TSN’s Frank Seravalli penned an article regarding the NHL and NHLPA’s options to opt-out of the current CBA sooner than later, and Dylan Larkin of all people makes a surprising remark about the situation:
What are the chances NHL players will opt-out themselves?
“It’s something that’s pretty real,” Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin said during the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour last week. “You see it in guys’ contracts; everyone’s preparing for a [work stoppage] with signing bonus money. I don’t think we’re very happy with the deal we got; we’re looking for more for ourselves. I think it’s very real but … I definitely don’t want that to happen. [I’m] pretty grateful for every day in the NHL, so I wouldn’t want to waste time being young and entering a prime age.”
Larkin, 22, signed a six-year, $30.5 million extension with the Winged Wheel this summer. He’s one of the rare all-star- calibre players to not get some sort of “lockout protection” in the form of a signing bonus for the 2020-21 season, which will paid out on July 1 before any work stoppage would go into effect.
According to CapFriendly.com, 78 players will collect $252 million in signing bonuses for 2020-21 to protect against potential lost wages. That might give you an indication as to what players (and agents) think about the likelihood of a work stoppage.
