2023-4 Issues: 84 games? Ramifications?

[Marvin]

There is a discussion on HFBoards that the NHL and NHLPA will agree to an 84 game season and ease the project cap jump 2 seasons from now by accelerating some of it to next season.

One obvious point should be that all current salaries should be increased by 1/41 to compensate.  The second one would be a similar prorating of the Cap.

Projection are for over a $90M Cap in 2024-5.  The current Cap is about $83.6.  Thus, the Cap may increase to about $87M.

[Thorner]

More games? 

If anything I thought it was headed the other way 

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, Marvin said:

There is a discussion on HFBoards that the NHL and NHLPA will agree to an 84 game season and ease the project cap jump 2 seasons from now by accelerating some of it to next season.

One obvious point should be that all current salaries should be increased by 1/41 to compensate.  The second one would be a similar prorating of the Cap.

Projection are for over a $90M Cap in 2024-5.  The current Cap is about $83.6.  Thus, the Cap may increase to about $87M.

Why should salaries be raised to compensate for the extra games?  Well, because they're playing that much extra, duh.  Don't see that as a reason because the player salaries are only nominal and not actual and they set the rate of how much one player will receive relative to others.  So, if the 2 extra games across the board raises revenues by 1/41st, then the players will get that bump in their actual take home pay.  If it results in a 2.5% increase in HRR, they'd get that extra bump; and if it only goes up 2% or not at all, then they'd get just the 2% bump or none at all respectively.

[Marvin]

Just now, Thorny said:

More games? 

If anything I thought it was headed the other way 

I wish.

I like a 76 game season: 4x15 in-conference 1×16 out-of-conference.

[PromoTheRobot]

24 minutes ago, Marvin said:

There is a discussion on HFBoards that the NHL and NHLPA will agree to an 84 game season and ease the project cap jump 2 seasons from now by accelerating some of it to next season.

One obvious point should be that all current salaries should be increased by 1/41 to compensate.  The second one would be a similar prorating of the Cap.

Projection are for over a $90M Cap in 2024-5.  The current Cap is about $83.6.  Thus, the Cap may increase to about $87M.

Instead of two more games, add a playoff play-in round like the NBA. 

[Marvin]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

Instead of two more games, add a playoff play-in round like the NBA. 

The reasoning is that fans of actual rivalries did not like only playing 3 games against those teams this year.

[Curt]

Has there been any indication from the NHL or NHLPA that this is being discussed?

 Have to echo @Taro T here.  This doesn’t really add up.  The cap number is not directly tied to the number of games, but instead to the overall league revenue.  And it would really help to smooth out the cap increase transition because whatever increase it results in one year, is also going to be there for all following years.

Seems weird that the NHLPA would agree to an increase in number of games just for a slight bump in the salary cap.

Also there is a CBA in effect, no?  That’s signed contract.  To change it if that is even possible all), the NHLPA would need to get buy in from a majority of the players.  There are lots of hurdles.  I don’t see it happening.

This seems like something that is being kicked around on HFBoards and no where else.

[Randall Flagg]

68 always felt like the perfect number. When the Sabres hit the end of February and were looking good at like 60 games played, it felt insane to me that we still had to go through a quarter of the season yet

INCREASING the number of games is lunacy

I want athletes to look elite, not like they can barely walk straight gutting thru 15 injuries 

[Brawndo]

54 minutes ago, Curt said:

Has there been any indication from the NHL or NHLPA that this is being discussed?

 Have to echo @Taro T here.  This doesn’t really add up.  The cap number is not directly tied to the number of games, but instead to the overall league revenue.  And it would really help to smooth out the cap increase transition because whatever increase it results in one year, is also going to be there for all following years.

Seems weird that the NHLPA would agree to an increase in number of games just for a slight bump in the salary cap.

Also there is a CBA in effect, no?  That’s signed contract.  To change it if that is even possible all), the NHLPA would need to get buy in from a majority of the players.  There are lots of hurdles.  I don’t see it happening.

This seems like something that is being kicked around on HFBoards and no where else.

