The NHLPA does not want to change the system

[RangerBoy]

The NHLPA has made two offers which do nothing about changing the system

The first offer in early September was a joke

10 cent luxury tax for dollars above $40 million
20 cent luxury tax for dollars above $50
30 cent luxury tax for dollars above $60

5% rollback on existing contracts

changes in the entry level system

Toronto has a payroll of $62.1 million and they would pay $3.6 million in taxes

The second offer in December was not an improvement

20 cent luxury tax for dollars above $45 million
50 $50
60 $60

24% rollback on existing contracts

Arbitration stays the same

Unlimited performance bonuses for the entry level system

No component to put a drag on salaries.The system pretty much stays the same

Click to read more...

 

[Crosbyfan]

The NHLPA has made two offers which do nothing about changing the system

The first offer in early September was a joke

10 cent luxury tax for dollars above $40 million
20 cent luxury tax for dollars above $50
30 cent luxury tax for dollars above $60

5% rollback on existing contracts

changes in the entry level system

Toronto has a payroll of $62.1 million and they would pay $3.6 million in taxes

The second offer in December was not an improvement

20 cent luxury tax for dollars above $45 million
50 $50
60 $60

24% rollback on existing contracts

Arbitration stays the same

Unlimited performance bonuses for the entry level system

No component to put a drag on salaries.The system pretty much stays the same

When I buy something and pay 15% HST (sales tax) it puts a drag on my spending. A 20% tax, 50% tax, and 60% tax would be much, much more of a drag.

The NHL does not want to share revenues to level the playing field between teams. Otherwise they could negotiate on the basis of the above model.

 

[Whakahere]

I agree, once the NHL starts sharing revenue then I would start thinking about a higher tax. right now revenue sharing is a huge issue that the owners will not do.

 

[CGG]

You failed to digest most of the NHLPA's last proposal:

- Luxury tax amounts go up by 5 percentage points every year a team is over
- Teams can take players to arbitration and offer salaries lower than what they made the year before
- Unlimited bonuses for rookies only if they have Nash or Kovalcuk - type years and win major awards or lead the league in scoring
- The Leafs would have to pay $3.6 million in luxury tax, yes, but also $11 million into revenue sharing. You can bet there would me no more $62 million payrolls
- Qualifiying offers are not raises for anyone who makes more than $1 million

All of these are in fact components to put a drag on salaries. Everyone seems to ignore large chunks of the NHLPA offer, listening only to Bettman when he says it does nothing, instead of actually looking at it themselves. Is it perfect? No. But it's not as bad as the league would have you believe.

 

[RangerBoy]

You failed to digest most of the NHLPA's last proposal:

- Luxury tax amounts go up by 5 percentage points every year a team is over
- Teams can take players to arbitration and offer salaries lower than what they made the year before
- Unlimited bonuses for rookies only if they have Nash or Kovalcuk - type years and win major awards or lead the league in scoring
- The Leafs would have to pay $3.6 million in luxury tax, yes, but also $11 million into revenue sharing. You can bet there would me no more $62 million payrolls
- Qualifiying offers are not raises for anyone who makes more than $1 million

All of these are in fact components to put a drag on salaries. Everyone seems to ignore large chunks of the NHLPA offer, listening only to Bettman when he says it does nothing, instead of actually looking at it themselves. Is it perfect? No. But it's not as bad as the league would have you believe.

I did not fail to digest the last offer.Do you really the Rangers,Flyers,Leafs,Stars,Wings and even Colorado with their new regional sports channel will really care about a luxury tax?My owner James Dolan is spending $103 on the Knicks payroll and will pay an additional $40-50 million in luxury tax.It takes one owner to make one stupid decision and the NHL is back where it is right now

Arbitration?I don't know why every group II free agent who is eligible for salary arbitration does not file.The players NEVER lose in arbitration.The stupid arbitrator who does not know jack **** about hockey just splits the difference between the team offer and the players bid.Somehow in salary arbitration Tom Poti went from making $950,000 to $1.8 million and then filed again the very next summer to receive a two year award of $2.8 million and $3.1 million.Please explain that to me?

