NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr confirmed on Wednesday that the league made a counter-proposal in the league's ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.
Speaking to reporters in New York, Fehr said it was too early to characterize whether or not the proposal means talks are progressing, he commented that both proposals tabled on Wednesday were consistent with each side's previous principles in talks.
Fehr classified the counter-proposal as "responsive" but held firm that he and the players saw no reason for an absolute reduction in salaries based on revenue growth. He did, however, state that the players could be prepared for a lesser share of hockey-related revenues should they continue to grow.
As to whether the proposals would lead to an agreement before any games are lost, Fehr would only say that, "we can only make a deal when people are ready to make a deal".
"The lockout is a choice, it doesn't have to be made," said Fehr. "It's up to them to make that judgement."
Meanwhile, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the league saw little change from Players' Association's previous proposals.
"There wasn't much movement at all [from the new proposal], if any," he told reporters shortly after Fehr spoke.
Bettman told reporters that the league told the PA on Wednesday that some elements of the latest counter-proposal will be off the table once the current CBA expires on Saturday night.
He classified the move as a measure to prevent "extensive damage" with another lockout.
Bettman said the league's latest proposal was "different" and "simplified" and verified that he consulted some of the league's owners before submitting it to the NHLPA, including Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs.
The new proposal is believed to have budged between $250 and $300 million in addition to past "concessions" according to Bettman.
TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun estimates that the players' escrow contributions under the new deal would come in at 9.7 percent. The league's new proposal also does not change the definition of hockey-related revenue as outlined in the previous CBA.
The NHL's counter-proposal today was six years in length and offered to start players' share of hockey-related revenue at 49 percent and end it at 47 percent by the end of the term.
The league and the NHLPA have until Saturday to reach a new deal before the previous CBA expires, at which point the league has stated it will lock the players out until a new agreement is reached.
Also on Wednesday, the union says it has filed an application with Quebec's labour relations board, along with at least 16 players of the Montreal Canadiens, asking it to declare a lockout illegal in the province.
A hearing on the application is scheduled for Friday morning in Montreal.
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