Every Friday this season, theScore's NHL editors are debating a hot-button issue in 'On The Fly,' our roundtable series. This week, we discuss ways the league could augment its proposal to the NHLPA to trade Olympic participation for an extension of the CBA.
Rollback
Justin Cuthbert: Forget Olympics; how 'bout talking escrow?
As it's configured, the amount of money skimmed off the top of player salaries increases as the escalator inflates the salary cap from season to season, ensuring a 50/50 revenue split with the owners. Most recently, this has been upwards of 16 percent of player salaries up in smoke.
That's a little insane.
Though they lose the same percentage, and for that, more real dollars, this isn't as much of a concern for most players who would actually participate in the Olympics. The majority of these players have made a lot of money, or still have massive earning potentials. It is, however, of great concern to the rest, and especially replacement-level players being killed by this tax.
The NHL's clearly quite content with the mandate negotiated in 2013, and the incoming $500-million expansion fee is a heck of a lot of frosting atop the cake. So, if Gary Bettman and crew want to minimize change and avoid a work stoppage in Las Vegas' first few seasons, their proposal would actually be heard should it offer percentage ceiling or slight normalizing amendment to escrow.
All-Star fix
Ian McLaren: Remove the threat of suspension for players who feign injury for the purpose of sitting out the All-Star Game, then change the format of event so that it highlights the league's young talent and players who may not get the exposure that comes with a best-on-best tournament.
This would free star players from yet another obligation and allow others to be placed in the spotlight for once.
On top of that, up the ante in terms of compensation for the winning team so there's an actual incentive to make the game competitive.
If the John Scott saga taught us anything, it's that fans want to see unexpected players shine on a big stage. This way, star players can fight for Olympic glory while the rest battle it out for All-Star glory and some extra coin.
Scrap it
Sean O'Leary: The NHL's offer to simply green light Olympic participation as long as the NHLPA extends the current CBA is laughable - just ask Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The league has to construe something better.
Related: Vlasic scoffs at report tying CBA extension to Olympic participation
The offer is a win-win for Gary Bettman and the owners, because while lengthening the current agreement sounds like a no-brainer to fans, the players are unhappy with the current escrow structure.
If the NHLPA signs, the division of revenue would stay the same for three more years, and the owners would get their wish of keeping their players in North America.
Thankfully, any potential feud between the NHL and the PA in the next 15 months won't cause a work stoppage, but Bettman strong-arming his players with an unfair deal sets the wrong precedent on an already rocky relationship.
It's moot
Josh Gold-Smith: Why would the players accept any of the NHL's offers when many insist they'll go to South Korea regardless of the league's stance?
One can certainly understand why the NHL doesn't want to go, even with travel and insurance costs covered by the IIHF - because it won't make money off the tournament and shutting down the season while risking injuries to its stars isn't ideal.
But the union has power here. Allan Walsh argued this week that the league is trying to "blackmail" the players and take advantage of their desire to play in the Olympics. Judging by their less than enthusiastic response to the initial offer, it's clear they won't be easily coerced.
The NHL's position weakens every time another player says he intends to go whether or not the league approves.
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