AHL and PHPA Still In Negotiation Regarding Player Salary Proration
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It's crunch time for the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA).
The two sides reportedly were in agreement over the summer regarding the upcoming 2020-21 season and ensuring players would be compensated accordingly, including an important provision stating in the event that the AHL schedules and/or subsequently plays less than 1,146 total regular season games in the 2020-21 season, the salaries payable to the players from their respective AHL and NHL standard player contracts (SPC) shall be prorated in the amount equal to the percentage that the total number of games scheduled and/or subsequently played is 1,146.
So players and agents, under the assumption that the upcoming season was going to be shortened, took deals for less knowing that teams had less to spend but also knowing the aforementioned agreement in place would still allow them to collect nearly most of their salary.
And now, according to a source with direct knowledge of the ongoing talks between the PHPA and AHL, the league is offering to pay a 48% proration.
The latest proposal from the AHL to the PHPA, according to this source, is a 48% proration with players making less than $62,500 to be paid no less than a minimum of $30,000. The proposal also includes a 40% guarantee if the league doesn't meet a certain amount of games played, though the exact number of league games played was unknown to the source Monday evening.
The league's 48% proposal a stark contrast from the over 80% proration AHL players thought they would be getting.
Another AHL source told Inside AHL Hockey Monday that the PHPA will be conducting zoom calls with the AHL's Executive Committee and player reps between today and tomorrow, where the hope is that there will be established guidelines by the end of the week.
