Breaking: NHL using Olympic participation as a negotiating ploy against the players.

Say what you will about Gary Bettman, and there is a lot you could say, there's no denying that he is a very shrewd, perhaps even ruthless, businessman.

It's been no secret for some time now that the National Hockey League is seriously considering pulling it's participation from the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, but what has been a secret is how the NHL has presented it's players a way to guarantee they will participate.

According to multiple reports today the NHL has presented the Players' Association with an offer that if accepted would result in the league immediately agreeing to participation in the Olympic games, leaving one to wonder if this was the game plan from the NHL all along. While the offer has not been made public we do have some early reports on the nature of the deal.

TSN insider Gary Lawless is reporting that the offer is a deal to extend the current Collective Bargaining Agreement for an additional three years, something that would prevent any possible work stoppage in 2020. While this is obviously a good thing from a fans perspective, Lawless is reporting that several player agents have already informed him that his clients have no interest in any such offer.

It's easy to see why, accepting the deal with lock the players in for a longer period of high escrow, something that by all accounts they are already very unhappy with under the current collective bargaining agreement, and something the NHL itself would be more than happy to extend for the next three years.

It's a brilliant move by the NHL, pitting players' desire to represent their country at the Olympic Games against their desire to maximize their income during their limited NHL careers. It is however the kind of move that is likely to leave fans with a less than rose-colored view of the NHL and how it treats it's players.

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