Given that the owners have taken “linkage” of salary caps to revenues out of their offers, and given that players have accepted a salary cap, there is now plenty of wiggle room for both the owners and the players.
I expect they will make a deal. But of course by the time I get this posted, who knows what might have happened. Here’s a link to the news on TSN.
…[S]ources on the NHLPA side are suggesting the union will only negotiate
off the $52 million figure if the NHL presents a detailed, meaningful revenue
sharing plan.On the NHL side of the equation, sources are suggesting the
league isn’t prepared to go much higher than the $40 million cap figure.So it’s a matter of trying to bridge a $12 million (per team) gap with the clock
running towards the league’s scheduled 1 p.m. (EST) announcement to cancel the
season.
And keep in mind, the owners haven’t lost all that much so far. If they can salvage the play-offs, all 87 rounds or whatever, they stand to earn the bulk of their revenues for the season anyway. The only difference will be that qualifying for the playoffs will be more like a round-robin tournament.
UPDATE: Well that was certainly an interesting FOAD letter Betteman sent this evening. Its tone, if not its content, makes me revise my priors downward.
