Day 110 of the NHL Lockout came and went and tons of news followed. First off, the NHLPA and the league met with mediators and despite no major announcements on Friday, the two sides will meet again this Friday.
The meetings did stir up a ton of rumors however, including news on the new deal and the 48 game season. According to Eklund of Hockey Buzz, the NHL wants a six year player contract with seven years for teams trying to resign their own players. The players want eight years for all contracts. The NHL is looking for a 10 year CBA with an opt-out after eight years but the union wants 10 years with an opt out at seven. Additionally, it looks like the NHL is offering two player compliance buyouts instead of just one. This enables owners to get rid of two bad contracts and open up cap space.
Rumors are also circulating around the schedule for the 48 game season. According to Greg Wyshynski, of Puck Daddy Hockey Blog the 48 game schedule would require teams to play their division rivals seven times and would also feature two games against the remainder of the conference opponents. There would be no inter-conference play until the Stanley Cup Finals.
The biggest news of the day however relates the union's disclaimer of interest. Despite letting midnight strike and choosing not to dissolve the union, it seems that the NHLPA is letting its constituents vote on the issue once again. According to TSN, players started to vote at 6 PM EST and will have the next 48 hours to submit their opinion on whether the union should have another chance to disclaim interest.
The new CBA must be agreed upon by Jan. 11 as the NHL hopes that the training camps open on Jan. 12. The first games of the season would be played on Jan. 19.