The NHL Global Series, while successful overall, has sparked controversy with its financial arrangements, particularly affecting the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The series, featuring the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs, allocated home and away games differently for each team. The NHL compensates teams for home games based on their regular home game revenue.
For the Ottawa Senators, the average revenue from a home game is about $1.5 million, and they were assigned two 'home games' in Sweden. The Maple Leafs, whose home game revenue nears $4 million, were designated two 'away games'. This decision effectively cost the Maple Leafs nearly $8 million in potential revenue.
This approach, seen as a cost-saving measure by the NHL, raises questions about its impact on teams with higher revenue potential. While saving money is beneficial for the league, it risks alienating wealthier teams like the Maple Leafs. The potential refusal of such teams to participate in future NHL events could be more detrimental than the savings gained.
