Pierre LeBrun: The NHLPA Executive Board had a two and a half hour meeting yesterday. It was just a discussion and they didn’t vote on anything.
Sources say the players aren’t too thrilled about the idea of changing the deferral and escrow rates from what was previously agreed upon.
Pierre LeBrun: “The NHL views this as a timing issue. The players are only entitled to 50 % of HRR. The more they take this year, the more they owe (in debt payments) in future years. Which is true. But the NHLPA factored all those factors when it agreed to the new CBA terms in June. So…”
Pierre LeBrun: Time is starting to run out. There will be more internal discussions in the NHLPA and there will be more NHL/NHLPA meetings.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: The league made two requests to the NHLPA to amend the CBA. They asked for additional deferral and to raise the ‘escrow cap.’
The escrow cap is 20 percent next season and dropping to six percent in years four through six.
The players obviously aren’t happy with the idea with some won’t consider it. They believe the NHL is looking for another $300 million in savings. It shows the NHL may be concerned about their initial projections.
Don’t believe this will put the 2020-21 NHL season in doubt. If they want a January 1st start date, they need to come to an agreement by the end of the month.
Larry Brooks of the NY Post: Multiple sources, including one who was on the conference call, said the league may have “liquidity” concerns.
The escrow cap is at six percent for the final three seasons of the CBA but the NHL is looking to move that number to possibly as high as 9.5 percent.
The CBA agreement they negotiated in the summer took into account financial issues caused by the pandemic but the NHL claims they may not be able to live by it.
The Post learned the NHL presented a 60-game schedule to the NHLPA and the sides continue to discuss the 2020-21 season.