Here's what we have so far.
For players currently 32-34:
+5 LE & +5 CON
Players currently 35-38
+7 LE & +7 CON
Players currently 39 & Older
+10 LE & +10 CON
The only exceptions will be that goaltenders will NOT be eligible for the CON upgrades and players who already have a CON of 75+ will not get any CON upgrades.
The full bump will be a one-time thing. For example, a 34-yr-old player will get the +5 LE and the +5 CON (if eligible) this season. Next season, when he turns 35, he will get +2 LE and +2 CON (if eligible). If he makes it in the file to 39, he will get an additional +3 LE and +3 CON (if eligible). So the maximum LE and CON boosts for veterans will be 10. Players will stop getting CON upgrades when they reach 75.
This is NOT a yearly thing. Once a player turns 32, he will get his +5/+5 and then won't get anything else until he turns 35. These will happen in the offseason. They will not be done during the season. They will also apply to players in the AHL, as well as any free agents of eligible age.
This is part of the reason why we haven't ruled on trades. Both Pat and I are in agreement that teams can reevaluate their pending trades because of this news.
We are also working on a scale of free agent salary reduction for older players. Remember that we have the 50% of previous salary rule in effect for players who spent the 12-13 season unsigned. We will keep looking at the numbers and eligible players to determine what kind of salary reduction we want.
I will be going through and making these changes in the file over the next couple of days. Or I may force Pat to do it.
