Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
I suppose the union is banking on the addition of LV as a means for league revenue increase next season which is reasonable. However as long as the Canadian dollar is trash league revenue is going to remain largely flat and using the escalator puts money in the pockets of pending UFA's while taking money out of the pockets of players under contract which seems to be causing some friction within the union. Players may hate escrow but without it they can't have the escalator so they may need to be realistic in that the salary cap isn't going to hit those magical numbers forecasted years back. What's worse for the NHL is that with Cable TV industry on the decline they face lower future income on their TV deals. We may be close to the golden age of salaries in the NHL.
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Vegas only moves the needle forward if their revenues come in above league average. They certainly won't move it by a significant degree though.
Personally, I think the upcoming TV armageddon is known to the union and why they would really like to find a way to break the linked cap. Because as it stands, the NHL would weather that changing landscape better than the other big leagues precisely because the players aren't guaranteed 100% salary.
It possibly also plays into the thought process of MCDavid's agent. Sure, he'd lose a lot to escrow if that armageddon happens, but he'll still make a lot more than if he had to negotiate a new contract in that new reality.