This past week, the National Hockey League made a big deal with widespread implications. The league announced a new seven year broadcast deal with ESPN that’ll pay the league around $400 million per season from 2021-22 through 2027-28. It’s part of what’s expected to be a two-pronged broadcast scheme paying around $600 million per season, triple the current deal.
While the deal may sound exciting, the looming spectre of escrow will prevent it from having an immediate impact on the salary cap.
How the salary cap is set
Under the terms of the 2013 collective bargaining agreement, players collectively receive half of hockey related revenues (HRR).