The NHL and NHLPA spent today not meeting about a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and now another deadline is on the horizon.
Chris Botta from Sports Business Journal reports that if a deal isn’t worked out in the next seven days, games through December 15 will be canceled. Botta adds that a “drop dead date” may come after that as the threat of wiping out the entire season might be the only thing to help the players and owners get things figured out.
Things ended on a poor note after Sunday’s talks concluded with a battle over contract rights becoming the latest roadblock to labor peace. Both NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr expressed frustrations in that meeting.
Meanwhile, NHLPA Special Counsel Steve Fehr says “when the moment is right, a deal will be done quickly.” That time doesn’t appear to be the present.