Bettman Ultimatum: $42.5 M Cap, Final Offer

[txomisc]

So whats the rest of the proposal?
42.5 m cap
is there a floor?
is there a luxury tax?
what about qualifying offers?

 

[Member 23807]

Wrong. The owners in the end will get what they want.

I agree. I believe Bettman was serious when he said they will not move off the $42.5M figure. I think that number as it stands now is a stretch for the league based on revenues.

PJStyles

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Do we need to go through this in every thread?.

Just yanking your chain SOS . . . you yank easy. By the way . . . you schooled me Jethro? . .. . :lol

 

[Trottier]

Me too. The stupid players are waking up today to the fact that their PA screwed them and if the lot of them are stupid enough to not accept this deal, then let them sit and we'll see replacements in September.

Translation: the NHLPA has not placated my desires, does not share the values that I (and other fans) have arbitrarily assigned to them as I play God with other's lives. They do not share my opinions about how to run their livelihoods. Therefore, they are bad people...and ignorant.

Im pissed large about the fact that the players took this long to finally do the inevitable. If you ask me, they can rot in Europe for all I care. If they dont take it, thats their problem.

Quite surely, the feeling is mutual. Justifiably so.

One thing that has become ABUNDANTLY clear to me is the need for the vast majority of NHLPA members to get a UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

A clear contrast to the PhDs that abound on this board, no doubt.

The lot of them are uneducated bumpkins who just got their butts handed to them...

Was an agreement signed? Know something we don't? It's over? Great!

 

[Tawnos]

So whats the rest of the proposal?
42.5 m cap
is there a floor?
is there a luxury tax?
what about qualifying offers?

Nothing about it... makes one wonder if perhaps the rest of the deal is done and this is the final piece.

 

[Anksun]

You know, I think if Goodenow comes down to 45 or 46, and Bettman just straight refuses... Bettman might have a mutiny on his hands.

To cancel the season over 2.5-3.5 million is ludicrous.

yes but it's more like a possibility of 2.5-3.5M x 30 teams... which is still a big amount.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

The owners in the end will get what they want.

They more or less already have. It does sound to me like a cat playing with a dead mice. The players have been shaken by the surprising move from their leadership to accept a salary cap and based on that, if the PA doesn't accept the offer now there is no way that the union will remain strong for many more months and in that case, when the negociations would restart, well, the owners would be in a position to even tighten ever more the screw.

 

[i am dave]

Certain unreliable sources say the players may have already rejected the letter....

 

[Mess]

Here you have it guys : (USA Today Source)

2003-04

Team Total Payroll
Detroit Red Wings $ 77,856,109
New York Rangers $ 76,488,716
Dallas Stars $ 68,578,885
Philadelphia Flyers $ 68,175,247
Colorado Avalanche $ 63,382,458
Toronto Maple Leafs $ 62,458,140
St. Louis Blues $ 61,675,000
Los Angeles Kings $ 53,833,800
Anaheim Mighty Ducks $ 53,296,750
Washington Capitals $ 50,895,750
New Jersey Devils $ 48,931,658
Boston Bruins $ 46,569,000
Vancouver Canucks $ 42,074,500
New York Islanders $ 40,865,500
Ottawa Senators $ 39,590,000
Phoenix Coyotes $ 39,249,750
Montreal Canadiens $ 38,857,000
Calgary Flames $ 36,402,575
Carolina Hurricanes $ 35,908,738
San Jose Sharks $ 34,455,000
Tampa Bay Lightning $ 34,065,379
Columbus Blue Jackets $ 34,000,000
Edmonton Oilers $ 33,375,000
Buffalo Sabres $ 32,954,250
Chicago Blackhawks $ 30,867,502
Atlanta Thrashers $ 28,547,500
Minnesota Wild $ 27,200,500
Florida Panthers $ 26,127,500
Pittsburgh Penguins $ 23,400,000
Nashville Predators $ 21,932,500

Average Payroll = $44,400,490

So when many here are saying that looking simply at the max. cap as the number to use when analyzing the proposal is unrealistic, I say it's very realistic given that teams last year spent on average $44.4M.

Clearly there will be a few teams that will spend less than that, but I think it's clear that the proposal the NHL put forward today was a meaningful one and the NHLPA would be, in my estimation, be making a huge mistake if they turned it down.

PJStyles

but ..

1) The system is broken and many teams lost money at that range and

2) Don't forget each team gets 24% reduction not counting the UFA they lost ..

 

[Tadite]

He still has a point. The NHL will still exist next year and we will have a Cap. Of that you can be sure.

Players Unions win when the loses the owners sustain from a strike/lock-out are greater then just signing a deal (at least in the short-run).

As this has not happened (due in part to the terrable finances of many of the NHL teams) the basic tactic of a union is disapated.

The only other thing they could have done is tried to get the fans to put pressure on the league to sign. This didn't happen either.

In the end when we have the NHL again the one thing we can say with certianty is that the League will have beaten the Union. Now if thats a good or bad thing you can judge that on your own. But in this situation the unions original positions have proved to be untenable.

