Jump to content

NHL should lower roster sizes...


Zowpeb

Recommended Posts

I've read and heard some interesting comments from some analysts and former coaches about a possible fix to the NHL that could also impact salaries/payroll.

I think it's pretty intriguing...

The solution would be to lower roster sizes down to 17-18 men...basically, get rid of the 4th line.

There are a number of results from this:

1) players will be more fatigued over the course of a game and season which will lead to more mistakes on the ice and therefore more goals. I believe Bowman came out and said he thinks the arrival of 4th lines and expanded rosters is as much to blame for increased defensive play and lack of scoring as anything. Fourth line grinders are defensive specialists and allow better players to stay fresher...even if it is for just 6-10 minutes a game, that's 6-10 minutes without defensive specialists on the ice, more skill play and more defensive lapses.

2) Less players on the team means payroll will likely drop. Simple economics would dictate that the large supply of available players would mean many salaries would fall...especially for 2nd and 3rd line players. Only the true superstars(only about 10 of them in the league really) could see any sort of real increase in pay IMO.

3) The AHL will get better...there may be competing leagues to the NHL created also. IMO, this will help to serve hockey's fanbase better.

4) If this occurs after a prolonged lock-out and happens in conjunction with about 3 teams folding and some sort of luxury tax/revenue sharing then the quality of play in the NHL would be WAAAYYY better.

[Edited on 2004-12-29 by puck7x]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i wonder about your first premise. It seems to me that when players are tired there is less scoring, not more. Look at those long sudden death periods in the playoffs. Offensive players get tired faster than defensive players, especially goalies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I firmly believe that mental and physical fatigue will lead to breakdowns on the ice. Players will get caught out of position, chasing, pinching, playing out of their system, etc...sure they won't be all pretty goals but there would likely be more of them banged in around the net and as a result of turnovers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't see that the union could care less about contracting any teams or losing a chunk of it's members...especially the lower paid members.

In fact, most analysts have said that they don't seem to care about losing members so long as there is no salary cap.

BTW, an article in the Toronto Sun today says the Habs are one of the organizations that would apparently prefer a luxury tax then a hard cap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yup, never thought of that, it might be a good idea to go to 18 players.

Overall better talent on the ice at all times

Fewer goons, fewer journeymen out there

Lower payrolls

But as Simonus wrote I don't think the NHLPA would accept it.

Everybody is out for their own interests. Game might also improve if the ice surface was a bit bigger, but that costs owners hundreds of their highest-priced seats.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By next year the NHL can pretty much implement anything it wants...all it has to do is declare an impasse, then they can legally change anything they want in the CBA.

As for teams folding...the NHLPA really has no say if a team just declares chapter 11. If they want enough of a say in how the NHL's business is run then they need to realise that they are indeed partners in the business like Bettman is saying and tie their pay scale to league revenues. They want their cake and eat it too...I hate the bloody players union.

Again, most of what I've read from analysts is that the NHLPA wouldn't have a problem with teams folding(which is likely in a prolonged lock-out...) or roster sizes being cut back. I must admit that they seem to be all about protecting the higher paid veterans and don't seem to give a crap about the younger or lower paid players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the nhlpa can't really complain directly about contraction. If a franchise decides to cease operations, they cease operations. It is really not a matter for negotiation. A salary cap would certainly really screw the journeyman players since it is their salaries that will first be slashed in order to compete for the mid-high salary players.

As to locking pay scale to revenues it is kinda silly. I can't think of one other industry where this happens.

The habs would prefer a luxury tax because they are in the lower section of the high payroll teams ( i think they are 8th or 9th). The tax would probably not affect them while cutting salary of the more perrenial playoff competitors (toronto, detroit, colorado). A salary cap would effect their payroll and basically kill their options -specifically brisebois and rivet. The canadiens will have little ability to move their higher contracts and have no ability to sign kovalev. In order to bring their salary within league parameters they will have to look at trading theo, koivu, or zednik to one of the lower eschalon teams.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Comparing professional sports to any other industry makes no sense. What other industry has employee's that are also the product? That simple fact means it operates on a completely different "playing field" to any other industry. The closest may be theatre and movie productions where actors are a major draw...but even that's not the same as the production itself is often as much or more of a show...whereas sports are a limited number of players on the field at once and single players put more fans in the seats(sell more merchandise, etc, etc) then a big actor in a shoddy production.

The NBA's salary cap is tied to the league revenues...and it makes tonnes of sense. It basically forces the players, and their union, to realise that they are also partners in the business. They realise that they are the "product", that fans want to see them, but they don't want any of the responsibility of it. By setting the franchise max payrolls as a percentage of league revenue players then have a vested interest in how the league does.

Personally, I like the way the NFL runs their league but there is no way the NHLPA would allow that set-up to happen. Players should be allowed to be released before contracts are up...they walk out on contracts all the time so owners should have the same ability with underacheivers.

Yeah, cutting the roster sizes might not have a great effect on overall payroll because we're talking about guys making, generally speaking, about 1.2 million or less. However, I still believe that it helps overall for the other reasons stated. There are a number of pretty good 4th line players in the league that could steal some 3rd line jobs...so the added(or maybe I should say created) supply of players would act as a downward force on 2nd and 3rd line players as well. Top line players wouldn't see their pay drop at all and would likely even see it increase as a result of this...as their value gets even better.

Also, I took a closer look at the "article" in the sun about the Habs being for a luxury tax and it just looks like the Sun was making a joke of the lockout...not serious...so while the Habs may be in favour of a luxury tax I wouldn't use that article in backing that point up. Sorry if I mislead anyone...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Originally posted by simonus

A salary cap would effect their payroll and basically kill their options -specifically brisebois and rivet. The canadiens will have little ability to move their higher contracts and have no ability to sign kovalev. In order to bring their salary within league parameters they will have to look at trading theo, koivu, or zednik to one of the lower eschalon teams.

My understanding was that a salary cap or luxury tax would be phased in over several years, so, for example, Brisebois and Rivet's contracts would expire before the cap affected the Habs.

November -- it is even starting to get cold in Tokyo, sure hope they start playing again soon!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...