NHL players defer decision on last paycheque until May 15

Donald Fehr, Executive Director of the NHLPA speaks to the media. (Chris Young/CP)

NHL players have decided to defer a final decision on their last paycheque of the season until May 15, Sportsnet can confirm.

The players now have until the middle of next month to decide whether to forgo any of their final payment to help with escrow.

According to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie, that decision has been delayed because the players need more time to see if the NHL season will be able to resume at some point.

When the NHL campaign was put on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players had three paycheques remaining for the season scheduled to be received on March 15, March 30 and April 15. While those paycheques were not guaranteed at the time of the season’s pause, players were told not long after the decision to halt the season was made that they would be getting all three remaining paycheques.

While the first two – for March 15 and March 30 – were full paycheques, the final paycheque is only for four days as April only had four days of scheduled regular-season play.

On Friday, facing a similar decision, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association announced an agreement to withhold 25 per cent of player pay starting with their May 15 cheques.

 
Why NHLers may willingly give up their last paycheque
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— With files from The Associated Press

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