NHL still trying to figure out what to do with next season
Tick, tock.
Tick, tock.
TICK, TOCK.
As we get closer to mercifully putting 2020 behind us, the clock ticks louder and louder for all trying to figure out the next NHL season.
The goal was to begin Jan. 1, but little things keep coming up, meaning a mid- to late January start is all but guaranteed.
One thing's for sure: The owners and the NHL Players Association better figure things on soon because the last thing the league needs is a cataclysmic situation that derails the entire season.
That seems like a longshot at this point, but because this is the NHL we all know anything is possible.
Let's take a look at a few things that have been happening behind the scenes, beginning with Commissioner Gary Bettman's comments at the Sports Business Journal's "Dealmakers in Sports" panel Wednesday.
A deal's a deal?
Before the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs began, a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was signed. A major component of the deal had to do with escrow, or the amount of money withheld from players' paychecks to assure a 50/50 revenue split with owners.
As I detailed in a previous article, players agreed 20% of this season's revenue would go into escrow with another 10% deferred to future years to guarantee the 50/50 split. Escrow was then to level off to 6% from 2023-26.
According to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston, Bettman is adamant that owners are not trying to renegotiate, but that they are worried about avoiding "stresses on the system."
Essentially, that means owners figure they aren't going to get anywhere near a 50/50 revenue split next season and that players are going to have to pay the piper at some point down the road.
"Under our deal, and the one we've had for more than a decade with the players' association, whatever the revenues are the players only get 50%," Bettman said. "And if we overpay them and they don't pay us back in the short term, they have to pay us back over time.
"There will be stresses on the system and we've had discussions about what those stresses are and how they might be dealt with, but we're not trying to say, 'You must do X, Y and Z.' We're trying to look for ways to continue to work together.
"I know it's being portrayed as something else and it's unfortunate and it's inaccurate because at the end of the day if the system gets stressed, it's stressed for both of us."
Tweaks to escrow/deferral have been proposed, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman:
Increase escrow to 25% and deferral to 20% for the 2020-21 season.
Keep escrow at 20% but increase deferral to 26% in 2020-21 and escrow in years 4 to 6 of the CBA to between 8.5 and 9%.
Obviously, players and agents aren't thrilled with either proposal.
Multiple efforts the past month to speak with Hawks President Danny Wirtz about this subject were denied.
On the bright side, I had one agent email and say he's not worried about the upcoming season. "We are going to play hockey," he said.
Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell told Centennial Authority he believes games will be played in PNC Arena "sometime in January." He also believes a resolution will be coming soon on number of games played and salary implications.
The great outdoors?
One idea being floated is to have some teams play multiple outdoor games. Anaheim, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Boston, Carolina, Dallas, Nashville and Florida are exploring this option, according to Friedman and Pierre LeBrun.
It's a great idea if teams can make it economically feasible. Outdoor games cost millions of dollars to run, so allowing fans would seem to be a must. Get 25,000 people to pay $150 a ticket and you've raised $3.75 million.
We'll see where this goes, but my guess is it may only happen in small doses.
Numbers game
Assuming we see an all-Canadian Division, the other three divisions will be made up of eight teams each. A simple, COVID-friendly schedule would pit divisional teams against each other eight times for a 56-game slate.
Teams could play in their home stadiums and play back-to-back games against visiting foes. If the season starts by Jan. 31, the playoffs could begin by mid-May.
Unlike the 2020 postseason, there's no doubt teams will deal with coronavirus issues. For that reason, it makes sense to expand rosters by up to 3 players.
Divisions are still being discussed, but one of the more entertaining ones for Hawks fans would have them play St. Louis, Nashville, Detroit, Minnesota, Dallas, Colorado and Pittsburgh.