Friedman mentioned it a few weeks ago on the 32 Thoughts Pod. The NHLPA has agreed to discuss it 

Edited May 28, 2023 by Brawndo

[Zamboni]

I like …

4 preseason 

70 regular season 

Playoffs:

Best of 3 first round 

Best of 5 second round

Best of 7 third round and finals 

 

It makes each game in the regular season that much more important. And the playoffs to move along faster and have even more on the line in the first two rounds. 
 

I know I know … it’ll never happen. Revenue revenue. Unless the tickets become more expensive to compensate.
 

Just another wacky idea among all the other fantasy wacky ideas kicked around daily 😂

[thewookie1]

I’d be fine with 84, it’d be my max though. I understand the desire to lessen the game numbers for health and energy reasons but the league willingly giving up money is a nonstarter. 84 would give us a nice round number for all of the teams’ schedules with

2 vs Other Conference (32 games)

3 vs Other Division (24 games)

4 vs Divisional Opponents (28 games)

 

No to any play in rounds; they only lessen the playoff race tension and add a stupid “pre-set” big game that may not have the slightest connection to the season.

 

I’d shorten the pre-season by 2 games and start in the 2nd week of October. 

 

[PerreaultForever]

That's what they'll probably agree to, shortening the pre-season. It'll end up meaning some teams will still be getting it together first few weeks of the season (those with new players and/or coaches) so fast starts will be even more beneficial for making the playoffs. 

[tom webster]

This all can’t be possible because I keep getting told the cap isn’t rising by that much in two years and Buffalo has to be careful how they spend.

[French Collection]

I can see the owners wanting more games because ticket sales are a large part of revenue.

2 more games are not a deal breaker for me but I don’t want to see it.

Players will be worn down a bit more so there might be a move to load management which means key players may miss more games. Those guys are the ones fans are paying to see.

Trying to strike a balance between regular season success, healthy teams, and playoff runs will be tougher to juggle.

I would prefer fewer games and more international tournaments, but that won’t happen.

[mjd1001]

17 hours ago, Marvin said:

I wish.

I like a 76 game season: 4x15 in-conference 1×16 out-of-conference.

Agree.  80 abdsolute max but 70-76 is ideal to me.

[Marvin]

76 games has another variation: 2x24 games outside your division + 4×7 games in division.

[Night Train]

On 5/28/2023 at 2:39 PM, Thorny said:

More games? 

If anything I thought it was headed the other way 

Way too many games. Used to be 72. Now it's 84 and tons more playoff games. Killing these guys. 

How often do we tune into games during the  year where the roster has serious dead legs, due to overscheduling ?  

[Thorner]

7 hours ago, Night Train said:

Way too many games. Used to be 72. Now it's 84 and tons more playoff games. Killing these guys. 

How often do we tune into games during the  year where the roster has serious dead legs, due to overscheduling ?  

Already there was talk of an 85% league or whatever 

[sweetlou]

Division opponents- 4 games= 28 games

Conference opponents- 2 games= 16 games

Out of Conference- 2 games= 32 games

76 regular season games

Perfect season and eliminates most of the back to back games!!

[Eleven]

56 minutes ago, sweetlou said:

Division opponents- 4 games= 28 games

Conference opponents- 2 games= 16 games

Out of Conference- 2 games= 32 games

76 regular season games

Perfect season and eliminates most of the back to back games!!

For a league that insists that it wants to develop division rivalries--and I agree with that idea--your schedule seems just fine.

 

(An even better idea is that we don't need 32 teams and that there aren't enough skilled players for that, but the ship sailed a while ago.)

Edited May 31, 2023 by Eleven

[matter2003]

On 5/28/2023 at 3:02 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

Instead of two more games, add a playoff play-in round like the NBA. 

 

Hell no. That's so stupid. What's the point of playing the regular season then?

[Hawerchuk]

20 hours ago, sweetlou said:

Division opponents- 4 games= 28 games

Conference opponents- 2 games= 16 games

Out of Conference- 2 games= 32 games

76 regular season games

Perfect season and eliminates most of the back to back games!!

I love this one. Its perfect. The other reason its great is that we won't have to award the CUP winner in friggin June! It should be over by mid May.

Of course the owners and league won't agree to that because money money money money$$$.