The NHL is going to a $39 million salary cap. And, as they have in the NFL, teams are designating personnel to fill the role of capologist.
Barry Hanrahan, assistant to general manager Bob Clarke, has been given that task for the Flyers.
Hanrahan met with Eagles president Joe Banner late in the 2003-04 NHL season, getting a four-hour crash course in managing a salary cap.
Banner has been the Eagles' cap wizard for a decade and is considered one of the sharpest cap managers in pro football.
"Barry was down there with the Eagles, and they were good enough to take us in and show us how they run their program, and Barry's stayed in touch with them since," Clarke said yesterday.
"Joe Banner and his crew were very helpful. They even had some of the guys who work under Banner on the cap at the meetings, too, helping us out. The NFL cap may be a lot bigger than ours, but the system is not necessarily any different."
Banner, who is vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, said yesterday he found it interesting that the Flyers were planning a year in advance of implementation of a salary cap, even though there were no assurances it would happen.
"They seemed appreciative of our input and we were happy to help," Banner said.
"They were trying to find out things about the NFL cap that they thought might be incorporated into an NHL cap - how we related our salary cap to making personnel decisions."
Also at that meeting was Howie Roseman, director of football administration, who works with Banner on cap matters.
"Knowing that a new collective-bargaining agreement was in the works, we weren't sure what was coming, but we figured some form of a cap," said Hanrahan, who joined the Flyers in 1997 as director of team services. "It was a chance to familiarize ourselves with what to expect in a cap environment."
The Flyers plan to stay in touch with Banner during the hockey season to discuss cap matters.
"They've got training camp coming up, we've got all these CBA matters, and with things going on, we haven't had a chance to meet up lately," Hanrahan said. "They have been very helpful, especially in discussing the philosophies of a salary-cap environment.
"The biggest thing we learned was preparation and planning. Everything you do from here on out not only secures a player for this year, but sets the table for what you will or won't be able to do in future years, as well as in terms of putting a team together."
Staff writer Bob Brookover contributed to this report.
Contact staff writer Tim Panaccio at 215-854-2847 or tpanaccio@phillynews.com.
