Time to strap your seat belts on and get ready for a bumpy summer in regard to the labor negotiations. The NHL made the first move and this is what they offered:
1- A reduction of players’ hockey-related revenues from 57 per cent to 46 per cent.
2 – Players would need to wait 10 seasons before becoming unrestricted free agents.
3 – Contracts would be limited to a maximum of five years.
4 – All future deals have an equal value for every year of the contract.
5 – Entry-level contracts would be five years instead of three as they are under the current CBA.
6 – NHL’s proposal would bring an end to salary arbitration and eliminate signing bonuses on future contracts.
The bottom line here is greed, neither side will bow down and settle for less. And in my opinion, I blame the players.
How many times do we hear these NHL players saying “I just love the game and want to be out there playing”? For every time a player says that, the greedy owners of the NHL sit there smiling bigger and bigger. So here they are, trying to take advantage of the players.
All of these proposals are extreme if you ask me and we could see another lockout. This is what I would counter offer with.
1- A reduction of players’ hockey-related revenues from 57 per cent to 52 per cent. (NHL offered 46%)
2 – Players would need to wait 6 seasons before becoming unrestricted free agents. (NHL offered 10 seasons)
3 – Contracts would be limited to a maximum of 8 years. (NHL offered 5 years)
4 – All future deals have an equal value for every year of the contract. (I find this fair for both sides)
5 – Entry-level contracts would be 4 years instead of 3 as they are under the current CBA. (NHL offered 5) Although I can see the NHLPA agreeing to 5 years, they won’t look after the up and coming players.
6 – NHL’s proposal would bring an end to salary arbitration and eliminate signing bonuses on future contracts. (The players make enough money as it is, signing bonuses are NOT needed)
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