This week’s Penguins mailbag features reader questions about the one-way and two-way contracts, what the future holds for the Penguins under new ownership and the abrupt departure of Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar. Let’s dive right in.
What’s the difference between a one-way contract and a two-way contract and do they have any effect on waivers?
The one and only difference between a one-way contract and a two-way contract is how much the player gets paid at the minor-league level.
For example, last year, Jeff Zatkoff was on a one-way contract, despite playing the vast majority of the season in Wilkes-Barre. Because it was a one-way contract, he earned the full value of his contract, which was $600,000.
Bryan Rust split time between the AHL and NHL. When he was in the NHL, he was paid the full value of his contract (worth $640,000). When he was in the AHL, he was paid his contract’s secondary value (worth $67,500). The amount he actually received is calculated based on the number of days he spent on each roster.
All entry-level contracts are by two-way contracts. Players that are signed as a free agent can negotiate for a one-way contract or a higher minor-leauge salary in the two-way portion of their contract.
Steve Oleksy, signed this offseason from the Washington Capitals, will earn $250,000 in the AHL this season, which is a high salary for an AHL player.
One-way and two-way contracts have no bearing on waiver status. All players on entry-level contracts are waiver exempt. Players that signed their first contract at age 18 or 19 can have longer periods of waiver exemption.
If the Penguins are sold, will they move?
Never say never, but it sure doesn’t seem as if the Penguins aren’t very likely to go anywhere any time soon. The Penguins have a lease at Consol Energy Center through 2037. The Penguins also have a 377-game sellout streak and the highest television ratings of any American franchise. Those numbers, more so than even the lease, would prevent any sound businessman from thinking of moving the club.
Why did strength coach Mike Kadar leave to take the same position with the Detroit Red Wings?
That’s a very, very good question.
Usually secondary members of the team’s staff like equipment managers, trainers and strength coaches have very long careers with the same team or are fired. Very rarely do they leave to take a lateral move with another team.
Kadar is from Alberta, so it’s not as if Detroit will be a homecoming for him. I also highly doubt that the Red Wings so strongly desired Kadar that they were willing to massively over pay for him.
More likely, is that things were not happy between Kadar and the Penguins. Given the nature of the way the news was released, perhaps Kadar sought out a position elsewhere. It’s also very possible that the Penguins wanted him out and simply helped him land on his feet elsewhere.
Either way, it’s clear that a lot has been left unsaid about Kadar’s departure. Since strength coaches don’t typically give a lot of interviews, I doubt we’ll ever really know for sure.
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Thanks again to all who submit questions on Facebook and Twitter. Keep them coming throughout the hockey offseason.
Phot credit: Pittsburgh Penguins
