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List of Players Opting Out of Return to Play

Eleven

By Eleven
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Zamboni First Liner

Zamboni

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For those of us who’d rather read the names here instead of clicking links ...

Karl Alzner

Stephan Kampfer

Mike Green

Roman Polak

Sven Baertschi

Travis Hamonic

 

And the list keeps growing ....

 

Weave Hall of Famer

Weave

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31 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Hard to blame any of these guys, especially ones with family health issues

Changed one letter to reflect my thoughts.  Hockey has its own risks, let alone adding the risks associated with a pandemic to them.

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IKnowPhysics First Liner

IKnowPhysics

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On 7/12/2020 at 8:44 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

Hard to blame many of these guys, especially ones with family health issues

 

On 7/12/2020 at 9:16 AM, Weave said:

Changed one letter to reflect my thoughts.  Hockey has its own risks, let alone adding the risks associated with a pandemic to them.

Agreed.  Life extends beyond the game.  The health of the players, coaches, staff, workers in supporting industries, families, and fans is above sport.  No one should be shaming those who exercise that right.

In separate thoughts, it's going to be really interesting to see game rosters not at their fullest/best and it's going to be really interesting to see if they can keep COVID away from the games.

IKnowPhysics First Liner

IKnowPhysics

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14 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

I saw a tweet that a large number of Penguins have tested positive and are in isolation.

Yeah, this stupid idea is going to work out just fine.

I think the nature of the game and the nature of COVID transmission could mean that several teams have experience breakouts.

 

As of July 6, 35 players tested positive.

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The Ottawa Senators (five), Colorado Avalanche (three), Boston Bruins (one) and Pittsburgh Penguins (one) have all had positive tests thus far.

 

As of today, the Penguins isolated nine players because they were exposed to someone (not another player) who tested positive.

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Just hours into the league’s Phase 3 opening, which allows teams to attend training camps at home sites, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that nine players had to be sidelined after potential secondary exposure to someone who tested positive for coronavirus.

“The team learned of the possible secondary exposure on Sunday, July 12,” the Penguins revealed in a statement. “The decision to isolate this group of players was made out of an abundance of caution in an effort to avoid exposure to anyone else within the organization. The nine players will not participate until they are deemed safe in accordance with NHL protocol and further test results.”

Auston Mathews (TOR) tested positive, and confirmed today that he had the virus and is now healthy.

 

Once games get started, it could get real weird, as the NHL has prohibited teams from announcing COVID-related test results or any other injury information.

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"We've talked to the NHLPA about it and continue to feel that medical privacy is important in this process. Having said that, we have an obligation as a league to have some transparency with respect to the COVID virus," said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "At least for now, we're going to maintain a policy where the league is announcing [testing] numbers and clubs are prohibited from giving any information with respect to COVID test results; and, for the purposes of making the system work, any injury information, going forward."

You might just see players disappear from benches and rosters for weeks at a time with little to no explanation, even if it's not COVID-related.

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shrader Hall of Famer

shrader

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16 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I can’t see how it will be profitable.

And let's not pretend that the NHL is the only company out there doing this.  I realize Bettman screwed us over 21 years ago, but this nothing we're seeing right now makes him a villain.  Hell, they're not even the league that is planning on having their teams travel all over the country from game to game.

IKnowPhysics First Liner

IKnowPhysics

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56 minutes ago, Eleven said:

I can’t see how it will be profitable.

If I had to guess, it's the TV rights.  There could be fine print in the TV contract in the event a season is shortened or playoffs are cancelled that describes very specifically how and when NBC/Sports can back out of counting a season as a season under contract or can somehow prorate their payment of the contract.  Current TV contract was $2B for years, so it could be up to $200M in play.  Especially important if the TV contract terms are distinctly from CBA terms (ie, this year counts as a contract year for players and they get paid, but the league doesn't get all of the TV money).

And if it's not explicitly a contract language problem, it's the NHL posturing for the negotiations for the next TV contract, demonstrating that even in a disaster, the rights to the league broadcasts will still be profitable.  The league has already begun contract negotiations, but put them on pause until the end of the year.

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According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, the NHL is halting all negotiations regarding its next rights deal until the end of 2020. More specifically, they’re waiting for the NFL to get their rights deals done. ...

As for the NHL, the league’s relationship with NBC will celebrate its 15th anniversary in October, and the ten-year, $2 billion contract between the two parties will end after the 2021 season. NBC wants to remain in bed with the NHL (and reportedly has a right of first refusal clause with the league), but ESPN and Fox have also reportedly been interested in picking up NHL rights for several years. ...

The NHL’s decision to push back its negotiations has a few benefits. If one of the potential partners doesn’t spend as much on the NFL as they expect, they could have extra money to throw at the NHL. Networks also could have less cash flow problems later this year or early in 2021 if the COVID-19 pandemic begins to slow.

Every single thing the league is doing is to boost that potential TV contract.  The current contract was enormous when it was signed, and the next TV contract, as TV networks increasingly rely on live sports to fight revenue loss to streaming content providers, will be even bigger.  The previous contract was $75M, current one is $200M.  Throw in Seatlle (13th largest US TV market) and Vegas expansions, watch other leagues' rights skyrocket, and I wouldn't be surprised if the TV contract doubles to $400M/year.

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Curt First Liner

Curt

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I’m sure the teams are pitching in a fair share of bubble expenses.  I’m sure it is expensive, but how much more expensive could it possibly be than chartering private jets and the countless other things that NHL teams would normally do?

Andrew Amerk First Liner

Andrew Amerk

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On 7/13/2020 at 7:30 PM, Doohickie said:

Maybe it's a blessing the Sabres didn't make the cut.

Yes.
 

It means that when the Sabres resume play in December after 9 months of rest, and most of the other teams are coming off only 1-3 months rest, Buffalo can get off to a real hot start and flame out in February instead of December. 

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