NHL Season Hangs on Proposal

Any chance of playing the NHL season probably will come down to how the NHL Players’ Assn. reacts to a proposal the league is expected to present this week, possibly at a meeting today in New York.

The proposal contains many of the same economic principles discussed in meetings last week that resulted in little progress. Neither side was willing to comment Tuesday, continuing an information lock-down that followed two days of meetings last week.

Those discussions ended with Ted Saskin, the union’s senior director, saying the two sides still had “significant philosophical differences.”

The new proposal is said to allot 55% of league revenues to player salaries, with owners believed to be willing to go as high as 58%. The union has termed linking revenues and salaries to be a salary cap, which it adamantly opposes.

But a source familiar with the talks said that wiggle room exists in the NHL’s proposal to set a minimum payroll, believed to be at $32 million, which would force low-budget teams to spend more.

That, plus a promise to increase the maximum cap -- said to be between $42 million and $45 million -- each season may give the union room to maneuver.

The union and league have communicated via e-mail in recent days and each has held internal discussions. The source said each is looking for ways to save face.

While NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has not set a drop-dead date to reach agreement, the belief is that training camps must open by mid-February in order to play enough games to have a significant season.

Bill Daly, the NHL’s chief legal officer, said this week that time is growing short to salvage the season.

As with last week’s meetings, Bettman and Bob Goodenow, NHLPA executive director, are not expected to participate today. Trevor Linden, the NHLPA president, Lou Lamoriello, New Jersey Devil general manager, and Harley Hotchkiss, the NHL board of governors chairman -- all part of last week’s discussions -- will not be present today.

Today’s session will at least include Daly, Saskin, Bob Batterman, the league’s outside counsel, and John McCambridge, the union’s outside counsel.

The lockout has wiped out 756 regular-season games, plus the All-Star game.