NHL talks resume on CBA, no word on NHLPA making new offer

The NHL and NHLPA are set to resume talks in New York on Friday, some two weeks after the two sides last sat face to face at the negotiating table, but they will discuss secondary issues only. They have scheduled talks through Sunday.

The league cancelled final preseason games on Thursday and naturally the next cancellation will be regular season games, though no specific date has been given as to when the first regular season games, scheduled to begin Oct. 11, would be cancelled. The secondary issues to be discussed will include insurance issues, length of contracts, pension funds, arbitration and free agency. The sticking point is how to divide the $3.3 billion dollars (U.S.) of hockey related revenue (HRR) the league is generating each season. The last offer was made by the league 2 weeks ago and Donald Fehr and the NHLPA have yet to make a counter-proposal. The players were getting 57 percent of HRR in the last CBA and have shown themselves unwilling to move far from that figure. The NHLs Gary Bettman is on record as saying the league will not negotiate with itself and will require a counter-proposal for meaningful talks to resume. The NHLPA, however, has not given any indication they intend to table a new offer anytime soon. Some 70 NHL players have now found work overseas.