Details Of The NHL’s New Ten-Year CBA
By Josh Sanchez
Hockey fans are rejoicing on Sunday morning after news spread that the 113-day NHL Lockout has finally come to an end. The two sides came to an agreement on the new CBA after meeting for sixteen straight hours in an honest effort to end he lockout. Now that a new CBA is agreed upon, let’s take a look at some of the details.
The new CBA is a ten-year deal, that includes an opt-out clause after the eight-season — so we could be back in this same boat eight years down the road.
However, NHL teams should be happy that revenue sharing has increased to $200 million and there is a “NHLPA-initiated growth fund” worth $60 million.
For the 2012-13 NHL season, the salary cap will be $60 million. In year two of the new CBA, the salary cap will escalate to $64.3 million. As for the salary floor, that number sits at $40 million. Player salaries are set at a max of seven years, unless you are resigning with your team in which case it can be an eight-year deal.
One thing the players have to love is the involvement of a neutral third-party if a suspension over six games is appealed.
That is one place where the NFL got it all wrong when commissioner Roger Goodell was given absolute power. For the NHL, Brendan Shanahan will still handle the discipline. If there is an appeal, it will go through NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and, as stated before, the involvement of a neutral third-party for longer suspensions.
That new wrinkle will insure that players have a legitimate shot at receiving justice.
One of the newest changes will be the NHL draft lottery. Instead of just the four worst teams in the league getting a crack at the top pick, all non-playoff teams will receive a chance. The new lottery process will resemble the NBA’s.
Finally, the start of free agency will be July 1st, which is the exact date the players were hoping to keep.
It’s safe to say that we are all ecstatic that hockey is back, so be sure to stay tuned to FanSided.com as we bring you the latest new details of the NHL’s new ten-year Collective Bargaining Agreement.