NHL and NHLPA back talking
John Shannon: Sources said yesterday early afternoon that the NHL and NHLPA both confirm that there have been some talks. There hasn’t been any progress on re-visiting the terms in the Memorandum of Understanding on the CBA extension.
David Pagnotta: At this point, there are no significant updates to report on when the 2020-21 NHL season could start.
A source said that the NHL and NHLPA are in “regular contact” with each other and there is now “no lack of communication.”
The last lockout shows a potential timeline … Some teams better off without a season
Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star: During the last lockout, talks between the NHL and NHLPA got serious on December 27th. The sides agreed on a deal on January 6th. Training camps opened on January 11th, with the 48-game season getting underway on January 19th.
During this pandemic, it may take an additional 14 days to allow for quarantining, though some exceptions might be made.
It may cost $150 million USD for each team to play this season without fans, and it is believed that some owners have said they would be financially better off if their team didn’t play at all.
The players also aren’t happy that their salaries are at 72 percent and have been asked to go as little as 55 percent. If their salaries get prorated, they could get as little as 32 percent.
MLSE cuts salaries of up to 25 percent of their staff
TSN: MLSE, the owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, and other business ventures are cutting the salaries of up to one-quarter of their full-time staff. Salary reductions for senior management and executives have been extended.
The people who have their salaries reduced still have benefits and their pension. The length of time they have their pay reduced depends on when things get back to normal.
“These past nine months have been the most challenging we have ever experienced, and while we had hoped to see signs of a return to a more normal business operations by now, the effects of the second wave of the pandemic have forced us to brace for further uncertainty,” stated president and CEO Michael Friisdahl.