NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman left the door open and the NHL Players Association walked through it last night, proposing a six-year, $45 million deal that the league is expected to approve today to save the season.
Both sides will meet this morning in New York, the union said.
On Thursday, a league management source told The Philadelphia Inquirer that if the union offered a $45 million salary cap, the season would be saved.
"The intent here is to un-cancel the season," Pat Morris, a players agent, said last night. "They want to get all the bad feelings out of the way and immediately repair the damage to the game."
Lou Lamoriello, the New Jersey Devils' general manager, told the Associated Press last night, "I've said all along that the most important thing is coming to an agreement. Even after the season was canceled, it was just so important to get together as soon as possible, and I commend both of them for agreeing to do it."
On Thursday night, the league requested a meeting and, according to management, player and agent sources, a representative group from the union met last night in Manhattan with an offer that included various levels of salary caps and luxury taxes.
The teams would play a 28-game schedule, which is expected to start the first week of March.
