NHL CBA Negotiations Get Serious As League Makes Radical Initial Offer

The NHL made its first official offer to the NHL Players’ Association on Friday, and it essentially amounts to a slap in the face.

The offer, as reported by RDS, would drastically trim the players’ share of hockey-related revenue from the current 57 percent to 46 percent. Players would also have to wait 10 seasons before hitting unrestricted free agency, a jump from the current standard of seven seasons. Contracts would also be limited to just five years in length, salary arbitration would be completely eliminated and team-friendly entry-level contracts would be extended from three years in length to five.

The New York Post also reports that the league has proposed eliminating signing bonuses, that they would alter the definition of hockey-related revenue to reduce the players’ ultimate share and that the range between the salary cap and the salary floor would be $12 million, not the current $16 million.

Dirk Hoag at SB Nation’s On the Forecheck has a fantastic breakdown of all these points, but in essence, this proposal is worrying for those afraid of another lockout or strike. It may just be the posturing of an initial offer, but it’s a wild offer, and we have to assume that the NHLPA would come back just as hard with their counteroffer.

For all the news surrounding the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement and the ongoing quest to replace it, stick with this StoryStream.