Quote:
Originally Posted by iggy_oi
...The biggest leverage that the players have is the tens of millions of dollars the league's owners stand to lose by any portion of the season being cancelled. Yes the players lose their money too, but they may consider things like more offer sheets, escrow and playing in the Olympics worth more to them than half a years' salary. Other than escrow, these demands don't really cost the league money, even the escrow is more of a risk factor than a direct cost to them, so they will need to consider whether or not they are worth the lost revenue from a half season long lockout.
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I am not convinced that Olympic participation is a big bargaining chip for the NHLPA. In the 2014 Olympics only 20% of the total NHLPA membership participated. Most of the players recognize that they will never be invited to an Olympic tournament, so I would expect this is not something they are prepared to lose millions of dollars to ensure for other players.
The biggest leverage that the BoG has historically enjoyed, and continues to have is that their massive resources are distributed among a fairly small membership. Unlike the NHLPA there is nothing remotely close to the same disparity present between the top- and bottom-earners. The vast majority of players simply cannot afford to lose more than a few months of a season—especially the rank-and-file who have smaller windows of earning potential.