It's not "less money in lesser leagues". If the AHL absorbed all of the players in the NHL, they'd be charging and making (relatively) the same as NHL teams and the players would be making the same money. The NHL needs the best players in the world. The best players in the world don't need the NHL.
The players don't have a lot of options other than the KHL and European leagues. The only way you'd see a rival league emerge in North America is if the NHL got way out of line with what players were worth. We saw that when Hull, Howe, Sanderson, Mike Walton and others left to play in the WHA. That's not likely to be repeated given how well players are doing compared to back then.
@KatieStrangESPN: #CBA Via email, NHL's Bill Daly says circumstances different this week than last. "I'm not sure it can help, but I guess we will find out."
The AHL as is can't pay NHL salaries. They don't have tv contracts, they don't have huge arenas, they don't have presences is some of the more profitable markets. Those things don't happen overnight.
TV Contracts, and presence, will come with talent: Rome wasn't built in a day.
So they only way it helps the middle class is BLATANT salary cap circumvention... Got it.
No but when you are trying to correct from circumvention you have to progressively go towards it. Not just increase players cap hits while lowering the cap. I guess if you wanted to have teams with less than 23 player rosters you could have the 5 years with 5% variance apply to all contracts.
This will not be a good week. The owners are taking (my opinion) make-whole off the board and will refuse to bring it back. Fehr wanted to play games, and the owners are going to play hardball. This will NOT end well.
And we are near the point (or 2 months past it) where these games are a bit asinine. All around.
As has probably been explained here countless times, ultimately they do. If at the end of the year players have not received 57% of HRR, owners must cut checks to get it up to that amount. Players receive 57% of HRR no matter what contracts owners sign.
How is it determined which owners will cut cheques for the difference? Or is it equally split?
I'm not optimistic at all with these talks. Just knowing there will be mediators makes me believe nothing will happen and cooling off will happen again. I see these two idiotic sides pushing this to the cliff.
Yeah just go to Abbortsford, B.C. Home to hardcore Canucks fans but have to cheer on Calgary's farm team...yikes. When the Marlies were there last season in the playoffs the building was 80% empty, it was pretty bad.
Yes: Their arena will be 80% empty with Iginla playing there instead of Calgary.
Once again, the NHL has lost all its motives to strike a deal now. The union made the moderate owners run away, and now we are at the point where the league knows there won't be a season. Why else was Gary so angry last Thursday at the press conference. He knows it is over. The PA is just too asinine they have given up on the best deals they are going to get.
Then they should all be free agents at this point, right? If there's any sort of precedent that makes the players remain property of their respective clubs prior to the CBA expiring, shouldn't all the other terms be just as binding?
My guess is that the players have no status with the league right now due to the lockout. Their contracts are tied to the CBA, as are their rights. When the lockout is lifted, their status becomes recognized once again but when the lockout is lifted, it will be due to a new CBA in place which repeats the cycle of their contract being tied to that new CBA, along with whatever their rights are outlined in the CBA.
I'm not optimistic at all with these talks. Just knowing there will be mediators makes me believe nothing will happen and cooling off will happen again. I see these two idiotic sides pushing this to the cliff.
I think its a fact that nothing gets accomplished tomorrow. Maybe some framework going forward but nothing close to a deal. The egos of both Fehr and Bettman wouldnt allow the mediators to get the credit for solving the CBA.
Once again, the NHL has lost all its motives to strike a deal now. The union made the moderate owners run away, and now we are at the point where the league knows there won't be a season. Why else was Gary so angry last Thursday at the press conference. He knows it is over. The PA is just too asinine they have given up on the best deals they are going to get.
If this is the case, you gotta believe the next step will involve legal steps.
This will not be a good week. The owners are taking (my opinion) make-whole off the board and will refuse to bring it back. Fehr wanted to play games, and the owners are going to play hardball. This will NOT end well.
And we are near the point (or 2 months past it) where these games are a bit asinine. All around.
I think they'd put it on the table if Fehr came back and accepted the terms, but something tells me Fehr doesnt plan on doing that and this will just erupt again.
This will not be a good week. The owners are taking (my opinion) make-whole off the board and will refuse to bring it back. Fehr wanted to play games, and the owners are going to play hardball. This will NOT end well.
And we are near the point (or 2 months past it) where these games are a bit asinine. All around.
I'm going to respectfully disagree.
Despite the fact Bettman was shaking more than his usual shaking self last week when the took his proverbial ball and went home, I think these guys realize they're too close to let a season go. Moreover, taking their make whole offer off the table could obviously been conditional upon what they asked for in return for THAT package. In other words, I think make whole will be right back on the table so long as the players give up more.
I'm coming around to the owners in this, at least to the extent that the players need to make the next move. The owners have made clear what they must have, numerous times. I say the players give it, every little bit, then take their pound of flesh back elsewhere, either in the make whole, the cap total, %HRR, whatever.
I love how the desertification talk has virtually gone away. The players have probably been told by Fehr and their lawyers that they waited too long and most judges would laugh them out of court leaving them with absolutely nothing to stand on. The players better wake up. They have once again shown the sporting world the hockey players not the smartest athletes around.
Yes: Their arena will be 80% empty with Iginla playing there instead of Calgary.
I dunno, I have trouble envisioning Iginla playing AHL teams in an AHL arena with AHL ice, AHL facilities, AHL perks and AHL salary. Just can't picture it happening. (And I don't believe there's any way the AHL could start paying NHL level salaries.)
