Last CBA the Owners claimed PA salaries were at 75% expenses and they needed a hard cap tied to league revenues and cost certainty to run profitable businesses.
They got that as 57% ceiling for the PA is lower than < 75% and no cost certainty.
Now the Owners claim that they still can't make a profit at that level of player costs.. However who's fault is it if building remain 1/2 empty or are located in non traditional hockey markets that are proving difficult to support NHL teams even with cost certainty..
How does moving the NHLPA share to 50% and only allowing any NHL player to sign a 5 year max deal fill a 1/2 empty stadium with fans or get increased viewership and thus bring in more revenue to effect Owner profitability levels in non hockey markets.
Location, location, location the #1 rule in operating a successful business is not addressed by cutting expenses, when increasing revenue is the real objective to profitably here. Fill the buildings around the league and player costs even at 57% at present is a non issue to profit levels. Making Shane Doan take a 12% paycut (by NHLPA going from 57% to 50% of HRR) is not doing a single thing to guarantee more fans and sponsors and investors will show up for Coyote home games in the future.
Its misdirected blame for losing money on investment for Owners to be blaming the players unilaterally across the board for how they run their businesses and in the markets their located.
It is an ongoing process, they cut to 57% and that was still not enough. I suppose they can also look at cutting hotel costs, flight costs, meal costs, trainer costs, doctor costs etc as well to help balance the bottom line and promote a better bottom line, good suggestion.
Atleast 10 teams are not making money so we need to move them. So Hamilton, Quebec City, Seattle, Brampton, Victoria... I wonder what happens when the Canadian dollar goes for a crap again. We can always move Winnipeg, Quebec... Part of leaving these money losing franchises in the States is the TV CONTRACT. No Canadian TV contract will ever be able to match the American dollars.
It takes time to build a market you just can't pull up stakes and move every 5 years. I believe Gary Bettman and the NHL sees the endgame in TV revenues and more particularly American TV. To get a truly national TV contract you have to have a National sport. Regional TV deals will not make this product the money ALL parties involved hope for.
Watch a ballgame in the summer sometime and see how empty some of those stadiums are. They are still making money because of the TV contracts, attendance is great but a National TV contract is the pot of gold.
There is another option as well. Just fold these 10 franchises, lay of 230 players + staff + supporting employees and have just a northwestern/Canadian regional sport.