Habber
Registered User
This thread is for all the optimists like myself that, besides what my best judgment tells me, still believe there will be a season this year. Even though we’re being barraged with negativity and the majority in the media seem to have written the year off, there’s still some signs that point to a deal getting done.
The NHL’s stance has all been about linkage lately. Their spin right now is that they aren’t really concerned with a cap, they just want their cost certainty where salaries are a percentage of revenue. The players, as we’ve heard a million times, will never agree to linkage. But as recently as a month or two ago, they were also dead-set against a cap of any sorts. It seems that lately their stance has softened and we’re hearing a cap can be a solution under the right circumstances.
So the middle ground is a cap, but not one linked to revenues as the NHL is proposing. It’s a compromise of sorts and it lets both sides save face. The owners give up linkage, the players agree to a cap, and we get hockey.
Think about it, you’ve got players coming out in the media saying a cap would work. A month ago if a player had said that, two hours later they’d get a phone call from Mr. Goodenow and issue a retraction, that hasn’t happened lately. Which leads me to believe that players are ready to accept one. The only issue is, will the league accept a cap without linkage, and IMO they’d be damn stupid not to.
I believe the talks the last few days have been sorting out the little details, so that when they finally come to this agreement, they’ll be ready to go pronto. If they really were as far apart as they have us believe, they wouldn’t be talking and the season would have been called off two weeks ago. But in my eyes, they’re getting closer and closer, and by this time next week, players will be flying in to attend training camp and I’ll be saying I told you so.
The NHL’s stance has all been about linkage lately. Their spin right now is that they aren’t really concerned with a cap, they just want their cost certainty where salaries are a percentage of revenue. The players, as we’ve heard a million times, will never agree to linkage. But as recently as a month or two ago, they were also dead-set against a cap of any sorts. It seems that lately their stance has softened and we’re hearing a cap can be a solution under the right circumstances.
So the middle ground is a cap, but not one linked to revenues as the NHL is proposing. It’s a compromise of sorts and it lets both sides save face. The owners give up linkage, the players agree to a cap, and we get hockey.
Think about it, you’ve got players coming out in the media saying a cap would work. A month ago if a player had said that, two hours later they’d get a phone call from Mr. Goodenow and issue a retraction, that hasn’t happened lately. Which leads me to believe that players are ready to accept one. The only issue is, will the league accept a cap without linkage, and IMO they’d be damn stupid not to.
I believe the talks the last few days have been sorting out the little details, so that when they finally come to this agreement, they’ll be ready to go pronto. If they really were as far apart as they have us believe, they wouldn’t be talking and the season would have been called off two weeks ago. But in my eyes, they’re getting closer and closer, and by this time next week, players will be flying in to attend training camp and I’ll be saying I told you so.
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