I really can't imagine coming home to much better news.
After a marathon day of bargaining, the NHL and the NHLPA have tentatively agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement. Obviously there are still hoops that need to be jumped through but the word early this morning is that the two sides have finally agreed on all key issues.
Let's start with the good news. The new CBA is a 10 year deal. Which means that for at least another eight years, we can avoid this nonsense and focus on the sport of hockey.
All the specifics of the new CBA will be released over the next couple days but what we do know is there will be a maximum of seven years on player contracts or eight years if the deal is signed with the player's current team. We don't know the salary floor just yet, the cap in 2013/2014 has apparently been set at $64.3 million.
And while the two sides work on making this thing official (owner ratification and player approval), fans of the NHL can start to think about what the league looks like over a 50 or 48 game season. Players will flood home from Europe and the American Hockey League over the next couple days and the Ottawa Senators roster will begin to take shape.
More on this news tomorrow but for now, it feels good to write this again…
GO SENS GO!
