In DC, Thom Loverro writes the Capitals had been "desperate to win a championship for decades," and now that they have one, team Owner Ted Leonsis "refused to pay his Stanley Cup champion coach what he is worth." Barry Trotz, who resigned Monday, "had a two-year extension that kicked in with the title, but the raise was chump change compared to what Trotz delivered to the organization." Leonsis "wasn't about to be put on the hook" for $25M, so the Capitals will "return to the on-the-job training coaching carousel that has ill-served this franchise for years under Leonsis" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 6/20).
LOW ON SCRATCH: In Ft. Lauderdale, Matthew DeFranks notes the Panthers are a "low-revenue team" and the "double-digit millions of dollars the team hemorrhages each year" has molded a budget to account for that. Panthers Owner Vinnie Viola said that the team would "like to be in the middle of the league in payroll," adding that "'there never has been' an internal cap to limit" President of Hockey Operations & GM Dale Tallon. While the official salary cap has yet to be announced by the NHL, Viola said that the Panthers would "like to spend around" $75M should the cap settle at the expected $80M, with a $60M floor. The Panthers last season had the "seventh-lowest cap hit in the league" at just $68.14M (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 6/20).
PENALTY BOX: The Senators "have suspended" Assistant GM Randy Lee indefinitely after he was "charged with harassment of a shuttle driver in Buffalo earlier this month." Lee will "appear again in court on July 6 on the non-criminal violation charge." This means Lee, a "pivotal member of the organization's scouting squad, will not attend the NHL Draft in Dallas" (OTTAWA SUN, 6/16).
