NHL players who are due to sign bonuses on July 1 are expected to be paid as scheduled, a source confirmed to ESPN.
More than $ 300 million will be paid out to players on Wednesday, and the Toronto Maple Leafs lead the league with approximately $ 60 million owed. Structured contracts with large signing bonuses have been in vogue in the NHL in recent years.
Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews ($ 15.2 million) and Mitch Marner ($ 14.3 million) will receive the largest payouts on July 1. Connor McDavid (Oilers) is third in the NHL with $ 13 million, and Artemi Panarin (Rangers) is fourth with $ 12 million, according to CapFriendly.com.
The agreement to pay the players and not defer was made Tuesday between the NHL and the NHLPA. The two sides are in ongoing negotiations over the league’s plan to restart with a 24-team tournament in two central cities this summer. The parties have yet to finalize health and safety protocols for the games or announce central cities.
Sources told ESPN that Toronto, Edmonton, Las Vegas, and Chicago remain in the mix, although there is an urge to choose two Canadian core cities, given the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in several U.S. states.
The NHL and NHLPA hope to announce an extension of the collective bargaining agreement in the coming days.
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