CBA Agreement Reached

[Kin]

Last year, the number of playoff games was a little less than 7% of regular season games played. They would get more in ticket revenues per game. But I also think buried in the old CBA was playoff revenues got some special treatment (very vague on that) in the calculations - I'm not sure they're treated the same as a regular season game in terms of the NHLPA's take (a carry over from when the players got nothing for playing playoff games except 'prize' money from the playoffs? and as a reward to the teams making the playoffs).

Nah. Still the same split. The bonus to the teams for making the playoffs is that they take in that money but then it gets paid out across the league.

So it would alter the estimate provided above but the fact remains that the players gave up hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars - close to that $800 million number and never got close to recovering that in concessions with their stand.

I think you're underestimating the playoffs impact on leaguewide revenues. You can't, for instance, break up piecemeal the broadcast contracts but clearly the rights to broadcast playoff games represent a disproportionate chunk of change to the amount of games there are. Ditto advertising and the rest. It's not just ticket money.

As an argument over money, they lost it in terms of money pretty big.

Well, as you say there's no way to entirely pin down what the playoffs are worth so it's impossible to get an accurate figure on what the players "lost" there. I think it's less significant then you're making it out to be by quite a ways. The new pension, whose details are still being worked out, the make whole money, the extra year of free agency, the contracts that can be 40%-60% longer than the NHL wanted with more money up front. I bet when everything is totaled the actual amount it costs players is largely meaningless.

And for their part? The players seem pretty happy about the deal they got. They probably take a bit of pride in the fact that they didn't just roll over.

 

[Kin]

So yes, they have lost a large amount of salary[b\(approximately 1 million per player if you average it out)[/b]...yes I know, the big money guys lost more..lots more), but the NHLPA as a whole would of lost a tonne more in the future if they signed on the dotted line in October.

Not even. Even if you use CW's 800 million figure, which I think is anywhere from 10-30% too much, there's still the 250 million in makewhole off the top so 550 million by 728 is...three quarters of a million or so. If I'm closer to right in my estimates and it's, say, 600 or so million then you're talking about 500,000 or so per player. I think the players will take that for the contracting stuff they got and the pension.

 

[bustaheims]

So 9(ish) mil. in cap space can be retained on 3 players by any 1 team and up to 50% (obviously negotiated in the trade) of any 1 player can be retained.... and that 1 player can be flipped to another team but that's it. Clear as mud...

My only question is. This is per year, right? Either way, this should increase activity significantly.

I think your interpretation makes it come across more complicated than it is.

Teams can, at any point, have up to 3 cap commitments from an active contract that belongs to a player not on the team. These cap commitments can take up no more than 15% of the cap (so, $9M this year since the 'official' cap is $60M).

Teams can retain no more than 50% of the cap/salary from an individual contract.

And, any player that has been traded where one team retained a cap commitment can only be involved in one more trade where the team trading them retains a portion of their cap hit over the life of their contract (so, one contract can be split by no more than 3 teams). They can, of course, still be traded where no cap hit is retained by the team they are leaving, or when their existing contract expires, they can be traded up to twice more with teams retaining salary under their next contract (and twice more under the one after that, and so on).

 

[maplesyrup]

I'm fairly certain were on the same page, busta... The only thing I'm fuzzy on is what if I have cap commitments to 2 players not on my team this year and they both are on multi-year deals? Year 2 carries over, right? Therefore, next year, I may only do that again once and I'm done until one or more of those contracts expire, correct?

 

[bustaheims]

I'm fairly certain were on the same page, busta... The only thing I'm fuzzy on is what if I have cap commitments to 2 players not on my team this year and they both are on multi-year deals? Year 2 carries over, right? Therefore, next year, I may only do that again once and I'm done until one or more of those contracts expire, correct?

From what I can tell, when you trade with retained salary, you retain that salary for the length of the contract - though, I suppose this could be negotiable as part of the trade. And 3 is a total number, not a yearly acquisition number. You can't add 3 a year, you can only have 3 at a time.

 

[bustaheims]

Lots of details from Brian Lawton:

brianlawton9: I am told that contract variability rules will apply differently to both front loaded and back end loaded contracts.....each spec defined

brianlawton9: $375,000 + minimum NHL salary appears to be the magic number for counting (Wade Redden rule) salaries against a teams cap even if AHL/Europe

brianlawton9: Keep in mind that the NHL minimum salary chart has been negotiated and defined already for the next 10 years. Expect numbers to be out......

brianlawton9: Looks like minimum salary will be up to $650,000 by the start of the 2017/18 season.....finishes at $750,000 in last year of agreement.

brianlawton9: Waiver period is going to make a minor change to 24 hrs any day of the week including Sunday. This has a history of being a problem for club

brianlawton9: Of course everyone knows that re-entry waivers is going away with the advent of cap counting those deals that are $375,000 above the minimum

brianlawton9: More specialty rules with regard to buy-outs emerging as clubs will no longer be able to buy out players earning 2.75 or less who were not..

brianlawton9: on a clubs reserve list as of or prior to Trade Deadline. That dovetails with the already known can not walk away from Salary Arb awards....

brianlawton9: less than 3.5 million total. Big change with regard to players that have clubs file for salary award are still eligible for an offer (cont)

brianlawton9: an offer sheet. Call this the abolishment of the summer with Weber and Parise who were boxed out of a group 2 offer by clubs filing for arb

brianlawton9: Performance bonus cushion of 7.5% will remain but it will no longer be counted to help clubs get to the floor or minimum salary!

