2025-2026 NHL Offseason

yeah. There were teams on the brink of folding prior to the last lockout. The salary cap tied to revenue and revenue sharing is key. Teams were farmed to the bigger markets as well and it was pretty miserable. While high payroll didnt guarantee success.... there was definitely a correlation. I used to loathe deadline day and the beginning of free agency. Now it is fun.

It seems the NHLPA proposal today has entered the same universe as the NHL proposal... which is huge. They still want almost $400 Million on the 'make whole' which is a lot. Word is a lot of NHLPA members pushed leadership to put the proposal forth.

I think the NHL is going to balk at it again, there will be strong words, and they will take it through the holiday and it will look hopeless. I think next week they will meet and we will end up somewhere between the 2 proposals.

@TSNBobMcKenzie: Also in PA proposal: For on-ice discipline, appeal process to neutral arbitrator or panel of 3 arbitrators (one NHL, one NHLPA, one neutral)

Very interesting and long overdue. Colin Campbell was awful and Shanahan is a clown.




edit: Just saw it was for appeals

@TSNBobMcKenzie: The NHLPA proposal on "cap benefit recapture" (anti-backdiving measure) only applies to new contracts and deals of 9 or more years.

@TSNBobMcKenzie: NHL won't like that last one because it doesn't go after existing back-diving contracts.

@TSNBobMcKenzie: NHLPA proposes the Upper Limit (salary cap) may not fall below 67.25 M in any year of the agreement.

Elliotte Friedman ‏@FriedgeHNIC
NHLPA leaders tell players they have "refused" to accept NHL proposals restricting free agency and salary arbitration.


the minimum cap amount could be a deal-breaker.

MayDay10 wrote:

@TSNBobMcKenzie: The NHLPA proposal on "cap benefit recapture" (anti-backdiving measure) only applies to new contracts and deals of 9 or more years.

@TSNBobMcKenzie: NHL won't like that last one because it doesn't go after existing back-diving contracts.

@TSNBobMcKenzie: NHLPA proposes the Upper Limit (salary cap) may not fall below 67.25 M in any year of the agreement.

Elliotte Friedman ‏@FriedgeHNIC
NHLPA leaders tell players they have "refused" to accept NHL proposals restricting free agency and salary arbitration.


the minimum cap amount could be a deal-breaker.

They really have not talked about the min. Cap.

of course we have not really seen the whole proposal but if the NHL does decide to cancel the season I wonder if the NHLPA will go after the cap

@FriedgeHNIC: Very interesting sentence in NHLPA proposal: "beginning with the second year of the Agreement, players' share, expressed in dollars.

@FriedgeHNIC: may not fall below its value for the prior season." Sounds like protection from a fan backlash. NHL probably won't like that."

@cotsonika: Protects players from going backward, puts onus on owners to keep going forward. But doubt owners will accept risk. If revs drop, % rises.

@cotsonika: As @mc79hockey said, PA proposal includes: "Players' share, expressed in dollars, may not fall below its value for the prior season." Hmm.

@TSNBobMcKenzie: A shade over 55 per cent in Year 1, a shade under 54 per cent in Year 2, 52 per cent in Year 3, and 50. 3 per cent in Year 4.




this stuff doesnt sound as encouraging.

the entire 04-05 lockout was a struggle to tie salaries to revenue. Now the NHLPA thinks they can eliminate that?
its not going to work. The NHL isnt going to agree to only tie salary to revenue when things are going well and I dont blame them.

MayDay10 wrote:

I meant putting a floor on how low the cap can be. IMO the owners will never sign off on anything like that not tied directly to revenues.

I do not think the cap will ever be taken off the table. The NHL has guaranteed contracts in its pocket as well.

I really do not think this entire season will be cancelled. I believe that if it was cancelled and there was still no deal next September.... the NHL may just run out its own CBA rules and move on without the NHLPA.

It seems that the NHLPA has moved onto the same plane as the NHL. Now it will be a matter of where the needle falls in between and agreeing on the peripheral issues, which will be give/take. There may be another round of both sides acting butt hurt, but it doesnt seem they are far enough apart to blow it up.

I think the owners won't play the guaranteed contracts cause it would cause more harm than good for them. what i think you would see is more of an NFL structure where teams will have to pay large signing bonus and moist teams can't really afford that.

I have a feeling that if the NHL comes back right away today than the season will be gone. If the NHl takes some time like say a day or 2 to come back than there will be a season.

from what i read, the boston owner is the hard ass so lets see what he thinks.

I think this offer is a step in the right direction but don't think the owners will like it.

MayDay10 wrote:

@KatieStrangESPN: #CBA (cont'd) That protects against both devaluation of CAD dollar and the potential decline in revenue and thereby shifts risk onto owners.

Clever. Wish I could do that in my line of work.

Drowned Out wrote:

lukin2006 wrote:

Drowned Out wrote:

Question:
Will Justin Schultz and/or Nail Yakupov be eligible for the Calder Trophy if this season is lost?
It's the only individual trophy no Oiler has won (aside from the Richard, but it would have been won by Oilers several times if it had been around during the dynasty)......
Gretzky was denied the Calder for playing pro in the WHA before coming to the NHL.....would that rule apply to Schultz and Yakupov?

Where's Shultz playing...AHL? Yakupov...yes it should be denied...he's in the KHL that's pro hockey.

Unfortunately the NHL was never consistent with that rule...they denied Gretzky who played pro hockey but allowed a Russian years ago to win it :fp: :fp: :fp:.

Yes, that was Makarov, winning it at 31 years old....that's when they changed the rules I believe.
Schultz is playing for the Oiler-owned affiliate in Oklahoma.....they've had Schultz, Eberle, and RNH all season, and Hall for a couple weeks now... and still can't draw fans.....sad. Schultz is leading the league in scoring...how often do you see that from a D man? Eberle is second, RNH is tied for third.
I kind of disagree about Yakupov...I don't see the difference between the AHL and KHL as far as pro hockey goes. How do you define pro? Size of paycheck? There are multi-million dollar AHL players as well...



and it looks like I'm gonna have to break down and join twitter.

As long as they denied Gretzky rookie of the year because he played in a competing league all other players should be denied rookie of the year...that's just personal feelings...probably not what will happen in reality. Lets face it the NHL treats European players with kid gloves...if Eberle and Hopkins can play in the AHL then so should Yakupov...it'd be a lot easier for the Oilers to keep a watchful eye on his progress and for him to adapt to the system the Oilers want to play...personally I would have selected Murray and let someone else have Yakapov...unless he's another Pavel Datsyuk...I wouldn't trust him...too me he's already showing signs of selfishness.