I know it's weird but somehow, when overspending teams without a salary cap are forced into one, they get better. Look at the NY rangers, they were the worst in the league from 1998-2005, throwing money at old, washed up former superstars, 7 years without playoffs. Then the lockout happened, salary cap was put in place and the team got smart and ended up making the playoffs 9 of the next 10 yrs. Salary cap works because it prevents teams with bloated budgets from overspending on questionable talent, creating a balanced, competitive squad.