 

[maplesyrup]

Say what?

@brianlawton9
More small changes coming in. Players can now be loaned with consent after the trade deadline. Past couldn't do it even if a player wanted 2

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Say what?

@brianlawton9
More small changes coming in. Players can now be loaned with consent after the trade deadline. Past couldn't do it even if a player wanted 2

No Kidding? WTF?

 

[bustaheims]

Say what?

@brianlawton9
More small changes coming in. Players can now be loaned with consent after the trade deadline. Past couldn't do it even if a player wanted 2

Yeah, I have no idea what he's talking about here. I imagine it has to do with bringing players over from Europe (or maybe sending them there), but I really can't say for sure.

 

[bustaheims]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/21219/trades-cheat-deals-and-more-cba-details

Teams will be allowed up to two buyouts over the next two summers -- 2013 and 2014 -- either one in each summer or two in one summer and none in the other. The new detail here that I found interesting is that any player bought out under these circumstances CANNOT be re-acquired by that same team during the upcoming season, not by waivers, not by trade and not by free-agent signing.

Obvious reason here: league doesn?t want teams to cheat the system and get a player back under a cheaper salary (since the buyout doesn?t count against the salary cap).

 

[Bender]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/21219/trades-cheat-deals-and-more-cba-details

Teams will be allowed up to two buyouts over the next two summers -- 2013 and 2014 -- either one in each summer or two in one summer and none in the other. The new detail here that I found interesting is that any player bought out under these circumstances CANNOT be re-acquired by that same team during the upcoming season, not by waivers, not by trade and not by free-agent signing.

Obvious reason here: league doesn?t want teams to cheat the system and get a player back under a cheaper salary (since the buyout doesn?t count against the salary cap).

I was just going to post this. This is an excellent article. Interesting he mentions Brian Burke by name in regards to trading cap space.

Moreover I think Burke has finally redeemed himself to some extent with the new CBA. The team is in pretty good cap shape, no backdiving deals and no long contracts. I'm extremely happy we didn't sign Brad Richards to the contract the Rangers did, wowza.

 

[maplesyrup]

Another twist I don't think that has been mentioned yet;

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/21219/trades-cheat-deals-and-more-cba-details

UFA FREE AGENCY INTERVIEW PERIOD
Similar to the NBA, the NHL has instituted a free-agency interview period prior to the actual signing period. UFAs will be able to meet and interview with potential clubs from the day after the NHL draft until June 30, prior to the July 1 opening of free agency.

 

[Kin]

Another twist I don't think that has been mentioned yet;

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/21219/trades-cheat-deals-and-more-cba-details

UFA FREE AGENCY INTERVIEW PERIOD
Similar to the NBA, the NHL has instituted a free-agency interview period prior to the actual signing period. UFAs will be able to meet and interview with potential clubs from the day after the NHL draft until June 30, prior to the July 1 opening of free agency.

That really just makes legal what happened anyway.

 

[Corn Flake]

Daniel Tolensky ‏@dtolensky

If reports are true hypothetically if Preds traded Weber after 6 yrs & he retired with 1 yr left NAS would get $32.9 mil cap hit in 2025-26.

???

The Flyers strike again.

You know if this happens, that same year the Flyers would end up going to the finals or something.

 

[Frank E]

There are a few guys that I would have suspected might try to remain in the KHL...Kovalchuk and his forever deal certainly wasn't one of them.

EDIT: And I know it's just speculation at this point.

 

[maplesyrup]

Probably.

 

[maplesyrup]

I'm positive he'll be back.

 

[Corn Flake]

There are a few guys that I would have suspected might try to remain in the KHL...Kovalchuk and his forever deal certainly wasn't one of them.

EDIT: And I know it's just speculation at this point.

he was owed $11 million if 82 games were played this year, so $6.38 mil in cash based on 48 games if my math is right.

I have a hard time believing he won't come home for that.

 

[Britishbulldog]

So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

 

[maplesyrup]

So I have been looking for clarification of the 2 buyouts.  Do they both need to be used next summer?  I seen someone suggest getting Luongo and buying him out the following summer.

2 buyouts.... Can be used 1 per summer or 2 in any 1 of them.