The Global Series, featuring teams like the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, had a unique allocation of home and away games, impacting team revenues. The NHL compensates teams for 'home' games based on typical earnings from their regular home games.
For the Ottawa Senators, an average home game generates about $1.5 million, and they received compensation for two such games in Sweden. Conversely, the Maple Leafs, who typically earn close to $4 million per home game, were assigned two 'away' games. This arrangement resulted in the Maple Leafs missing out on almost $8 million in revenue.
This decision by the NHL, seen as a way to economize, has raised concerns about its long-term effects on teams that generate more revenue, like the Maple Leafs. Saving money for the league is one thing, but potentially alienating its more lucrative teams could have more significant consequences. The reluctance of these teams to engage in future NHL events due to such financial disparities could be more damaging than the cost savings.