Kings, Ducks Urged to Oppose a Cap on NHL Rookie Salaries

Declaring that accepting a rookie salary cap would be a dangerous precedent, Bob Goodenow, executive director of the NHL Players Assn., on Monday urged players on the Kings and Mighty Ducks to present a united front in the union’s bargaining with the league.

When talks resume today in New York, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to respond to a proposal submitted Friday by the players. That plan calls for clubs that exceed a preset revenue level to pay a 5% levy that would help sustain teams in smaller cities with less revenue. The sides have 11 days to reach an agreement before the 1994-95 season opens.

Canadien goaltender Patrick Roy told the Le Journal de Montreal he favors a rookie salary cap. “The way I see it, that might save the small-market teams,” he said.

Other players have said they would concede that point if it meant they win other points, such as looser free-agency rules and the abolishment of arbitration.

Goodenow cautioned players that agreeing to controls on first-year salaries would ultimately depress all players’ salaries. He also said Roy’s belief is not prevalent within the union.

Goodenow also said the union would consider playing a second successive season without a collective bargaining agreement if negotiations carried past Oct. 1.