NHL News: Florida Panthers, RTP Committee, and the NHL Looking For Players To Defer More Salary
Brett Petterson becomes the first Black assistant GM in the NHL. The NHL may be hoping players okay with the idea of deferring more salary.
Image from the Florida Panthers
Petterson becomes the first Black assistant GM in the NHL

Florida Panthers: The Florida Panthers name Brett Petterson their assistant GM, becoming the first Black assistant GM in the NHL.

“His substantive hockey experience as a player, significant developmental and evaluation skills, and business acumen as a negotiator combine to form an elite skill set that is very difficult to find in our sport,” said Zito. “There are many who can excel in one of those disciplines, but few who excel in all three.”

Players on the RTP committee

Pierre LeBrun: Players that are believed to be on the Return to Play committee:

David Backes, Darren Helm, David Savard, Justin Faulk, Lars Eller, Sam Gagner, Justin Abdelkader, Ian Cole, Zach Hyman, Ron Hainsey, Claude Giroux, Ryan Dzingel, Andrew Copp, Alex Biega, Chris Kreider, Mark Scheifele.

League looking for players to defer more salary

Larry Brooks of the NY Post: The NHL is hoping to have the players defer 13 percent of their 2020-21 salary according to multiple sources. The players agreed to a 10 percent deferral back when they agreed on the six-year CBA extension back in July. Escrow is capped at 20 percent.

The 10 percent deferral is to be paid back without interest in October of 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Prorating salaries can’t happen according to the CBA Memo of Understanding but it does state: “The parties also agree to continue discussions regarding the possibility of allowing Players and Clubs to negotiate additional deferrals on a case-by-case basis.”

If the players agreed, their pay would be 61.6 percent guaranteed for next season with 23 percent eventually paid back.

The league is still hoping to start the season on January 1st, with 14 days of training camp and playing between 48 and 60 games. Teams that didn’t make the RTP get some extra time for camp

Puck Pedia: “With the 10% salary deferral agreed to for 20-21, 8 players cannot defer 10% of comp even if 100% of their base salary is deferred, due to large signing bonuses already received: Matthews, Marner, Josi, McDavid, Aho, Panarin, Tavares, Muzzin

Total deferral shortfall is $3.56M”