What Is the Long-Term Injury Reserve in the NHL?

In the National Hockey League, there is a long-term injury reserve (LTIR) list that teams can use to relieve themselves of salary cap pressure.

Introduction

The long-term injury reserve (LTIR) is a mechanism used by NHL teams to relieve themselves of salary cap obligations when players are injured and unable to play. A player must be injured for at least 10 games or 24 days, whichever is longer, before he can be placed on LTIR. Once a player is placed on LTIR, his cap hit is removed from the team’s books until he is healthy and able to return to action.

The use of LTIR can be a contentious issue, as some teams have been accused of “cap fraud” by using LTIR to circumvent the salary cap. In particular, there have been accusations that teams will place healthy players on LTIR in order to free up space under the salary cap, only to call those players back up when they are needed. However, there is no evidence that any team has ever done this, and it would be difficult to prove even if it did occur.

While the use of LTIR can be beneficial for teams that are up against the salary cap, it can also create problems for those same teams down the road. When a player is placed on LTIR, his salary still counts towards the team’s total payroll. This can cause problems when the player eventually comes off LTIR and his salary must be accounted for once again. This can create a “cap crunch” situation for a team that was already close to the salary cap limit before the player was originally placed on LTIR.

Overall, the use of LTIR can be beneficial for NHL teams, but it should be used with caution. Teams should make sure that they understand all of the ramifications of usingLTIR before they place any players on it.

What is the Long-Term Injury Reserve?

The Long-Term Injury Reserve (LTIR) is a mechanism used by NHL teams to relieve themselves of salary cap obligations when a player is injured and unable to play for an extended period of time.

In order to place a player on LTIR, a team must submit documentation to the league that includes a determination by team doctors that the player is suffering from an injury that will keep him out of the lineup for at least 24 days and 10 games. Once a player is placed on LTIR, his salary cap hit is removed from the team’s books and he is ineligible to play for the duration of his stay on LTIR.

Players can be placed on LTIR retroactively, meaning that if a player sustains an injury that keeps him out of action for more than 24 days, the team can still request relief from his salary cap hit.

In order to be eligible for LTIR, a player must be on the team’s active roster or injured reserve list at the time he sustains the injury that will keep him out of action. Players who are not on either of those lists are not eligible for LTIR.

Once a player is placed on LTIR, he can remain there for the duration of his recovery, provided that he still meets the criteria outlined above. He can also be moved back to the active roster or injured reserve list at any time, provided that he is healthy enough to do so.

The most notable recent example of a player being placed on LTIR was when New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was injured in training camp prior to the 2014-15 season. Lundqvist missed more than three months with a blood vessel injury in his neck and was placed on LTIR retroactively when it was determined that he would miss more than 24 days and 10 games. As a result, the Rangers were able to exceed the salary cap by up to $5.625 million while Lundqvist was sidelined.

How Does the Long-Term Injury Reserve Work?

The long-term injury reserve (LTIR) is a designation used by the National Hockey League (NHL) to allow teams some salary cap relief when players are injured and are expected to miss an extended period of time.

A player must be injured to be eligible for the LTIR, and the team’s medical staff must determine that the player is expected to miss at least 10 games and 24 days. Once those criteria are met, the team can place the player on LTIR and free up salary cap space equal to the player’s salary and bonuses up to a maximum of $10.8 million.

The LTIR can be used retroactively, so if a player is injured during the season, he can be placed on LTIR even if he has already missed games. The decision on whether or not to place a player on LTIR is up to the team, but it must be done before the start of the playoffs.

Once a player is placed on LTIR, he cannot return to play until he is reinstated by the NHL. A players can only be reinstated if he is medically cleared and his salary cap hit no longer exceeds $10.8 million.

If a team exceeds the salary cap by more than $10.8 million because of injuries, it will be required to pay a penalty of 5% of the overage for each game that it exceeds the cap limit.

What Are the Benefits of the Long-Term Injury Reserve?

There are a few benefits to the long-term injury reserve in the NHL. First, it allows teams to exceed the salary cap while a player is on the LTIR. This can be beneficial for teams that are close to the salary cap and need to add additional players at the Trade Deadline or during Free Agency. Secondly, it gives teams some flexibility with their roster construction. For example, if a team has a player that they know will be out for an extended period of time, they can place him on the LTIR and replace him with a player from their AHL affiliate. This can help alleviate some of the salary cap constraints that teams face when constructing their rosters.

What Are the Drawbacks of the Long-Term Injury Reserve?

The main drawback of the long-term injury reserve is that it can be difficult to return from. A player must be completely healthy and cleared for contact before he can be activated from the LTIR. For some players, this process takes months. For others, it takes years.

Another drawback of the long-term injury reserve is that it frees up a roster spot for another player. This can be good for the team, but bad for the injured player because he may not get his spot back when he is healthy.

Lastly, players on the long-term injury reserve do not accumulate any statistical data while they are on the LTIR. This can hurt a player’s value when he becomes a free agent or is traded because his statistics will be lower than they would have been if he had not been injured.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the long-term injury reserve is a designation used by NHL teams to remove a player from their active roster while still paying them a portion of their salary. This can be used in cases where a player is injured and is not expected to return to action for an extended period of time. It allows teams to free up salary cap space and open up a roster spot for another player.