 

[EroCaps]

but ..

1) The system is broken and many teams lost money at that range and

2) Don't forget each team gets 24% reduction not counting the UFA they lost ..

The Caps alone nearly HALVED their payroll from 50 m. into the mid-high 20 million range w/the firesale there at the end of 03-04.

That brings the average down to the NHL's proposal itself, before the rollback.

 

[rekrul]

I agree. I believe Bettman was serious when he said they will not move off the $42.5M figure. I think that number as it stands now is a stretch for the league based on revenues.
PJStyles

42.5 and is game off, why should the players accept this they were at 52 the owners at 40, they want ttosee the NHL move to the wiggle room or just say screw bettman and be done. It looks like a lot of the players are pretty divided here, some are anrgy at Goodenow, some want to play, some are in europe and can say Hmmm 28 games of salary for THIS deal, nope! who knows I think the only thing all they do agree on is they hate bettman. Think at the end of the day does losing to count chocola over just 28 games of salary for a system that they wouldn'teven think was possible. I say there is a lot of fight in them and they might say say phooey to the NHL and the game.

Bettman made this a personal quest to drive the union to its knees,many are in favor of that but if it ain't done by tomorrow, the NHL is probably never going to be the same again.

 

[Brindfan]

If the NHLPA accepts this offer, they will be the big goats in this mess. A majority of the fans will look down on the NHLPA with distain for not accepting this offer in September.

 

[Trottier]

He still has a point....

I agree with much of what you state in your post. And, a hardcap being the key issue, the league will have achieved its #1 priority, should it come to pass.

However, all hardcaps are not unlike. One at ~$42 mil for example is a lot different than one at ~$50 mil.

Given that a deal has not been signed, nor has an agreement been reached on a hardcap number, I'm sure you can understand why "who just got their butts handed to them" is viewed as premature exaggeration.

 

[Tawnos]

yes but it's more like a possibility of 2.5-3.5M x 30 teams... which is still a big amount.

Since when do teams share expenses?

 

[MeatTornado]

Wrong. The owners in the end will get what they want.

The owners already have gotten much of what they want. The PA can't now back out of the cap or the rollback now, linkage is the only thing the league has really conceded.

But honestly, we can't really speculate on whats going to happen, I don't think many people predicted that the PA would accept a cap this soon, everyone thought the season was done without a doubt. I personally don't care who 'wins' this last little battle, I just want to get it over with. Tomorrow morning should be very interesting...

 

[MasterD]

Does this offer include the 24% rollback or not?

If it does, I'd have offered that new cap, 44.7 millions, but lower the rollback to 15 to make it more tempting to players

 

[Leafer4Life]

A little off topic, but now that the PA has moved off the cap, is McCabe going to keep holding out?

Please say it is so.

If he wants to be THAT bone headed, that's his problem...........

 

[StickShift]

What does the NHLPA gain from turning down this offer?

Our best hope is that Goodenow, and the PA realises that they can't get a better deal further down the road.

 

[Leafer4Life]

Please For The Love Of Hockey, Nhlpa Accept This Offer, Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chaos]

What does the NHLPA gain from turning down this offer?

Our best hope is that Goodenow, and the PA realises that they can't get a better deal further down the road.

Like I said earlier in this thread, I think Goodenow comes back with $45 mil, and if Bettman says no, then he accepts the deal on the table.

 

[MrMackey]

but ..

1) The system is broken and many teams lost money at that range and

2) Don't forget each team gets 24% reduction not counting the UFA they lost ..

Exactly. The league gave up too much with their offer.

 

[Muleskinner]

Wow....I just don't think that was really a good negotiating attempt by the league. Kind of a take it or **** you kind of approach.

I agree. This is stupid IMO if they are willing to dump season if they are off a few million. Take it or leave it offer is bad idea at this point.

 

[futurcorerock]

It's really unbelievable. Every offer the NHL made has just further galvanized and alienated the players. And then he does this? It's essentially an insult, especially if there is no major revenue sharing attached.

It's not like this is going to be a 10 year deal worthy of renewal... This deal is obviously a stepping stone. Owners making concessions on some deals to lull the players into a "see, i told ya so" so that they can introduce such minor things in their next deal in a few years.

 

[rekrul]

Well its seem obvious from the media that the 45-46 Mil cap is the final solution, Bettman wants the players to give it to make it seem fair, players can get their image back for giving up a lot to get the NHL back on its feet. Realisticly thats the only way we ever have the great NHL around. If the players get too pissed at the treatment from bettman I think they say screw the season and wait for a new commish to save the day.

curious, I wonder what the rank and file members, the 2/3 of players who don't make Marty Lapoint money, IE the majority out there. Driving their wives nuts, seeing morgages comming due, their 6 figure lifestyle in the balance. The ones who need that 400 games in to qualify for the pension.Wonder if they feel a lot like we do, just get a effing deal done!!!!