With the clock ticking toward a news conference scheduled by the NHL on Wednesday in New York, the lead negotiators for the league and the players’ association spent much of Monday discussing compromises that might salvage the season.
Early Monday, hours after the deadline Commissioner Gary Bettman had set for the two sides to begin writing an agreement, the league contacted the union and agreed that Bill Daly, the league’s chief legal officer, and Ted Saskin, the union’s senior director, would meet.
Sources said a group of top-tier players, moderate-minded owners, prominent agents and general managers had spurred both sides to continue working toward a resolution and stop the NHL from becoming the first major pro sports league in North America to cancel its season because of a labor dispute.
Those sources also said the league made a significant move by proposing to remove the linkage between salaries and revenues, easing the way for players to reverse course and accept a salary cap.
The meeting broke up late Monday; the NHL soon after released a statement saying no progress was made. That might have been a smokescreen.
“It is really moving forward on both fronts right now,” a source said before Daly and Saskin ended their talks. “A level of seriousness has arrived.”
The league’s announcement of Bettman’s Wednesday news conference stoked speculation he’s preparing to cancel the season. But Monday’s developments allowed room for speculation that Bettman might announce the formulation of a new labor deal or stop the clock and let talks continue.