It's 3am again...We have got to stop meeting like this...

I have it from three separate reliable sources tonight that the NHL is officially waiting for the NHLPA to put forth the next offer. The league feels they continue to put forth offers and the NHLPA counters with concepts but nothing substantial. I am getting the sense the NHL feels it is negotiating against itself and playing into Donald Fehr's hands by putting out better and better offers the more Fehr waits and waits. The NHL wants the NHLPA to come to the party with something substantial. something besides just economic concepts.

One source told me this "This whole 'The NHL will not negotiate the contractual issues' sham has grown tiresome for the NHL to explain. The league is now saying, 'OK fine. try us. Come to the table with contractual issues we can negotiate and we will show you we will negotiate."

Until now the league feels the players have just been hoping to get all the contractual issues to remain as they were. The NHL wants some changes to those issues, but not one of them matters enough to miss hockey. The NHL does have one requirement of the the NHLPA's next offer:

"It has to see a drop in salaries to eventual 50/50 and can NOT contain a rise in salaries in year 1."

The first year, this shortened season to come, is the biggest single issue on the table for both teams. The NHL teams I talk to are the first to admit they are asking for the players to accept a bad deal in year 1. A drastic drop to 50/50 and no make whole. Everyone knows the players are getting a bad deal in year 1...but honestly when you look at the owners in year 1..even at 50/50 they are going to lose more money proportionately than the players. You have to consider all the NHL teams have staffs of 200 people working for the team, as scouts, in the minors, they are paying for building rentals for which many can't get money back. Also the teams haven't been able to sell tickets and have been refunding tickets the whole time. Fans are obviously pissed off and 2012-2013 will be a terrible year for all involved.

"This year is going to suck financially for everyone," a source said, "But it would suck a whole lot more if we don't play at all. Both sides should try and get what they can and accept that from a financial standpoint the expression 'It is what it is' proves to be the best way of describing the season."

There is some concern a drop to 50/50 would mean the salary cap would drop in year 1 and teams would have to suddenly cut guys or move guys around. I am told by sources on both sides that the this is not the case. The NHL is going to want to start this season ASAP and such a massive dive to get under a new salary cap to play in two weeks would be impossible. I am told the salary cap will stay where it is in year 1 so that teams won't have to trade guys away to get under the cap. Only the revenue split of 50/50 will apply to the escrow. So players will be paying into escrow and for the first time not getting money back essentially. That isn't a great thing of course, but it is far more reasonable than what you may have been reading about; teams who are already close to 70Million having to suddenly get to $60M.

So as the NHL waits on the NHLPA to come up with a better idea I am also getting some strong mixed messages about when this season could actually begin.

From the NHL side I am hearing more and more that the league is willing to play a 60 game schedule kicking off late in December similar to the NBA last year...

However, twice today, once this morning and once a few minutes ago I was told the players are hearing more and more that December 1 will be the start date and I was even told by a reliable source that one prominent leader of a different player's association is predicting a December 1 start...and doing so with confidence."

Personally I would be shocked, and unless there are some secret talks going on right now I am not sure how anyone could put a date that early onto this...

Stay tuned and remember sleep is for the weak.

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