Separated by philosophical and financial gulfs far greater than the three-block distance between their respective Sixth Avenue offices, the NHL and the NHL Players Association remain in their corners eight days before the Board of Governors meeting at which Gary Bettman is expected to ask for authorization to lock out the players and shut down the league upon the midnight, Sept. 15 expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.
Though league and union sources have indicated lines of communication remain open, there are no negotiating sessions scheduled between the parties this week.
The NHL has rejected the NHLPA’s request to convene to discuss “non-core” economic issues in the wake of the breakdown of talks last Friday.
“We actually don’t think that meeting on the other issues while the main economic issues remain uncertain would be particularly constructive or productive in terms of resolving those issues,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an email to The Post. “A lot has already been done and most of those issues are teed up for resolution if the main issues can be addressed.”
The Post has learned the NHL proposals feature a “management rights” clause under which the league would assume unilateral power over issues including realignment, scheduling and playoff format.
The union refused to give its assent last year to the league’s proposed realignment plan for 2012-13 that would have created a four-conference (division) format, with attendant changes in scheduling and playoff structure.
The NHL has proposed the union accept massive cuts in payrolls effective immediately, while the players have proposed reduced payroll growth accompanied by significant revenue-sharing targeting to the league’s neediest franchises.
Taking into account the league’s proposed changes in calculating and defining shared revenues, the players’ cut would be reduced from last year’s 57 percent to 46 percent this year. Estimated escrow of 15-to-20 percent would create a de facto rollback on all existing contractsThe parties are expected to meet before the Board meeting in New York next Thursday.
A Sept. 16 lockout would all but certainly be accompanied by a postponement of the scheduled Sept. 21 opening of training camps.