Although information remains limited, some tidbits continue to
trickle out concerning what may be included in the NHL's new
Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is some of the latest
speculation.
Items with an asterisk (*) contain updated information.
|
Element |
Status |
| Salary Cap System* |
It's still believed league-wide player
costs will be capped at about 54 percent of league revenues using an escrow system
to ensure compliance. The Ottawa Sun reports that 10-15 percent of
player salaries could be put in escrow. |
| Salary Cap Range |
The salary cap range numbers vary, but a
minimum team payroll of $22-24 million and a maximum of $36-38 million
continue to be the most widely reported figures. The Ottawa Sun reported
a range of $24 million to $39 million. |
| Luxury Tax |
There have been reports that a
dollar-for-dollar luxury tax could kick in halfway between the minimum
payroll and the maximum. That could put it in the $28 million to $31 million
dollar range. |
| 24 Percent Rollback |
The 24 percent
rollback, which was proposed by the players in their December 9
proposal, is still considered to be part of the deal. |
| Free Agency |
The New York Post reported recently that free agency
will remain at 31 this summer and drop, possibly to as low as 28, during
the rest of the term of the CBA. Some reports have it dropping to 30 the
first year of the deal. |
| Qualifying Offers* |
The Ottawa Sun reported that qualifying
offers would be 100 percent with no increases for players making less
than the league average. The expectation was that the two sides would
work off the players' December 9 proposal, which suggested the
following:
- Players making less than $660,000 would get qualifying offers of
110 percent.
- Players making $660,000 to $1 million would get qualifying
offers of 105 percent.
- Players making more than $1 million would get qualifying offers
of 100 percent.
|
| Salary Arbitration |
Again, the expectation is that the NHLPA's
December 9 proposal will provide the framework for this system. Both
teams and players would have arbitration rights under certain
circumstances. |
| Entry-Level System* |
Entry-level salaries are expected to be
capped at around $850,000 and there is expected to be strict limits on
the bonuses that players used to haul in big money under the previous
system. The Ottawa Sun reported the maximum signing bonus could be
10 percent per season. |
| Minimum Salary* |
League mininum salary is expected to
increase to $400,000 from the previous amount of $175,000. |
| Revenue Sharing |
Details remain vague, but it's been reported
that the players are relatively happy with the progress made on the
revenue sharing issue. It's still not clear what monies will make
up the majority of the pool. |
| 2004-05 Contracts |
Although some team officials have said they
are still unsure about the status of 2004-05 contracts and there have
been reports that players are still pushing for them to be honored, the New York Post reports that 2004-05
contracts will be wiped out as part of the agreement. |
| Buyouts |
There will reportedly be a time
frame this summer during which teams can buyout players and not have the
cost (67 percent) charged against the salary cap. The catch is
that teams will not be able to re-sign the the players whose contracts
were bought out. The New York Post has reported that there is expected to be
a set amount of time during which a team would not be able to re-acquire
a player it has bought out. Some reports have said teams will be limited to
buying out just two players. |
| Contract Restructuring* |
The New York Post reported that contract
extensions will not change the cap charges of existing contracts. That
apparently means teams will not be able to restructure current contracts
and defer money to later years to to create more cap space. |
| Olympic Participation |
Although nothing has been made official, most of the reports on this topic indicate that
the two sides have agreed that NHL players will take part in the 2006
Winter Olympics in Turin as long as the NHL season starts on time. |
| Schedule/Playoffs |
Anaheim GM Brian Burke told CKNW radio in
Vancouver that he had heard the league would stick with an 82-game
schedule but would go ahead with plans to expand the playoffs. |
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