The NHL and NHLPA will meet on Monday, but the two sides won’t be working on ending the lockout.
According to David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail, the meeting was previously scheduled to approve the hockey-related revenue numbers from the past season. The Players Association said that they’d like to reopen negotiations with the league over the new CBA, but the NHL refused to commit to anything:
“I guess we’ll have to see on Monday,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Saturday in an e-mail message about the chance of negotiations starting up again after talks broke off 10 days ago.
Neither NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, nor NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, will be in attendance on Monday, which makes it unlikely that any substantive talks will take place regarding a new collective bargaining agreement.
The NHL and NHLPA have not had any formal negotiations since breaking off talks on Sept. 12 and there are no new talks currently planned. With an apparent division starting to build within the ranks of the owners — if you are to believe some of the reports — along with reported plans to end the Winter Classic and the actual season early if need be, there’s some increasing consternation building on just how quickly a new deal can be reached.
It’s a rough time for hockey fans right now.
DBD’s Brandon Worley contributed to this SB Nation report.