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NHL, NHLPA to meet Monday

Friday, August 31, 2007

The NHL and NHLPA will apparently head back to the bargaining table next week. The Canadian Press reports the two sides are set to meet Monday at an undisclosed location.

The meeting will be the first talks since the March 17 when the league made two proposals to the Players' Association.

One of the league's offers was apparently a "de-linked" system with a salary cap set at $37.5 million and a salary floor of $22.5 million. The league's other offer was a linked system where players would get 54 percent of league revenues.

The NHLPA has yet to make a formal response to the offers.

Meanwhile, NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly commented on the league's decision to file an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board over an apparent NHLPA policy that calls for any member who becomes a replacement player to pay back the lockout pay he has received.

There is also the possibility the possibility the league could file another charge over NHLPA threats to decertify any agents who represent replacement players.

"Clearly it's important and prudent for the National Hockey League to make sure that there are no illegal impediments to legitimate business alternatives it might have," Daly said in an interview with NHL Network. "Obviously, the use of replacement players or the use of cross-over players, in the event we were to unilaterally implement new terms and conditions of employment are business alternatives that are open to us."

Daly said he didn't expect the charge and the possibility of another one being filed to have much of an impact on the negotiating process, calling it part of the business.

"There have been at times during this process various grievances and charges filed by one side or the other that are part of the business and part of what has to be done in the context of the relationship that don't have a direct impact on negotiations," he said. "So, I don't anticipate that the charge and the potential charge really should impact directly on the negotiations."

Daley also said if negotiations fail to produce an agreement there is no guarantee the league will play hockey in the fall with replacement players. 

"I don't think there is any guarantee," Daly told NHL Network. "Our intention is to try to put a product on the ice next year and I hope that is with our regular players with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

"But in the absence of that we look at the possibility of other alternatives to putting a product on the ice next year, but no final decision has been made in that regard."

Daly said the teams are expected to present a variety of information including financial projections concerning potential replacement players to the league soon and that information will be discussed in more detail at the Board of Governors meeting on April 20.