Report: NHL, Players’ Association Closing In On CBA Extension Agreement

Photo: Full Press Coverage

The NHL and players’ association are optimistic that a return-to-play and six-year CBA agreement will be reached on Saturday, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli. Both the NHL’s Board of Governors and the NHLPA’s full membership will need to approve the agreement.

A player vote could begin virtually as soon as Monday if an agreement is announced on Saturday. The players will have 72 hours to vote.

Here is what the agreement on a CBA extension will look like:

Return To Play Critical Dates
- Monday 7/13 – training camps open
- Sunday 7/26 – teams will arrive in Toronto (Eastern Conference hub), Edmonton (Western Conference hub)
- Saturday 8/1 – 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin
- Monday 8/10 – second phase of NHL Draft Lottery
- First week of October (unless there is a COVID-19 outbreak in at least one of the bubbles) – Stanley Cup awarded
- mid-October – 2020 NHL Draft (virtual)
- Sunday 11/1 – Free Agency opens
Opt-Out
- players can opt-out of the tournament for any reason and will not be penalized
Tournament Share
- The 2020 Stanley Cup Playoff bonus pool is doubling this season from $16 million to $32 million
- a player on a team that loses in the best-of-five qualifying round will receive $20,000
- players in each round will see bonuses go up from there, with a share from the Stanley Cup-winning team worth $240,000 per player
Term
- six years
- can also be extended by one year if the escrow debt from 2019-20 owing to owners goes beyond $125 million at the deal’s expiration
Salary Cap
- will stay at $81.5 million and remain there until hockey-related revenue goes back up to $4.8 billion (the amount projected for the 2019-20 season before it paused)
- Once the revenue goes back up to $4.8 billion, the upper limit will be calculated using a new formula that relies on the actual revenue from two seasons ago, in addition to the projected revenue from the immediate prior season
Olympics
- Pending an agreement with the IOC and IIHF, NHL players will be able to participate in 2022 and 2026
Signing Bonus limits
- none
Final Paycheck
- will go to repaying their debt to owners ~ $140 million
Escrow
- players cannot pay a higher escrow percentage than:
  - 2020-21: 20%
  - 2021-22: 14-18% (TBD)
  - 2022-23: 10%
  - 2023-24-2025-26: 6%
Salary Deferral
- Players will put off 10% of both salary and signing bonus for next season, which will be paid back to players in three equal payments in 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26
No-Trade and No-Movement Clauses
- All no-trade and no-move clauses will go with the player after he is dealt, even if the player is traded before the clause kicks in
Outlawing Front-Loaded Deals
- For high-value, front-loaded long-term deals (six-plus years, 7.5-plus% of cap), salary variability from the highest year to the lowest year will go from 50% to 35%
Minimum Salary
- The new league minimum salary is:
  - 2020-21: $750,000
  - 2021-22: $750,000
  - 2022-23: $750,000
  - 2023-24: $750,000
  - 2024-25: $775,000
  - 2025-26: $800,000
Post-career Health Care Subsidy
- players will also get a $3,500-$5,000 retirement health care subsidy
Rehab Choice
- Players will now be able to rehab long-term injuries wherever they want unless their team can prove that rehab will not be possible there
No European Waivers
- Players who play in Europe will no longer have to go through waivers to return to the NHL if they sign their NHL contract by December 15
- Previously, if a player played in Europe after the start of the regular season, waivers were required