What the NHL players say about the controversy over Carey Price
By JOHN MACDONALDPublished Nov 07, 2018 12:59:56The NHL Players Association has released the names of players and coaches who participated in a private meeting at the NHL headquarters on Wednesday night.
It was a private gathering, and the names are subject to the collective bargaining agreement.
The meeting was conducted by a group of four players, four coaches and the NHL Players’ Association, which represents about 15,000 players in North America.
The players are in a three-day, two-week lockout that has forced the NHL to postpone several games and suspend a handful of players for a second time.
The players had been scheduled to meet with NHLPA president Donald Fehr, NHLPA General Counsel Jeff Zettler and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to discuss a proposal that would let teams have four-year contracts with no cap hit, and players would be able to sign with any NHL team.
The Players Association had been considering a compromise that would allow teams to keep salary cap-free, which would allow the NHLPA to have a bargaining position.
The group wanted the cap to be set at $72 million and the players would have to sign for it.
The negotiations went on for about 20 minutes, and at the end, Fehr and Zett, who has a long history of working with players, gave the players their names.
The four players who signed the new contracts included:David Booth, DallasStars defenseman; Nicklas Grossmann, Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman; Dustin Byfuglien, Buffalo Sabres defenseman; and Tomas Nosek, New York Islanders defenseman.
The new deals were announced on Wednesday afternoon.
The deals, which were announced at the same time as the NHL lockout ended, give the NHL the ability to increase salaries for top players.
The deal includes a $10 million increase for goalie Ryan Miller, $7.25 million for forward Ryan Kesler and $7 million for center Justin Williams.
The NHL is also moving forward with the creation of an All-Star Game, which is set to be held on Feb. 14 in Toronto.
The games will be played at a neutral site in a stadium near the Staples Center.
The owners of the Maple Leafs and Bruins, who were scheduled to have their first game in the event, will not have their games in the new arena.