National Hockey League cancels games through Dec. 30
With the NHL schedule technically set to resume on Saturday night and the two sides not yet back at the table, the next round of cancelations was inevitable.
The axe dropped again on Monday afternoon, with the NHL canceling remaining games on the schedule through Dec. 30.
A total of 526 regular season games have been canceled, a whopping 42.8 percent of the schedule.
Still, it would appear then, that Dec. 31 may in fact be the season's opening night, with 13 games on the docket. As we explained last Friday, the NHL and NHLPA are tantalizingly close to a deal.
The two sides are expected to begin meeting again on Wednesday after a "cooling off" period.
To recap, here's what remains to be negotiated:
The term of the actual Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NHL wants a 10-year deal. The NHLPA wants an 8-year deal with an opt-out clause after 6 years.
Contract term limits. The NHL wants to limit new player contracts to 5 years. The NHLPA is willing to limit deals at 8 years.
Transition rules. These are the last things hashed out when transitioning from an old CBA to a new one. They include buyouts, salary cap rules and even possible amnesty clauses.
Interesting note about that schedule: the Flyers are likely to lose their longest and most daunting road trip of the season - an 8-game swing that included stops in New Jersey, Ottawa, Nashville, Phoenix, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver. Since the new deal is likely to include a completely redone, interconference-only schedule, the Flyers' annual Disney on Ice trip would be slashed in distance. They would still open around the holidays on the road, just in much more convenient locations.
Pick up Tuesday's Daily News for more insight into the lockout.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers