play this year isn't up to his nearly 8 mil salary, but let's look at some of the other financial mistakes that the Bolts have made. Is Denis worth 3 mil? How much did we have tied up in Sean Burke, only to have him ride the pine in Springfield? Why was Cap'n Dave given a multi-year deal at his advanced age? We are paying him to be a "team ambassador". (Love him, but come on.)

Palace Sports isn't giving us the whole story. That building is busy three nights a week. Concession prices are absolutely insane. You know that they are making money off of the events. The Forum can't survive without hockey and it can't survive without the events. They are a package deal. The cash they make off concerts, etc. should more than offset what they may lose from hockey.

I like what Tony said about cutting some executive baggage. The talk about trimming the fat in the minors is scary. Without a pipeline of good young players the Bolts will go nowhere fast.

[Nan]

How could they possibly cut corners on the players salaries in this day and age of parity in the league? Yes, it might be possible to win a Stanley cup with a lower payroll than other teams but not likely, not now! Who are they kidding? Lower payroll means a lesser chance to make the playoffs every year which in turn will lead to fewer fans which makes the situation even worse. And I sure as heck hope that they don't raise the concession or ticket prices anymore on the fans. I already can't afford to go and when I do, I go to a local restaurant before the game for cheaper food and drink prices and then drink water while I am at the game. Yup, that leaves one place left to cut - management salaries. Good idea to whoever suggested it.

[Phantom]

Next time vote 'yes' on casinos. Management will be called manage-‘mint’ with slots in the lobby to vacuum every last scrap of currency from patrons. Know what? They’ll still and evermore cry poor. Take a detached perspective and see this entire issue as folly. That was a great solution to hack payroll in descending order. Never happen though.
It beats the proposed solution I overheard at the ‘water-cooler’ recently. We all know that in order to really get someone’s attention you’ve got to hit them in the wallet. Hitting the Brass in their, ahem, south end would be achieved by a- what they called- stiff, by the fans. Pick one home game and don’t show up. Instead of 19-20K fan$, only 2K (10%) stubborn mules show up. (I wanted to toss in my two cents that the Big Boys might pull stakes and move to the city that doesn’t get the Penguins.) Then a really asinine idea emerged; for a city to become so disenchanted with their local Scrooges and seek a trade of entire franchises with another city. Weird, but I liked it. Vinny, Marty and Richie for Sid, Malkin and Fleury. Bet Mario doesn’t drink and drive…. What’s in that water?
Damian is a far classier writer than I would be; I’d research every player mentioned (in every sport mentioned), to parenthesize their salary after their name. (Hey, it's business.) Then it would really be entertaining to do thus with the suits.

[Tony]

As a follow up I have one question...

Wasn't the whole lock out year because the owners wanted cost certainity????

They agreed then that the players get x% and they could live with that as a cap and be competitive and make $$$. Now they are saying the ha da year to think about did the deal and it doesn't work for them????

And how in the heck can anyone swallow the fact that if they only lost 5 million a year they would stay here forever??? 5 mil a year loss and they are ok with it??? But 8 is too much???

BS detector is ringing the bells!!

Hey Ron go have another cocktail and "SHUT YOUR YAP!" To quote the coach!

[slapshot]

Lightning management being totallly disingenuous with fans. PSE is making tons of dough with all those enterprises so they are obviously using "Hollywood accounting." Their answer is to make the fans, players, and, yes, even the state, pay more. Instead of a one game boycott, how about a one season boycott??

Hold up a second here Richie fans. How can you possibly support paying so much money a year and say its not to much. Let me clue you in here. 40 million a year and Brad's salary is 39 million total. Gee that's not taking too much. If anyone deserves a pay raise I'd give it too Vinny and Marty. Pay Brad 4.5 a year and geve that an extra 1.2 to them. If I here one more person say how great Brad is I'm gonna scream. Loudly.
We wouldn't have cap problems if we didn't pay certain people so much to sum it up nicely :).

[tony]

While I agree Brad is overpaid but they said the same thing about Vinny and Marty. In today's cap market I felt we had no choice but to pay Ritchie.

