After the latest round of CBA talks wrapped up Wednesday night, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told told multiple reporters that the negotiations would resume at 10 a.m. ET Thursday, per mediator Scot Beckenbaugh’s request.
As it turns out, the NHLPA never agreed to that start time, according to CSN’s Tim Panaccio and CP’s Chris Johnston. Consequently, the NHL and mediators will need to wait while the union updates the players on the status of the ongoing discussions.
The two sides have made significant progress over the past several days, but they are still apart on several key issues. Not the least of which is the potential salary cap for the 2013-14 campaign. The union wants the cap to be at $65 million, while the NHL has taken a firm stance at $60 million, based on TSN’s Darren Dreger’s report.
The belief is that the NHLPA and NHL have about a week or so to come to an agreement before the season is lost entirely.