The NHL Players Association met with the NHL again this morning to discuss the conditions for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and make a counter offer. The Players Union made a proposal that according to Commissioner Gary Bettman was “not much different than the last proposal.” In hopes of moving negotiations along, the NHL unexpectedly made a time sensitive counter proposal, which in his words “had meaningful movement and was an attempt to make a deal on the economic front.”
According to TSN, “The NHL’s counter-proposal today was six years in length and offered to start players’ share of hockey-related revenue at 49 percent and end it at 47 percent by the end of the term.” If the NHLPA doesn’t agree to these terms before the current CBA expires on September 15th, then the deal will be off the table. Donald Fehr, the NHLPA’s executive director, confirmed that the counter proposal will be studied, but said it was “too early to say whether or not it represents any meaningful progress.” He also stated that given the seven years of record revenue growth, the NHLPA doesn’t see a reason to have an absolute reduction in player salaries, however, the players are prepared to have their share fall over time as revenues grow.
So basically, we still have no answers, but at least there’s a little bit of movement going on. If you want to follow all of the progress (or lack thereof) as it’s happening, follow this guy on twitter.
Gary Bettman Full Interview:
Donald Fehr Full Interview:
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