Minnesota Wild forward Zenon Konopka took part in Friday’s informal talks between the players’ union and NHL.
Not a lot of details were revealed about those discussions, but afterwards, Konopka was “cautiously optimistic” about the possibility of having a full 82-game season.
“I’m a fan of the game as well...I understand the fans 100%,” Konopka told Josh Rimer on nextsportstar.com. “We’re trying to do this for the greater good of the game. Stay with us and keep the hope out there, lets stay positive because we need the fans and their support.”
Of course, the CBA situation hasn’t been resolved yet and Konopka acknowledged as much. He also didn’t think there was a breakthrough on Friday. Still, he felt that it was “a step in the right direction.”
Konopka added that, despite the fact that the current CBA is set to expire on Sept. 15, they still have lots of time if they’re meeting most days.