Good luck getting the nhlpa to go along with a bunch of things that reduce the negotiating power of players for nothing in return.
Well from that post alone, I didn't elaborate on everything that helps balance things out but also, I think you're missing some things if you don't think anything I said boosts player power.
For example, reducing the draft to 4 rounds might seem bad for players but as we've seen, plenty of guys that may be 5-7th round picks at 18, suddenly turn into 2-4th round picks at 19 or even 20. They they go undrafted, they now have the freedom to sign with whomever they'd like. They aren't beholden to a single organization that may or may not specific development plans for them for the majority of their prime years.
Also, with the cap going up, the league is still likely going to require a certain escrow % to start the year. By keep salaries a tad lower because the cap is a tad lower, you could lower (or eliminate) the escrow. That would put more money in pockets. More so, if there was no escrow, you could focus on salary vs bonus structure more which would be significantly easier if you only have a max of five years to work with.
I also suggested as a compromise, reducing UFA from 27 to 26 and making the ELCs a two-year contract provided the player actually plays in the NHL the first year. That would help get players to better negotiated contracts quicker.
The compliance buyout option is more about fairness to me more than anything. While I want guys to get their purse, I also feel there is a contractual requirement to actually provide the services you are being paid for. Example, Jarry making $5.75mil for anther 3 years while playing in the AHL isn't exactly what was negotiated. Jarry isn't living up to his end of the bargain so why should the team be forced to? I think in my notes/idea list, I said something like "if the player clears waivers and spends a full season in the minors, and clears waives one more time, they are eligible for the compliance buy out. So if Jarry stays in WBS next year and no one will trade for him or pick him up on waivers, we get a compliance buyout option that summer. That could easily benefit the player. Like no one wants Saad at $4mil because he's not a $4mil player but if you buy him out (or terminate) plenty of teams want him at $1mil. So it's an opportunity for the player to recalibrate their league value in order to play.
Again, plenty of fairness in my proposals if you look a tad deeper.
