The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that AHL players have received a 2020-2021 season financial proposal that places many of the players under significant risk for the sake of playing that 2020-2021 season:
The Athletic obtained a copy of the proposal that was sent from AHL president and CEO Scott Howson to PHPA executive director Larry Landon with a Jan. 23, 2021 date.
• Under the proposal, AHL teams would pay all players on one-way AHL contracts a guaranteed 40 percent of their annual salary regardless of how many games are played during the shortened season — about half of what players expected for this season when they made an agreement in June — with a maximum payout of 48 percent if scheduled games are played.
• With the season proposed to start Feb. 5, players would be paid 48 percent of their salaries from the start of the season. This applies to both AHL contracts and players on NHL two-way contracts assigned to the AHL. NHL or AHL players assigned to the ECHL are also to be paid 48 percent of their salaries per the agreement.
• If games are played, no player is to make less than $30,000 this season in the AHL. That means any player making $62,500 or less will be paid $30,000, while any player making more than $62,500 will be paid 48 percent of their salary.
• If the AHL season is canceled because of COVID-19, teams are only obligated to pay 40 percent to players, unless the total number of games played in the league has already exceeded 40 percent of 1,146 in which case a pro-ration will be determined for payment.
• This document would also extend the current AHL-PHPA CBA one season to Aug. 31, 2025.
Continued (paywall); this is a distressing development, because the foot soldiers are going to be paid ECHL wages during the middle of a pandemic for the sake of not subjecting the AHL’s owners to crippling losses.
Nobody is going to “win” here, regardless of the terms of whatever deal the AHL and PHPA draft, but halving the salaries of guys who are making $70,000 doesn’t help.
