The full membership of the NHL Players Association will vote on a comprehensive Return to Play proposal that would include an extension of the collective bargaining agreement, as well as coronavirus-related protocols for training camp (Phase 3) and the projected tournament Summer Stanley Cup (Phase 4) once underway Negotiations between the league and the union conclude, The Post has learned.
And, as Artemi Panarin posted on his Instagram account on Thursday afternoon, the issue of escrow will be paramount on the economic side when players cast their vote.
The 28-year-old winger who established himself as a Hart Trophy candidate in his spectacular first season on Broadway in which he recorded 95 points in 69 games, wrote that “he is eager to make the playoffs with the New York Rangers.”
But even when he recognized concerns about health-related issues, Panarin trained his focus on escrow, the percentage of a player’s salary retained by the league and union to ensure a 50-50 split in earnings related to hockey, to tackle “the long-term prosperity of the NHL”.
“For almost two decades, players have protected owners ‘incomes with escrow, even during this pandemic crisis, in which owners’ equity has continued to grow exponentially,” wrote Panarin, who has been training during the Last week in Aspen, Colorado. after skating a couple of days at the Rangers’ practice facility in Phase 2 small-group practice. “It’s time to fix the trust.
“We as players cannot inform the camp to resume play without having an established agreement. We are all in this together. Also, I know that the process for selecting Hub Cities is ongoing. I sincerely hope that my teammates and I can train and play games at MSG and safely bring job and financial opportunities to New York City for Rangers fans and all New Yorkers. “
Sources have indicated that the league and union-generated CBA advance proposal will include an escrow limit on an unrelated fixed salary limit that is expected to hit around $ 83 million for at least three seasons while the parties They try to deal with the financial problems caused by the pandemic. That number may be subject to change. That excess would accumulate during the first two or three years, but a maximum limit would be gradually introduced into the deposit during the useful life of the extension.
If true, that would mean the end of the tight and tied split of 50 to 50 percent of hockey-related revenue between players and owners. It is unknown if the owners would protect their 50-50s for the full term of the agreement, even compared to an annual basis. It is also unknown what adaptations the union has made to obtain the deposit limit, even if it is on a temporary basis.
Without an escrow limit, and depending on the course of the virus, players could play for no more than 50 percent of their base salary next year. If the 2020-21 salary cap is set to approximately $ 83 million, even though this season’s earnings would normally create a cap of between $ 65 million and $ 68 million, the deposit deductions could be massive if the season ( or part of it) is played without fans or if municipal health guidelines limit the arena’s capabilities.
Players will also be responsible for representing approximately 14 percent of the 2019-20 escrow. (If the 2020 tournament is not played at all, the carry-over from this year to the next would be 21 percent.) Panarin, by the way, will enter the second year of his seven-year, $ 81.5 million contract.
Training camp is tentatively scheduled to start on July 10, or two weeks after Friday. As reported by The Post on June 20, the teams are slated to travel to their respective central cities on July 23 or July 24, with the best of five qualifying rounds and the selection round to begin on July 30. . Of course, it represents the best case scenario.
Subject to a mutual agreement between the league and PA, Las Vegas, Edmonton and Toronto are considered the top candidates to become host cities to the tournament through which NHL staff will be contained in a “bubble.” So if two Western Conference cities are chosen, the Golden Knights or Oilers will play at home, albeit in a building with no fans.
The Rangers will face hurricanes, while the Islanders will face Florida in the playoffs that will precede the 16-team Cup playoffs. Yes, that is, the virus allows it, and players ratify a Back-to-Game plan that incorporates a renewed and extended CBA that addresses their long-standing custody concerns.
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