NHL 2013: Off-Season Running Thread

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

Yep, I bet they go two weeks at a time.

So when would you say is a drop-dead date? The latest possible date you can begin play and still put together an abbreviated, but still legit season?

The NBA started on Christmas Day last year and got in a 66-game schedule. I could see starting as late as Jan. 15, playing 40-50 games over 90 days and having a 16-team playoff format.

Given that it will take at least 2 weeks from the time a deal is signed until games can begin, that puts a deadline somewhere around Christmas to get a deal before the entire season would be lost.

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

Christmas seems to be about right. However, gievn how far apart they are on things, I'd say right now there's at least a 50-60 percent chance of no season.

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

Interesting column by Scott Burnside.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8456901/nhl-players-need-protect-game-lockout

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

At least he didn't go entirely brown bunny on behalf of Gary Bettman and the owners.

But why should the players bear the responsibility, Scott? It's the owners who locked out the players, not the players striking and refusing to play.

Did we suddenly forget this?

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

Not, really, Mark. It was a dumb and ill-informed column that simply says the owners are going to win so the players should capitulate "for the good of the NHL." The writers' understanding of hockey economics boils down to his certainty that 57 pct. of hockey related revenues is clearly more than 50-50 and, thus, as every second grader knows, unfair.

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

Exactly. It is ridiculous for him to expect the players to just roll over. What happens next time if they do that? I have no problem if it gets to 50/50 but not one signed contract should havew a dime taken off of them. The were supposedly signed in good faith.

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

I think it's gonna be a repeat of last year's McMaster vs Laval. Of course, if there's some sort of divine intervention, Acadia may knock off Laval in the National semi-game. But I doubt it

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

They settled in early January 1995 and got an abbreviated season in that year.

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

Fine. Then just lower the salary cap.

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

And therein lies the problem, lowering the cap to say $58 million as owners proposed in their late August proposal, would put 18 teams over the cap -- some by as much as $10.8 million with very few options to dump a contract. Their options to make a 50-50 split (or there abouts) work are a dramatic rollback in salary right off the top, an amensty clause like the NBA instituted or a gradual rollback in the percentages of the revenue split. Unless I'm overlooking something. As far as I can see anyway, the third option is probably the best. Say next season the players' share stays at 57 per cent, the next year drops back to 55 per cent, the next to 53 per cent and then in year four land at 51 or 50 per cent. If revenues continue to climb, the players don't feel the hit as much. Also there is no need for a rollback in salaries and teams have time to adjust their caps accordingly.

I don't blame the players one bit for not wanting to rollback their current salaries one cent, especially after last time around when they gave in on just about every front, regardless of how well this current CBA did work in their favour. The gradual rollback in the revenue split also evens out what happened in the last CBA where it increased from I believe 52 per cent in the first year to 57 per cent in the player's favour. However, if the league wants the players' salaries tied to league revenues (tying everything in with escrow) the players have got to have a legitimate voice when it comes to propping up shitty revenue markets like Phoenix.

The other big change that needs to be made is caping the length of contracts at five or six years so as to help control owners, GMs and agents/players (we would be naive to believe that the GMs and owners are alone in contsructing and proposing these contract) from exploiting the CBA with massive, front-loaded, 12-year contracts that will never be fulfilled by the players, speaking of signing contracts in good faith.

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

The players not finishing these contract benefited the team when they were signed. Yes, that is signing in good faith.

 

Re: NHL 2012: Off-Season Running Thread

But if the players have no intention of finishing those contracts, and that money puts them into a stratosphere that is not attainable by the team they are leaving, that is not in good faith and a complete abuse of the system.
If you sign a contract you know you will not fulfil, regardless of who it benefits, is not signing a contract in good faith.