Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch ponders whether the revenue split debated in Collective Bargaining Agreement talks between owners and players could end up splitting the owners up.

“Revenue-sharing could become the key point because of how it could affect small-market clubs, a group of eight to 10 franchises that includes the Blue Jackets,” he said.

“Because of this, it’s possible that as talks progress, they could pit owner against owner. The small-market owners could find themselves siding with players against the large-market owners, the power-brokers in the league.”

Portzline quoted a player who thinks small-market owners may side with the players on this subject.

“I think as many as eight NHL owners would accept the NHLPAs initial proposal,” said an NHL player agent who spoke to The Dispatch on the condition of anonymity. “And there’s probably four to six others who would find the proposal acceptable enough that they could tweak a couple of things and live with it.”

Due to the threat of a million-dollar fine, we aren’t likely to hear any owners actually say that publicly. However, if things get heated and the season is on the line, it’s possible this issue could fracture the unity owners will require to get all that they want. Stay tuned.

- Tom Carpe


Subscribe to NHL Trade Report updates on Facebook, on Twitter, by Email, or RSS.