Life is never dull during the Stanley Cup Finals, even on an off-day. Yesterday, news broke that the Washington Capitals were buying CapFriendly, the indispensable site for NHL salary cap data. Nerds everywhere held their spreadsheets as details trickled out about how the site would be folded into the Capitals' hockey operations and it would go dark to the public on July 1. But normal people are mourning the loss too as tools like the Armchair GM and Mock Draft will soon be disappearing.
Given how ubiquitous the site has become around the league, it's hard to believe that Gary Bettman used to say with a straight face that fans didn't want this sort of information. In a hard-cap league, that's almost as ridiculous as saying fans don't want to know about points, or goals, or save percentage.
What Bettman really meant, was that the NHL didn't want to provide this service. Part of the reason is surely because owners and management didn't like all their mistakes, like the dreaded red arrow that shows up when a player (who is seldom worth the contract) has more than six years left on their deal, so readily available and easily digestible to the public. A bigger reason, though, was that CapFriendly was already providing an excellent service without the NHL having to lift a finger or spend a dime.
The growth of CapFriendly in recent years would've made it a very attractive asset to Capitals' owner Ted Leonsis. While the introduction of scouting may not have moved the needle much given how resistant NHL scouts can be to outside opinions, last year's launch of SalarySwish, an NBA equivalent under the CapFriendly umbrella, was likely irresistible to Leonsis, who also owns the NBA's Washington Wizards.
The introduction of gambling content caused a stir at the time but, to their credit, CapFriendly made it very easy to opt out and enjoy a gambling-free experience, something that is increasingly rare nowadays. Gambling content and CapFriendly Premium were, in hindsight, early warning signs that the site was likely struggling to continue operating as they had on their existing budget, and needed to find new ways to bring some money in. Leonsis and the Capitals smelled blood in the water and reeled in a prized catch in an impressive mixing of nautical metaphors.
While the NHL was likely happy to have fans satisfy their cap cravings without any effort, CapFriendly was technically a competitor of NHL.com, especially as they added more and more information that the NHL provided but packaged it better and shared it alongside the still technically secret cap numbers. While I wouldn't think he'd have had a hand in this (although you never know), Bettman must be pleased to see a site that had been a nuisance to the league on and off for nearly a decade taken out so quietly once it started to get too big for its britches.
Speculation has already begun on possible replacements to CapFriendly, with PuckPedia seeming to have the inside track to be the next go-to site for all things salary cap. Its team has sprung into action to work towards introducing new features, as well as highlighting some ones that weren't on CapFriendly, like the Pick Value Calculator.
There will be growing pains, for sure, but fans can hope that it will eventually evolve into something close to what CapFrienly was, or maybe even as good or better. If PuckPedia can't pull it off, there will be no shortage of other sites looking to take the mantle. At least until some other billionaire decides they want to take all the toys for themselves.
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