With coronavirus case numbers rising across most of the world, hockey executives for leagues at all levels are currently facing enormous challenges as they work to establish viable return-to-play plans for their players.
The NHL has been quiet on that this week — nothing new beyond the targeted start date of January 1, and still not even an announcement that the players have formed the committee that will work with the league to set the parameters for how the 2020-21 campaign will be executed.
Players are getting some money in their bank accounts, though.
Eligible players also received their 2020-21 signing bonuses on July 1. Per
CapFriendly, here's which Canucks got those bonus payments:
• Alex Edler - $4 million
• Loui Eriksson - $3 million
• Brock Boeser - $3 million
• Brandon Sutter - $1 million
• Elias Pettersson - $92,500
• Quinn Hughes - $92,500
• Jack Rathbone - $92,500
So — just under $11.3 million in total
As for the Oct. 31 payout, here are the top 10 base salaries (with bonuses subtracted) for players on the 2020-21 Canucks roster:
• Nate Schmidt - $6.1 million
• Tyler Myers - $5 million
• J.T. Miller - $4.5 million
• Tanner Pearson - $3.85 million
• Bo Horvat - $3.5 million
• Brandon Sutter - $3.5 million
• Brock Boeser - $3.125 million
• Micheal Ferland - $3 million
• Braden Holtby - $2.9 million
• Antoine Roussel - $2.5 million
At a time when limited revenue is coming in, it must be a bit of a relief for teams that many player contracts signed over the last few years were structured with a lower base salary for 2020-21. Those were based off the fear that we might have been in a lockout right now, if the players hadn't exercised their option to accept the last two seasons of the 2013 CBA.
In some cases, that eases the burden of actual cash that teams are paying out right now. For Canucks' ownership, their top 10 base salaries add up to $37.975 million. The 8.1 percent that's now due to this group adds up to $3.08 million — not small change, but also nowhere near as burdensome as those summer bonus payments.
The Canucks also get off relatively easy, compared to some of the base salaries that are on the books around the league this year. At the top of the list:
• Mikko Rantanen - Colorado - $12 million
• Alex Ovechkin - Washington - $10 million
• Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh - $9.6 million
• Justin Faulk - St. Louis - $9 million
• Ryan Suter - Minnesota - $8 million
• Zach Parise - Minnesota - $8 million
• Josh Morrissey - Winnipeg - $8 million
• Charlie Coyle - Boston - $8 million
• Brayden Schenn - St. Louis - $8 million
• Kyle Connor - Winnipeg - $8 million
• Anze Kopitar - Los Angeles - $8 million
• Ryan Johansen - Nashville - $8 million
This is the only payment that players will receive until more details are set on the return to play. At this point, it's not even clear whether a shortened season will further cut into player payments, which could be a big deal. My understanding is that the NHLPA believes that it's baked into the Memorandum of Understanding that the players won't be dinged for more than the 28 percent haircut off their salaries that they've already agreed to — 20 percent that goes into escrow and another 10 percent of the remaining 80 percent that's a salary deferral.
The league, however, wants to be able to pro-rate salaries, depending on how many games are played.
Thanks to the magic of Google Translate, we can read
this article from Quebec's TVA Sports, which quotes our own Antoine Roussel articulating the players' point of view:
"We never signed an agreement talking about pro rata. What we signed was an agreement that guaranteed our salary for the entire season. We have already accepted salary cuts of 20% ... Me, I guarantee you that it is not for a pro-rata agreement that I gave my agreement.
“We went to Edmonton this summer and made sure the NHL didn't lose a lot of money. Obviously, the players want to play as early as possible. Not to play, that would be a disaster scenario. "
When asked if a pro-rata approach advocated by the NHL would mean a tipping point between the two sides, Roussel is unequivocal.
"It's undeniable. It would be a huge breaking point. We negotiated heartily and fairly with everyone. If the NHL comes to us with a prorated approach, it would be like lying to us. And I think all NHL players agree on that point."
Is this the hurdle that has caused a month to pass since the Stanley Cup was awarded, without the two sides even sitting down to start discussing a structure for the new season?
This week, we saw other leagues announce target start dates. Chris Peters from ESPN has an excellent rundown of what's happening where, and how it impacts both draft prospects and 2021 draft candidates.
Ben Kuzma from
The Province also had a good chat this week with Chris Gear, the Canucks' recently promoted assistant general manager and chief legal officer, about how the Canucks' farm system might look when the new season does get underway.
He favours a sort of hybrid model, where the Canucks could keep their main call-ups close at hand while getting the rest of the prospects good development time via a semi-normal AHL schedule in Utica.
“We discussed broadening the taxi squad, instead of just your three extra players,” (Gear) said Thursday, knowing that the plan would first require league approval. “Could you have five or six extra players because then the need to shuttle players back and forth across the border isn’t there?
“You could still have a team playing in Utica with guys who are longer-term prospects than guys you expect to get in your lineup who are here practising with us. That’s probably our ideal scenario and it’s fair to say that Calgary and Edmonton feel the same way.”
As for the Comets themselves, they'd need ticket revenue that comes from live attendance, but Gear points out that they're under the jurisdiction of New York State health restrictions, where fans are not allowed at sporting events.
“Utica not being the same as New York (City) with COVID cases is (Comets president) Rob (Esche's) biggest frustration because he can pull off a season with socially-distanced fans, but the state won’t allow it,” said Gear. “That’s a concern for him.”
Of course, the Comets are not alone. Three other clubs in the AHL's eight-team North Division are also based in New York — the Binghamton Devils, Syracuse Crunch, and Rochester Americans. The Cleveland Monsters are the other U.S.-based team. And then there's the three based in Canada — Laval, Belleville and the Toronto Marlies.
Complicated stuff.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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