Wednesday Meetings Concluded, More Planned Thursday

Meetings between the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association concluded Wednesday with no agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The NHLPA suggested that the two sides meet again on Thursday.

League officials presented a written offer similar to the verbal one they discussed during meetings last week. The basics of the propsal included a hard salary cap at $42 million, a salary floor at $32 million, mutual arbitration and granting players unrestricted free agent status at age 30.

NHLPA senior director Ted Saskin and outside counsel John McCambridge rejected the offer.

“The League today presented a written proposal with minor variations of concepts thar were presented orally by the NHL last Thursday,” Saskin said in a statement. “We told the League last week and again today that their multi-layered salary cap proposals were not the basis for an agreement.”

The offer also included a revenue-sharing plan whereby any league profits over a set amount would be split between the NHL and the NHLPA. Changes in entry-level contracts are also a part of the proposal.