NHL Lockout: What the Latest CBA Talks Mean to 2012-13 Season

The NHL and NHLPA have met a few times over the last few days, but there is still no new labor agreement as Saturday's deadline gets painfully closer.

Darren Dreger of TSN tweeted some information on Friday's talks, while Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun updated us on Saturday's talks:

"

Good, candid discussion in negotiations today. NHL and NHLPA will determine when the next meeting will be tomorrow.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) Sept. 8, 2012"

"

NHL's Bill Daly and NHLPA's Steve Fehr had a discussion this afternoon. They have agreed to speak tomorrow. There are no meetings planned.

— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) Sept. 8, 2012"

Chris Botta of the Sports Business Journal tweeted a quote from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly that doesn't give fans much hope that a lockout will be avoided:

"

No NHL meetings scheduled yet. Bill Daly tells the new Sunday @sbjsbd The Rap: "Needless to say, we remain a long way apart."

— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) Sept. 9, 2012"

The news that the two sides are "a long way apart" at this stage of the process is very disappointing and makes the possibility of the season starting on time even more unlikely.

Even though the league could enter a lockout by the weekend, if some significant process in negotiations is made this week, would the owners be willing to hold off on locking out the players? We will likely have the answer to this question on Thursday.

"

The NHL's board of governors summoned to a meeting Sept. 13th in NYC. That will be the day Gary Bettman confirms backing for lockout. #NHL

— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) Sept. 4, 2012"

After being so adamant about locking out the players without a new agreement, it would be surprising if the owners changed their minds at the last minute.

Right now it seems that neither side is willing to make any profound changes to its current stance, so it's fair to expect little progress to be made this week.

Although, it's likely that the two sides will meet at least one more time before Saturday in a last-ditch effort to complete a new agreement.

The latest talks over the weekend haven't created much more optimism, but the whole situation can change in one meeting.

However, if the recent talks are any indication, Sept. 15 probably will be a sad day for the sport of hockey.

Nicholas Goss is an NHL lead writer at Bleacher Report. He also was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in Boston.

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