While the NHL Players' Association and executive director Donald Fehr said Tuesday that the players are willing take a smaller percentage of revenues in a new collective bargaining agreement, other details have emerged from the union's proposal as well.
According to TSN hockey analyst Aaron Ward, the offer also calls for a limit on 'non-player' spending such as costs for head coaching, front office and management payrolls.
In addition, the union's proposal suggests - at the discretion of both the NHL and NHLPA on a case-by-case basis - giving extra draft picks to teams in financial trouble.
The players' offer also allows for franchises in distress under special circumstances to be permitted to trade or sell up to $4 million in cap space to another team - giving the team a way of adding another 'paycheque.'
As presented by Fehr on Tuesday, the proposal already includes delinking the salary cap from hockey-related revenue and setting a fixed rate - increasing by two per cent for the first year, four per cent for the second and six per cent for the third. Afterwards, the players would hold an option to have the fourth year revert back to the current system, where they are entitled to receive 57 per cent of all revenues.
By the NHLPA's calculations, the deal could see players give up as much as US$465 million in revenue if the league continues to grow at an average rate for the next three seasons.
