Luko’s sports director Kalle Sahlstedt is worried about the collapse of the League’s athletic level. There are already too many teams in the league and more are coming.
Samuel Harvey and his partners try to keep Kärppie’s men away from Luko’s goal. EMIL ELO / AOP
- Swedish teams are getting richer and will take more and more players from Finland in the future.
- The number of teams in the league should be reduced.
Kalle Sahlstedt played 723 regular season matches in his career in the SM league with 208+274=482 power points.
Luko’s breed won a total of five championships in Finland and on top of that one more in the western neighbor Sweden.
The man joined Luko’s management in 2018.
Sahlstedt, who knows the sport inside out, is worried about the number of teams in the League, which will soon increase by one and will probably be 16 next season.
He is most worried about the impact of the large number of teams on the playing level of the League.
– 16 seems like a big number in a country this size. We only have a certain amount of our own players. Of course, all teams want to succeed. With this trend, the number of foreign players continues to grow. As it has grown in recent years, Sahlstedt tells Iltalehte.
What would be the appropriate number of teams for the League?
– I could see that there should be a smaller number than the current number of teams in the League, the puck boss spins.
It’s bubbling behind the scenes
Kalle Sahlstedt is worried about the league’s athletic level. Lukko cleared the way to the top four teams in the CHL as the only Finnish team. TIMO KUNNARI
In addition to the playing level of the league, the topic of discussion has been the finances of the clubs. Even at the moment, 3–4 teams in the League are in a rather weak financial situation.
There is turbulence behind the scenes at the moment. Puck bosses Tapparan Mikko Leinonen with the management are pushing for a reduction in the number of teams in the League and a model with an A and B league.
– Maybe it could work, but will we then find 20 big enough and vibrant clubs for the A and B leagues? I don’t know where we go financially outside of the league teams. Such a model could work or not. That’s something I can’t answer, Sahlstedt reflects.
Iltalehti also asked Luko’s CEO Jukka Kunnasen opinion on the future number of teams in the League. The municipality did not want to comment on the matter, but leave the commenting on the matter to the leaders of the League.
The league management has not actively participated in the ongoing discussion.
Sweden takes again
Tappara and Ilves are big teams in the league. The management of both would like to reduce the number of League teams. MIKA KYLMÄNIEMI / AOP
In the next few years, Sweden will export even more Finnish top chain players. The SHL clubs will get a lot of money for their player budgets with the new TV show.
With the new contract, the TV money each Swedish club will receive from 2024 is around 5.5–6 million euros per season. The SHL’s latest contract is for six years and continues until the end of the 2029–30 season.
League teams in Finland receive approximately 1.2–1.3 million euros in TV money per year. The Swedish teams thus receive about five times the amount of money from their media cup. The difference is huge.
It doesn’t have to be hard Einstein when thinking about where quality domestic players will end up in the next few years. Many players have already chosen Sweden because of the good salary level and the lower taxation that the country offers to foreigners.
Money talks.
NHL and Switzerland
Of course, the NHL takes the best players, Switzerland and Sweden grab the next level of players with their good money. Even in Germany and the Czech Republic, wages are higher than in the League.
Liiga is probably in fifth place in Europe at the moment in terms of solvency.
– If we don’t soon find a way to compete with the players’ salaries, in a couple of years we can close the lid on the League. Broadly speaking, the league doesn’t really show any development in any matter. The same things are being grinded on, but little is happening, one club leader sneers at the serious situation.
Jokers are interesting
This season, the Jokerit will put its coffers in order by playing at moderate costs in front of full halls. TOMI NATRI / AOP
Kiekko-Espoo and Tuto applied for a league license for the 2024–25 season. Jokerit did not apply, because the top brass of the organization think that the price of 3.67 million euros demanded by the league for the league share is outrageous and not based on anything.
In fact, the share price announced to the Jokers is no less than 3.8 million.
It is a complete mystery why the League asks other clubs for 3.67 million for the share, but Joker’s price is higher.
Jokerit fills the halls in Mestis in every location. The club would also bring much-needed additional money to all the league teams, because the stands would be filled when the people from East Helsinki came to the village.
However, it is not certain when the club wants or strives for the League.
– After all, Jokers have a huge brand value. The team has attracted a lot of people to the stands. The club has been the bright spot that Mestis needed this season. It has brought a lot of good, says Sahlstedt.