Sign in Subscribe
Front Page

NHLPA Officially Declines to Reopen Current Collective Bargaining Agreement

The NHLPA officially announced today that it will not be exercising their option to reopen the current CBA.

The NHL previously had the same option, and after they declined to do so the clock opened for the NHLPA to make their decision. What this means is that for the next three seasons there will be uninterrupted play, and the CBA will expire after the 2021-22 season.

What is important to take from the NHLPA’s statement is the confirmation that it is currently talking with the league about extending the existing CBA, and making some changes to it. Bob McKenzie of TSN had a lengthy thread on this which you can follow by clicking below.

The basic point as McKenzie notes is that there’s the potential that both sides can come to an agreement that goes beyond the current expiration date after the 2021-22 season. There’s a lot of reasons why that should happen, with the primary reason being that the league in many ways is still recovering from previous lockouts.

Additionally, Seattle will be joining the league for the 2021-22 season, and it would suck to have them play a season and then the league immediately go into another lockout. The league’s current American TV deal with NBC also expires upon the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, and another lockout wouldn’t be good for business.

The concept of escrow remains a point of contention for the players, and that is certainly something that I could see the NHLPA looking into. For more information on escrow and how it impacts player salaries, I recommend checking out Shayna Goldman’s two part series over at Hockey-Graphs.

How Much Do NHL Players Really Make?

How Much Do NHL Players Really Make? Part 2: Taxes

In total there’s a lot of nuanced issues surrounding the CBA, and it won’t be surprising when more news comes out in the upcoming months regarding things both sides want to add and or change.

It should be noted that if either side wants something added or changed that there will have to be an offsetting concession made, and that could result in some lengthy debate and negotiating to reach an agreement that is “fair” for both sides.

In recent labor battles the top points of contention surrounded the split of hockey related revenue, and the next round of negotiations will likely feature similar complex issues. But for now you can take some solace that there will be hockey for the next three seasons, and hopefully there is labor peace and certainty for much longer than that.

Read next