Brad is a 1 or 2 center on about any team on the league. Who would we have brought in to replace him? Besides Brad is a playmaker and they took away both his scoring wingers. He is a 20-25 goal scorer who gets alot of assists with good wingers. I think if we just had Freddy Mo back you should see a whole different Ritchie out there.

Our Salary cap issues are tied up in the big 3 but we would be nowhere without them right now. If you want to pick on someone how about Denis' 3.1 Mill and 50% of Burkes salary??? Be nice to spend 4-5 million on a player right now wouldn't it????

[Fred]

The Richie haters out there have impressive 20/20 hindsight. I saw very little criticism (maybe just some concern) when the Bolts gave him the big contract. It was a good gamble...the guy's numbers have gone up every year and his work ethic has never been questioned. Now Denis...that was a gamble!

Vinny is much better than Brad, always has been, always will.

[JB]

What a dumb time to make an announcement like this. I think this decision was made while the Bolts were slumping and certain people were too busy fighting off their DUI charges to do their job.

[Tim]

You can attribute the Bolts loss of money to an NHL wide problem. The main reason is that Gary Bettman should be fired and replaced as soon as possible because he can't deliver a profitable T.V. contract with a major network. He has basically flicked his nose at ESPN and ABC and has gone with the unknown Versus channel for most nationally televised games. The ratings at Versus rank somewhere near most infomercials. The results of this incompetence along with the calapse of the CBA in 2005 has placed the league at a cross roads with multiple finacial voids. Revenues have to come from somewhere besides ticket sales, concerts, concessions and parking to maintain an expensive NHL infrastructure. The league will continue in decline until it ultimately vanishes due to bankruptcy. This will happen unless something is done to stave off the incompetence by the board of governors and NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman. They could start the correction process by firing Bettman who has done more to harm the NHL than anyone, since the league's inception.

All of the NHL teams in small market cities such as Tampa Bay will suffer the most from this gross incompetence if something isn't done soon. Raising ticket prices, having more events and cutting salaries are all just placing band-aids on a sucking chest wound. FIRE BETTMAN NOW, then change the NHL back to profitable business it used to be. Then market the NHL in the same fashion that NASCAR and the NFL do.

[michael babnik]

everything about the lightning is awesome.......but, that said....they have made some very bad front office moves.......richards will go down as one of the biggest mistakes in the last,or next 10 years....he is a good player.....i like him on our team....the mistake was the money.....no way around this conversation.....at the time feaster signed him without any negotiations......without any bar to measure, it was like the first week after the new agreement.......he did everything a GM shouldn't of done....basically he made a PR move for the city......and sunk the team for quite a while......at the time, richards salary was almost 20% of the team payroll on one guy....unheard of in any sport at anytime.....if it had been montreal or new york he would of been run out of down over the last few years......the rest of the team after the top 5-7 guys are all minimum wage players.....do you think it is a coincidence that we keep finding 30 year old rookies.....europeans...journeyman????and they all get raves in the paper from feaster.....but lets face it ....we played the last 40 games of the year with two lines........because.....no money to sign any decent depth.....richards, God bless him, he played the whole year with perrin----30 yrs old with 14 career goals and finished with ward....28 years old with 28 career goals and bounced from losing team to losing team......reality io ward is a very average player who instantly became a second line player......that shows you how little depth we had...and the big kid from russia.......could we have used him last year.......please!!!!...but no money.....unfortuantely lightning fans, unless management wants to spend more we are stuck with a very average team....if this was detrot or colorade and we could spend all 50 million ...wow.... we could add some depth and be right back on top....only time will tell.....my objection is why would they trust feaster to make good decisions going forward???? he has been reckless at best....none of the top guys held out or negotiated for even a second....all 3 got the red carpet treatment in less than 24 hours.....then he gave the farm to denis...and kuba---ouch----lady bing winner this year????...and we have lost modin khabby and stillman .....hindsight has not treated jay feaster to well....now it is the off season.....has anyone seen even one move to think we will be better this year???? the most interesting news i saw was the offer to ranger for 450k.....this sums up all of our problems....this kid has a future...and boy do we need solid defense men....and they offer him 450k??? he might be restricted but sooner or later they will probably lose him...450k for rnager and 3 million for kuba???we have severe payroll problems....and 40-45% tied yo with three guys.....hockey is the ultimate team game, and we are a very very thin team.......and i have a feeling will be for the next two years....i keep asking my friends....we made the playoffs the last two years on the final saturday night.....got bounced right out of the playoffs in 5, then 6 games and management is going to stand pat!!!!!!!!!maybe they can play vinnie and marty and brad and danny the whole game this year instead of only 28 minutes each....good night all

