:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47581747/GettyImages-116759705.0.jpg)
Chris Kelly is out of commission for a long long time. But could the Bruins use his injury to help them clear enough cap space to make a major addition at the trade deadline?
What is Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR)? LTIR allows a team to regain some cap space to replace injured players, but in most cases is not the full cap hit of the player being placed on it. A team can make paper moves to maximize this benefit however, as a team needs to get as close to the cap as possible WITH the player on the roster, or as close the cap WITHOUT the players cap hit counting against it, all while fitting within the maximum roster of 23 players.
| Roster Move | Player Cap Hit | Cap hits | Cap Space | Roster number | Waivers? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current cap situation | x | $69,280,666 | $2,119,334 | 23 | x |
| Chris Kelly on IR | x | $69,280,666 | $2,119,334 | 22 | x |
| Call up Talbot | $900,000 | $70,180,666 | $1,219,334 | 23 | Yes, cleared 10/6 |
| Send down Colin Miller | $602,500 | $69,578,166 | $1,821,834 | 22 | No |
| Call up Zane McIntyre | $925,000 | $70,503,166 | $896,834 | 23 | No |
| Send down Joonas Kemppainen | $792,500 | $69,710,666 | $1,689,334 | 22 | No |
| Call up Brian Ferlin | $875,000 | $70,585,666 | $814,334 | 23 | No |
| Send down Khokhlachev | $786,666 | $69,799,000 | $1,601,000 | 22 | No |
| Call up Malcolm Subban | $863,333 | $70,662,333 | $737,667 | 23 | No |
| LTIR KELLY | $3,000,000 | $70,662,333 | $3,481,667 | 23 | x |
The next step would be to revert the changes of these players, sans the recall of Max Talbot, who was recently called up. This would decrease the Bruins actual cap hit by a total of 2.1 million, giving them a total cap hit of $67,180,666 - and a total cap space after the LTIR of $6,481,667.
| Cap Space Before | $2,119,334 |
|---|---|
| Cap hit change from posturing | -$1,381,667 |
| Cap space after posturing | $737,667 |
| LTIR relief | $2,262,333 |
| New upper limit | $73,662,333 |
| Cap hit after LTIR | $70,180,666 |
| Cap space after LTIR | $3,481,667 |