NHL Negotiations Today Might Prove Significant

A 10-hour meeting Wednesday between the NHL and the players’ association set the stage for a potentially pivotal meeting today in Toronto, where negotiators will resume efforts to define hockey-related revenue and frame a deal linking payrolls to revenue. However, significant obstacles remain, primarily a split among players over whether to accept a deal that incorporates linkage or await a better deal.

Several sources familiar with the talks said some elements have been agreed upon, such as reducing the age to qualify for unrestricted free agency to 30, then 29 and then 28 for the last three years of the deal.

Also, entry-level contracts would be for four years instead of three and would carry a maximum signing bonus of $400,000 and cap bonus money at $850,000 per year.

Players have proposed accepting the 24% salary rollback they put forth in December, but only if last season’s contracts are honored.

NHL officials say the 2004-05 season should be wiped off contracts. In addition, the NHL wants to limit payrolls to 54% of revenue with a $10-million range from top to bottom, but players want a larger range.

A source said that if enough progress is made today, talks will continue.

“We are heading in the right direction,” the source said. “If they add a Friday meeting, they may add a Monday meeting. But this could still all blow up.”

Commissioner Gary Bettman and union chief Bob Goodenow will join today’s session. They did not participate Wednesday. Bill Daly, the NHL’s chief legal officer, said he would not comment on the talks but said rumors of an imminent agreement were untrue.