The NHLPA will present a counter-proposal to the NHL in CBA talks Today (Thursday), and the direction of that proposal should give us a good sense of the fate of the 2012-13 NHL season. Talks between the league and the union will begin at 1 p.m. ET at the NHLPA's Toronto headquarters, and it won't be long until we learn the details of their counter. Those details will be vital. There's no doubt that the union wasn't completely pleased with the NHL's offer on Tuesday, and in general, they still believe they shouldn't have to give a single dime back to the league's owners on pure principle. But it's widely believed that if the union doesn't at least work off of that proposal, the full NHL season is in jeopardy and huge chunks of games will be canceled - potentially even "marquee events," as the league threatened Wednesday. You can read into that one. No matter which side you believe or support, any further delay in serious negotiations will put hockey in jeopardy, and if the news is all negative after talks Thursday, we could begin hearing about a "drop dead" date for cancellation of the season. For now, the full season is still a possibility, but it's a very fine line between that, the cancellation of games into the New Year and the potential loss of the entire season. The NHL has said that a new deal needs to be negotiated by Oct. 26 for a full 82-game season to begin on Nov. 2, and while eight more days of meetings could bring a resolution if both sides are serious, it seems unlikely that the deadline will be met. Still, November or December hockey could be in the cards if the NHLPA responds Thursday with a proposal that moves the process forward. If Don Fehr & Co. take a step back and fail to put forth a proposal that moves negotiations towards a solution, the optimism of the last several days will float away, and more hockey games will likely go with it.
The NHLPA is expected to give a counter proposal when the two sides meet at 1 p.m. today in Toronto. Optimism is springing up from the fact that the NHLPA is willing to counter so quickly, and while that is a good sign, how the NHLPA counters is what really is going to set the tone for whether or not there is hockey this season. Or, at least, how soon before we see them on the ice. If Donald Fehr and the NHLPA give an offer to Gary Bettman and the owners today that's within the framework of the offer the NHL gave on Tuesday, then we're going to see seven days of tough negotiations, but progress. That would be an idea situation, one that practically guarantees hockey this year. But if Fehr comes back with another revised offer from the NHLPA's original proposal, well, I have a feeling you can forget about hockey this season at all. The NHL won't take kindly to Fehr spitting on Tuesday's proposal (the first real movement from either side since September) and it will only raise the blood pressure of the negotiations - which is a great way to get nothing done. So what happens now is up to Fehr, the smartest thing Fehr could do is leave the percentages about the same (or maybe give the players a 52% split the first year and 51% the second year before going down to 50-50 for the remainder of the CBA) and in return for taking a significantly smaller percentage wipe out the max contract lengths and years of service before becoming an UFA. There are obviously other big issues on the table, but those are probably two of the biggest when it comes to the NHL's offer. That, and the definition of HRR, but apparently that hasn't changed. We're close to hockey, guys. For now. But if Fehr walks through the door with an offer that essentially rejects the NHL's offer? Get ready for a long winter, because we're not going anywhere soon.
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