Why should players make big money in entry level contracts?They can get rewarded in their second contract.Let the veterans make that money

Qualifying offers should be 75% which is what Brian Burke suggested

The players will not receive sympathy from me.The Rangers bring them into NY at major dollars and these players crap on everybody.Bobby Holik?After the Rangers foolishly gave Holik $45 million/5 years,why did Holik come to his FIRST Rangers training camp out of shape.Then Holik who has been an utter disaster with the Rangers claims "the owners are liars".No Bobby,they are just plain stupid.Especially Dolan and Glen Sather who gave a third line player $45 million

 

[RangerBoy]

You failed to digest most of the NHLPA's last proposal:

- Luxury tax amounts go up by 5 percentage points every year a team is over
- Teams can take players to arbitration and offer salaries lower than what they made the year before
- Unlimited bonuses for rookies only if they have Nash or Kovalcuk - type years and win major awards or lead the league in scoring
- The Leafs would have to pay $3.6 million in luxury tax, yes, but also $11 million into revenue sharing. You can bet there would me no more $62 million payrolls
- Qualifiying offers are not raises for anyone who makes more than $1 million

All of these are in fact components to put a drag on salaries. Everyone seems to ignore large chunks of the NHLPA offer, listening only to Bettman when he says it does nothing, instead of actually looking at it themselves. Is it perfect? No. But it's not as bad as the league would have you believe.

Linden reiterated that the players' best-case scenario is not a 24-per-cent salary rollback, or a payroll tax and revenue-sharing system, the key components put forth in their proposal of Dec. 9. Instead, they would rather leave the system the way it was.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050122/NHLLOCKOUT22/TPSports/Hockey

 

[nyr7andcounting]

Linden reiterated that the players' best-case scenario is not a 24-per-cent salary rollback, or a payroll tax and revenue-sharing system, the key components put forth in their proposal of Dec. 9. Instead, they would rather leave the system the way it was.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050122/NHLLOCKOUT22/TPSports/Hockey

Of course they don't want to change the system. It is talking about best case scenario, obviously the best case for the players would be status quo. That doesn't mean that's all they would accept, and that's proven by the fact that they have made offered that present changes to the system. Whatever you are trying to prove here you are doing a pretty bad job with it.

Anyway, the players last offer was supposed to be a "starter". They didn't intend for the league to work under those circumstances, they intended for the league to negotiate. If the league had accepted a luxury tax system, than the other things such as arbitration, qualifying offers etc would have been negotiated in favor of the league.

 

[CGG]

I did not fail to digest the last offer.Do you really the Rangers,Flyers,Leafs,Stars,Wings and even Colorado with their new regional sports channel will really care about a luxury tax?My owner James Dolan is spending $103 on the Knicks payroll and will pay an additional $40-50 million in luxury tax.It takes one owner to make one stupid decision and the NHL is back where it is right now

Arbitration?I don't know why every group II free agent who is eligible for salary arbitration does not file.The players NEVER lose in arbitration.The stupid arbitrator who does not know jack **** about hockey just splits the difference between the team offer and the players bid.Somehow in salary arbitration Tom Poti went from making $950,000 to $1.8 million and then filed again the very next summer to receive a two year award of $2.8 million and $3.1 million.Please explain that to me?

Why should players make big money in entry level contracts?They can get rewarded in their second contract.Let the veterans make that money

Qualifying offers should be 75% which is what Brian Burke suggested

The players will not receive sympathy from me.The Rangers bring them into NY at major dollars and these players crap on everybody.Bobby Holik?After the Rangers foolishly gave Holik $45 million/5 years,why did Holik come to his FIRST Rangers training camp out of shape.Then Holik who has been an utter disaster with the Rangers claims "the owners are liars".No Bobby,they are just plain stupid.Especially Dolan and Glen Sather who gave a third line player $45 million

Sounds to me you have problems with the arbitrators, not arbitration. If they're stupid and awarding players too much above and beyond market value then get rid of them. The NHL can fire them if they so choose.

Without arbitration, and with reduced qualifying offers, players have absolutely no chance of ever getting a raise until they reach free agency. Start at $850k for four years. Then, get a qualifying offer of $637k with no reason for the owner to ever increase that offer for the next 8 years.

You're missing the point though. The NHLPA's offers, while not perfect, actually do have restrictions that will put a drag on salaries, contrary to what Bettman et al will have you believe. That is my point. He assumes that since there's no salary cap that salaries will contiue to rise at 12% a year (don't remember his exact number) even though under the old system, without ANY of these salary drags, salaries went up only 2 or 3% in the last two years.

Is it as good as a hard salary cap from the owners' perspective? No. They want more money, so they'll wait until they get a cap that has all teams spending at the level that the weak sisters of the league can afford.