For today, I’m just including one article because the Detroit area articles are pretty much the same as yesterday. I’ll highlight two separate sections though, so it’ll be like normal, but with half the clicking if you want to read through!
31 Thoughts: Fallout from a contentious NHL Draft Lottery – Sportsnet.ca
Of course there is some information about fallout from the draft lottery.
Brian Burke shared that sentiment in an Instant Analysis segment with David Amber Friday night: “Tonight, it should’ve just been the seven teams that are not in the play-in round. … Give the teams that need the most help the best players. I think this result is nothing short of a disgrace.”
Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman gamely refused to complain that his Red Wings, 23 points below 30th-place Ottawa, dropped three spots.
“The odds were better that the first pick went to (one of) the bottom eight than to us,” he said.
Others were not as charitable, including one exec who compiled a masterful text ranting that now the eight play-in losers have better odds at getting Lafreniere than all but Detroit and Ottawa. (Some of you will feel this is not a legit beef. Trust me, however, this was an epic note that deserved mention.)
In NHL news, Elliotte has some information on CBA negotiations.
6. Some of what’s in the new framework was contained in this article from Thursday, but here’s a fuller picture: four years added onto two remaining seasons; 20 per cent escrow limit for players in 2020-21; somewhere between 14-18 per cent in 2021-22, with a hope of getting into single digits after; salary cap of $81.5 million for the next two seasons, and $82.5 million in 2022-23; a 10 per cent player “deferral” next season (which includes July 1 signing bonuses due next week), where players will get that money back in the future when escrow is lower; and a mechanism to make sure teams get paid in full from the 50-50 split over the length of the deal.
One thing I’ve struggled understanding is what this deferment means to a team’s cap situation. Some sources indicated they thought this would give teams extra room, but another countered by saying he understood it “counted in the year earned.” So, still waiting for clarity on this.