[michael babnik]

everything about the lightning is awesome.......but, that said....they have made some very bad front office moves.......richards will go down as one of the biggest mistakes in the last,or next 10 years....not because he stinks....he is a very good player.....i like him on our team....the mistake was the money.....no way around this conversation.....at the time feaster signed him without any negotiations......without any bar to measure, it was like the first week after the new agreement.......he did everything a GM shouldn't of done....basically he made a PR move for the city......and sunk the team for quite a while......at the time, richards salary was almost 20% of the team payroll on one guy....unheard of in any sport at anytime.....if it had been montreal or new york he would of been run out of down over the last few years......the rest of the team after the top 5-7 guys are all minimum wage players.....do you think it is a coincidence that we keep finding 30 year old rookies.....europeans...journeyman????and they all get raves in the paper from feaster.....but lets face it ....we played the last 40 games of the year with two lines........because.....no money to sign any decent depth.....richards, God bless him, he played the whole year with perrin----30 yrs old with 14 career goals and finished with ward....28 years old with 28 career goals and bounced from losing team to losing team......reality io ward is a very average player who instantly became a second line player......that shows you how little depth we had...and the big kid from russia.......could we have used him last year.......please!!!!...but no money.....unfortuantely lightning fans, unless management wants to spend more we are stuck with a very average team....if this was detrot or colorade and we could spend all 50 million ...wow.... we could add some depth and be right back on top....only time will tell.....my objection is why would they trust feaster to make good decisions going forward???? he has been reckless at best....none of the top guys held out or negotiated for even a second....all 3 got the red carpet treatment in less than 24 hours.....then he gave the farm to denis...and kuba---ouch----lady bing winner this year????...and we have lost modin khabby and stillman .....hindsight has not treated jay feaster to well....now it is the off season.....has anyone seen even one move to think we will be better this year???? the most interesting news i saw was the offer to ranger for 450k.....this sums up all of our problems....this kid has a future...and boy do we need solid defense men....and they offer him 450k??? he might be restricted but sooner or later they will probably lose him...450k for rnager and 3 million for kuba???we have severe payroll problems....and 40-45% tied yo with three guys.....hockey is the ultimate team game, and we are a very very thin team.......and i have a feeling will be for the next two years....i keep asking my friends....we made the playoffs the last two years on the final saturday night.....got bounced right out of the playoffs in 5, then 6 games and management is going to stand pat!!!!!!!!!maybe they can play vinnie and marty and brad and danny the whole game this year instead of only 28 minutes each....good night all

[Satch]

Michael B! Welcome! I think!

There's a comedy central skit in here somewhere.

Quote - "if this was detrot or colorade"

I want to take you seriously but do you see why I can't? We ignore spelling here, typo's too. But come on. That wasn't even close.

Next..........

Your comments on Paul Ranger.......

" this kid has a future...and boy do we need solid defense men....and they offer him 450k???"

I have no idea where you saw that! The league minimum this year is $475k. Where the hell did you get that number?

And one last comment on Kuba......

in your words, as only you can deliver....

"kuba---ouch----lady bing winner this year????..."

HUH???

If this wasn't so funny it would be sad!

The guy who won the Lady Bing plays for, as you put it, detrot.

Thanks for your input. Next time, bring your A game!!

[michael babnik]

u didn't quite get the intention......i voted for kuba for the lady bing because he hit about two people all year and was last in hits of our 6 defensemen....i thought the joke was clear....my bad......
450k or 475k you got me on that one....but again i think the intent was clear to most....most....do you see the glass as half empty in life??? what about the other stuff or are you just spell check??? c-o-l-o-r-a-d-o......see if you can figure this one out......you are an idio? you had no comments on hockey???

