Gary Bettman Being Scrutinized For Decision that Screwed the Toronto Maple Leafs Out of Millions

Gary Bettman and the NHL were under scrutiny before for how they scheduled the Global Series, giving the Toronto Maple Leafs only away games, previously thought of as an upper hand for the players as this would mean less away games during the rest of the season.

However, Elliotte Friedman has revealed that Gary Bettman and the NHL did this as a way to save money and screw the Leafs out of millions of dollars.

The League, since they are taking away from typical gate revenues by making a team play a home game somewhere else, is forced to pay for the home team's gate. So Bettman decided to pay Ottawa instead of Toronto, as they earn about $1.5 million for a home game, versus the Maple Leafs, who typically earn close to $4 million per home game.

While every hockey fan wants the NHL to be financially viable and savvy, saving money this way might not be the best in terms of long-term value. To incentivize the Leafs to play in these events, they will need to get paid as well, and shortchanging them could end up in them just not participating.

This is bad for long-term growth, as there is a reason teams like the Leafs earn more than teams like the Senators. They have more fans, which means a larger draw on major events, and more exposure to the NHL.

The decisions on who gets to be the home team for events like this are now under scrutiny, and it has started a larger conversation about the relationship between the League and its Teams.

As seen on Hockey OTB - "Gary Bettman Under Fire After Being Caught Screwing Team Out of Millions"