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Nothing new to report on CBA talks as the NHL and NHLPA met separately with federal mediators for more than six hours at a Woodbridge N.J. location Wednesday. No new proposals were made by either side and it is unlikely any meetings will be held Thursday.
"We did several different caucus meeting rooms, and really there's nothing new to report. We don't have a conclusion to the process," said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly following the afternoon session.
"There were discussions of the various issues involved and how far apart we are and where we go from here. I can't tell you that any progress was made," added NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr.
Both the NHL and NHLPA met with U.S. federal mediators Scot L. Beckenbaugh and John Sweeney rejoining the process as a one-day exercise. By mediators' advice, there was no face-to-face discussions between the players and NHL. There was no change in either side's position from when talks broke down last Thursday.
Both mediators first met with league and union leaders last month before deciding they couldn't help negotiations along.
Non-binding mediation has been used by the NFL and NBA during recent work stoppages without success.
Three main issues remain in negotiations: the length of the CBA, rules governing term limits on contracts and the transition rules to help teams get under the salary cap.
To date, 526 regular-season games have been canelled through December 30. The January 1 Winter Classic and the February All star game have also been cancelled.