One key component of the NHL re-starting this summer was that the NHL and NHLPA were able to extend the CBA. The talks were not contentious and it was a rare time that nothing devolved into a lockout. Both sides wanted to get back to playing and were working towards creating a plan that allowed for that. Now they owners would like to back out of the CBA agreement.
The CBA agreement does not help the owners through a pandemic. It is beneficial to the players in the season-long plan that they are looking at. Of course they owners are not going to like it and they want to change it, but they signed it and agreed to it only a few months ago. You cannot change something you agreed to because it no longer benefits you in the same way. Players have made sacrifices to their contracts numerous times over the years to come back to the game they love. It is time that owners honoured their contract as well and did not try to back out in the eleventh hour because it no longer benefits them.
I will not pretend that I actually understand contracts much at all. I can do basic math and figure out basic contract information, but what the NHL owners are trying to do right now is well above my paygrade and it is rather funny that they think this is a good idea when the people who would be at risk during return to play includes the players and not the owners.
The NHL and NHLPA want to make the 2020/2021 season happen, but for that to occur they players need their months old CBA to be honoured by the owners and then a safe return to play plan to go into effect…oh and for all the places in lockdowns to allow teams to practice.
