A new NHL labour deal might not be as far off as it seems.
Steve Fehr, special counsel to the NHL Players' Association, believes the collective bargaining agreement can be wrapped up in a hurry once the sides make a breakthrough in negotiations.
"One thing [deputy commissioner] Bill Daly and I agree upon is that when the moment is right, the deal could be done very quickly," Fehr said Monday during a panel discussion at the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference. "One days, three days or whatever."
Asked later if he agreed with that assertion, Daly replied: "I hope he's right."
Representatives from the NHL and NHLPA have met seven of the last nine days, but no future talks are planned. Fehr told the panel that three issues remain to be solved: the split of money, player contract rights and who pays for the damage caused by the lockout.
The contract issue in particular has flared up recently, with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby sounding off on that topic to reporters on Monday. The NHL has proposed changes to entry-level deals, arbitration, free agency and contract limits.
"The question I'd ask is why would we change that?" said Crosby. "I think we all think it's the most competitive league in the world so why would you go and change that - the way contracts go and the way teams can operate?"
Fehr and Daly discussed the player rights issue during a meeting on Sunday afternoon, and the union leader doesn't believe it will ultimately keep them from striking a deal.
"We're not making any real progress in those areas," said Fehr. "It's kind of hard to believe anyone's going to drive the industry bus off a cliff over things like that, but I've seen things before that surprise me."
