Choose Your Own Adventure: You Be the NHLPA Executive Director

At some point, those of you following along with the CBA negotiation drama have likely contemplated what you would do if you had control of the reigns. What kind of offer could you present to the NHL to get the season back on track?

Those of you wanting to explore the scenario a little further are in luck; I’ve created a BoC exclusive "Choose Your Own Adventure" game! In it, you are whisked away to an alternate reality where NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr has stepped down. In his place, you have been hired to head the NHLPA and lead them in CBA negotiations, even though you are completely inexperienced and unqualified for the job (also, have you been drinking?).

You have just been presented with the NHL’s latest offer (and in this reality, it has not been pulled off the table just yet). You have two options: Accept the offer as is, or make a counter-proposal which includes tweaks to the offer the NHL has just handed to you. Good luck!

If you need a completely unnecessary refresher, click here to review the offer tabled by the league on NHLcom. If you like what you see...

However, if you're feeling a little more adventures and would like to make some adjustments to the offer in order to make a counter-proposal, review your options below and customize the NHLPA new offer as you see fit!

Remember: If you don't want to make any changes, use the button above to accept the offer as is.

Build Your Own Counter-Proposal
(When you are finished, click "Submit Proposal" at the end of this article.)

Term
The term of the CBA proposed by the league is six years. What would you like the length of the CBA you are proposing to be?
Keep As NHL Proposes (6 Years) 3 Years 4 Years 5 Years 7 Years 8 Years 9 Years

HRR Accounting
The league's offer says they will, in theory, keep the existing definitions of Hockey-Related Revenue (HRR), but insists on further negotiations to "more clearly" define what counts as HRR (in practice, it is likely the league will fight to narrow that definition once those negotiations start). What would you like to do?

Accept NHL's offer to further define HRR
Insist HRR Remains the Same, No Further Negotiations
Expand What Counts as HRR, Meaning More Funds are Shared With Players

Applicable Players' Share vs Owners Share
The league is offering a 50/50 split in revenue sharing (a reduction from the players' current 57% share), and insisting this split take place immediately. How would you like to handle this?

50/50? Sounds good, no questions asked!
Accept 50/50 only if there are no rollbacks to current contracts.
Accept 50/50, but work down from 57% to 50% gradually over the length of the CBA
Do not accept 50/50, demand players take: %

Players' Share "Make Whole" Provision
The league is offering a provision which has players deferring payments owed to them, to be payed out of their future salaries (as opposed to the owners paying out the full value of the contracts they signed with players).

Reject league's "Make Whole" Provision

There are certainly other aspects of the NHL's offer to the players to be considered... but come on, this is a damn text-based game, we don't have time for all of this. Take another look at your counter-offer. If you are satisfied with it (and it has at least one change from what the league is offering), then go ahead and submit your offer to Gary Bettman and the NHL: