I'm preparing for the 2012-13 LOCKOUT of the NHL!

[MatsSundin13Rocks]

If I was a NHL player I would laugh in Gary Bettman's face with this proposal! Seriously Fehr is not go to accept this!

Here is the link to it: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=400580

Twitter post by New York Post sports reporter Larry Brooks: "NHL proposal amounts to Declaration of War against NHLPA," added Brooks in a separate tweet.

"Lowlights" of the proposal

Reduce players compensation from 57% to 46%? No chance in hell the players would accept that!

Limit contracts to 5 years in length? Really that is just silly. Maybe 10 years.

Entry level contracts would be 5 years instead of 3 years. Give me a break!

Players would have to wait 10 years before becoming UFAs.

The players should give up only 3 or 4% of revenue and agree to contract limits of 10 years. They need to protect the 3 year entry level contract. The only thing that makes some sense is having the contract worth equal amounts for each year.

[RGM81]

People on SCF complain about lowball offers. This is the king of them. I realize that it's the first offer of what will be a long process but it's stuff like this that sets the bar as to what the sides expect. The NHL is going to be gunning for a smaller players' share of hockey revenue, probably in the 49-51 range in the final analysis. But free agency and contract caps are sacred cows - the NHL already has tougher rules for unrestricted free agency than any of the other sports, and owning a guy until he's 30???? Total non-starter for the players. I can see maybe agreeing to a cap on contract terms, but it might be closer to 7 or 8 than just 5. Quite frankly, I don't have a problem with contract caps because some of these deals you see are absurd, but if I'm a player named Shea Weber or Taylor Hall and I just saw a guy like Zach Parise get 12 years, why should he be entitled to that option as well?

Prepare for an ugly battle.

I may not get to see that Habs/Canucks game on November 3rd that I was really hoping to see.

[mingus_md]

I am stunned by the NHL's opening offer. I don't think I need to worry as much about saving for 2012-13 products due to the impending lockout!

[centrehice]

The only thing the entry level contract does is stop kids from doing a Pele Lindberg or a Dany Healtey on a regular basis.

There is still plenty of money under contract for them to buy a car that is far to fast for their drinking and driving skills. But 5 Years? C'mon, that's insane.

The dropped revenue sharing alone won't fly for a second, let alone this other nonsense of short terms contracts and no free agency for forever.

Their is nothing in that agreement that benefits the players. The whole thing from the owners and league standpoint basically says to the players, ....."Cook Me Some Eggs"

[dtab316]

This is just the opening offer. Expect the NHLPAs offer to be outragously higher. Then the true negotiations to start.
By the time it's all said and done, expect a 50/50 revenue split, entry-level contracts at 4 years, 6 years before UFA, and contract limits to 5 to 7 years.

The NHL will be on the ice in October, I hope.

[zunato]

Can't wait to hear the NHLPA counter offer.

[Wickabee]

This is just the opening offer. Expect the NHLPAs offer to be outragously higher. Then the true negotiations to start.
By the time it's all said and done, expect a 50/50 revenue split, entry-level contracts at 4 years, 6 years before UFA, and contract limits to 5 to 7 years.

The NHL will be on the ice in October, I hope.

I can see a 10 year contract limit, which I think would be fine.

As was said, this is an opening position. Opening offers are basically saying, "In my perfect world, this is how it would be." Now the players will turn around and say, "Well, this is our perfect world scenario." You never give the other side anything when opening negotiations. Anything you give away allows the other side to focus that much more on everything else. It's not going to be a pretty process, but I think we'll have hockey in the fall. The one thing neither side wants is a work stoppage. That's just too much money not being made on all sides.

[dtab316]

I can see a 10 year contract limit, which I think would be fine.

As was said, this is an opening position. Opening offers are basically saying, "In my perfect world, this is how it would be." Now the players will turn around and say, "Well, this is our perfect world scenario." You never give the other side anything when opening negotiations. Anything you give away allows the other side to focus that much more on everything else. It's not going to be a pretty process, but I think we'll have hockey in the fall. The one thing neither side wants is a work stoppage. That's just too much money not being made on all sides.

You are absolutely 100% right, Wick.

[CSSports]

When it comes down to it - both sides will have give in to different things....P{layers cant have everything they want and same with the league....
I do like the idea of longer period before you become UFA....I like the idea of players staying on the team longer....not a lot of loyalty out there....
and something to control the crazy contracts coming out...too many front loaded contracts that wont make it to the end - everyone knows that

[centrehice]

The revenue sharing has to be 50/50. why even play these games. The Jockeying for position is child-like behaviour.

I can see the a maximum contract in regard to number of years, but that' about it. The bad thing about outrageousness on paper when it comes to negotiations, is that it sets the tone for that kind of rhetoric moving forward.

It amazes when asked for common sense to settle things, how little of it is actually used.