The Players' Association and the big wigs of the NHL met today in Toronto in order begin negotiations in an attempt to recoup some $250 million dollars lost (which makes the NHL lockout 25 times more costly than the damage of the 1904 Great Toronto Fire). Unlike a city fire, which can quickly be doused, earlier negotiations have been a little more stubborn, with each side upholding the most stringent tenacity and obstinacy typically reserved for reality show prima donnas and drama queens and Daniel Alfredsson. Today's negotiations went far better than previous outings with the owners offering the players something that hasn't been seen in this lockout so far...reason.
Here is the offer the owners have extended to the players:
Long-term contracts will be capped at five years. No more signing players until they qualify for Medicare.
Revenue sharing would be at or near 200 million dollars, so small market teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets, the St. Louis Blue, and the Oakland Athletics wouldn't have to suffer nearly as much.
Free agency would begin when a player turns 28 years old and has put in eight years of NHL service. It doesn't say anything about the quality of NHL service, so players of the Minnesota Wild have nothing to fear.
For those players sent down to the AHL, their salary would go against the NHL parent team's cap. This should really only affect Capitals' backup goalies.
This is a huge step in the right direction and if the oracles of Twitter are correct (and if you can't trust the Internet, who can you trust?), this could lead to a full hockey season starting near the start of November. Stay tuned for the Players' Association response, which will be one of three things: a "yes", a "yes, with a but", or a "I respectfully decline your offer and cordially invite you to propagate our species on an autonomously individual basis."
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