Before committing to next Olympics, NHL wants to extend labor deal

There are games before the Games.

According to Canada’s TSN and Sportsnet, the NHL told the NHL Players’ Assn. it will agree to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics if the NHLPA agrees to extend the collective bargaining agreement by three years to 2025. That’s no sure bet.

Players are unhappy with high escrow payments they’ve had to make in order to ensure hockey-related revenues are split 50-50 with owners, and it’s unlikely they’d want to keep the current escrow rules. The escrow rate is 15.5% for the first quarter of this season, though players might get back some of the withheld money if revenues warrant it.

The real question is whether the NHL can skip the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but return in 2022 in Beijing, China, which the league views as an intriguing market.

Introducing your Las Vegas….

Desert Knights?

That was the favorite name to be announced Tuesday for the NHL’s 31st team, which will begin play next season. Owner Bill Foley, a West Point graduate, has said he favored Black Knights — the nickname of West Point teams — but NHL marketers convinced him otherwise. Also in contention: Golden Knights. Alas, gambling-related names such as Aces were ruled out early in the process.

Sick bay is full

Last week was a terrible week for injuries. Tampa Bay lost center Steven Stamkos for about four months after he tore the meniscus in his right knee and underwent surgery, Calgary lost Johnny Gaudreau to a fractured finger that required surgery, Arizona’s Brad Richardson broke his leg and underwent surgery, Detroit’s Darren Helm suffered a dislocated shoulder, New Jersey’s Taylor Hall went down with a left knee injury, and New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad broke his left leg. In addition, Coyotes minor leaguer Craig Cunningham collapsed on the ice before a game in Tucson and is in serious but stable condition.

NHL adopts John Scott rule

The All-Star game, to be played Jan. 29 at Staples Center, will have the same format as last season, when a three-on-three, division-based, mini-tournament format was introduced. But the NHL made sure there won’t be a repeat of that game’s feel-good story, when John Scott went from being a seldom-used enforcer to an unlikely star among All-Stars.

Fans voted him the Pacific Division captain in a semi-joking campaign, but before the game was played he was traded to Montreal and buried in the American Hockey League. NHL executives urged him to decline, creating an awkward situation when he played in Nashville, was voted the MVP, and was carried off on his teammates’ shoulders.

Rules announced Monday stipulate that if a player is assigned or lent to a minor league team between Nov. 1 and Jan. 26 for reasons other than conditioning, that player won’t be eligible for an All-Star berth. If a top vote-getter is disqualified because of a minor league assignment or loan (or other reason) after voting closes on Jan. 2, the player with the second-most votes in that division will be named captain.

helene.elliott@latimes.com