[kevin]

Screw the lightning go Wings!

satch,...I did some homework....first let's talk about feds....he sat......and craig played 4:41 with no playoff points and 1 goal in last 25 games.......tarn'sky played 7:24 with 0 playoff points and 1 goal in last 19 games.....taylor played 10 minutes, with 0 playoff points and 1 goal ALL SEASON.....roy played 36seconds and had 0 playoff points......karllson, who by the way was a healthy scratch for 25 games this year....played 17 minutes with no playoff points and no goals in his last thirty games......these guys were are 3rd and 4th lines....the five of them played a total of 25 minutes, and had no points in the entire playoffs....the big three average 29 minutes!!!!!!for you to argue you.... would rather have these guys on the ice than fedetenko????......is ....is....you need to watch more hockey games and stop reading the feaster bullshirt....
pretty much everyone other than the top 5 forwards had a very very rough year........and that is the point of the whole mess we are in......and that is the offense.......start an argument about the defense??????they averaged about 8-9 hits per games....satch look it up.......getting rid of ramsey......it was about time......after watching the most UN---physical 6 guys in hockey they had to shake something up.....by the way satch one last stat instead of opinions......which forward was credited with the most hits last year?.....that's right ruslan fedetenko......but he ....the guy who scored both goals in game 7 of the cup victory couldn't even sit on the bench.....but andre roy could.......wow!!!!

[Satch]

noname said.......

"satch,...I did some homework....first let's talk about feds....he sat......and craig played 4:41 with no playoff points and 1 goal in last 25 games.......tarn'sky played 7:24 with 0 playoff points and 1 goal in last 19 games.....taylor played 10 minutes, with 0 playoff points and 1 goal ALL SEASON.....roy played 36seconds and had 0 playoff points......karllson, who by the way was a healthy scratch for 25 games this year....played 17 minutes with no playoff points and no goals in his last thirty games......these guys were are 3rd and 4th lines....the five of them played a total of 25 minutes, and had no points in the entire playoffs....the big three average 29 minutes!!!!!!for you to argue you.... would rather have these guys on the ice than fedetenko????"

Absolutely!!!

Next!!

[Satch]

Hey Kevin........screw u

[michael babnik]

satch, I responded under the perrin column, my bad.... I am not use to this site just yet......go ahead and read it......we could go back and forth....but you would rather have tarnasky or roy or taylor or craig than ruslan fedetenko....I think this site can officially not take you serious from this point on...good nite satch...but please stay on as we do need a good spell checker

[micahel babnik]

for all you serious hockey fans...one more fact....satch got me going......brad richards signed at the very beginning of the "new cba" agreement.....no holdout.....no negotiating.......no offers from any other club....he signed for 7.8 million dollars........FACT....that is the most any team could pay a player at the time.......sooooooo....someone please tell me why why why......SATCH??? can you read thru my real point on this issue?????let me say it in a humurous way......have you ever had your wife go out and by a new car and buy at 100% of the sticker price????no haggling...no shopping....no going to another dealership.......just writing the check and leaving with a smile on her face.......then the neighbors come home and they all have the same car but paid alot less!!!!! that is what feaster did to us!!!!! he gave brad richards the biggest contract in the nhl at the time, without any thought or rhyme or reason......and that is where all of our payroll....depth.....average play started.....even now after two cap hikes, brad richards still has teh biggest salary in the game....and poor satch....you do not see the trickle down effect that has had on our poor hockey franchise.....add the denis mistake and that is why we have not a pot to go potty in.....or to sign some real nhl depth.....signing off....the idiot, mike

[mike babnik]

satch, going to bed....but i had to check on something you said......go to yahoo...type in nhl shane o'brien traded....and article comes up right near the top......o'brien happy he was traded....goes on and the last line.....he played 65 games with the ducks and averaged just over 14 minutes of ice time ......satch.....satchamo....you were pulling my leg when you said you did your home work.....i new he was the odd man out.....and then it added....has been getting more ice time since being traded to tampa bay........no kidding......he instantly became like number two or three at least.....goes to my cross examination of depth here in tampa......sorry satch I knew i had read it somewhere......so i just had to do some checking to make sure your watchful eye for detail was happy....good night all....idiot mike......sorry for the double posts everyone...i am not a good typer....obviously....and sometimes i goof ......