Players could lose a ton of money thanks to coronavirus!

The New York Post came out with some interesting report on Thursday that “the NHL has informed the NHLPA that 2019-20 escrow would be expected to increase by four percent under a best-case scenario but surge to an additional 21 percent under the worst-case scenario that presumably would be represented by outright cancellation of the season and the playoffs”.

That means quite a blow to players’ wallets! 

According to the Post, “this increase would be added to the 14-percent escrow deductions from paychecks throughout the season. In other words, the best-case scenario as presented by the league would mean that players would receive 82-percent of the face value of their contracts while the worst-case scenario would leave players with a net 65-percent of their deals.”

The NHLPA is working hard to find solutions to deal with the updated escrow information, and has put together these alternatives: a) taking this year’s escrow and rolling it into next year; b) returning the refund still due from the 2018-19 season once the financials are reconciled; c) add the projected escrow increase to the two paychecks still owed the players for this season; and, d) defer the escrow over a period of years when the new television-rights deals kick in after being negotiated.

It seems unfair that some of these options would have an impact on players who are not even in the league this year…

No solutions seem good enough for players who are “locked in (this time) by their 50-50 revenue partnership with the league.”

But hey, they’re not the only ones losing money, am I right?