NHL Lockout: Instant Reaction to New CBA Proposal

One day after presenting its Players' Association with a fresh CBA proposal to end the lockout, the National Hockey League has released the plan to the public to provide a clearer picture of what's currently on the table.

If accepted, the league would be able to complete a full 82-game season starting on Nov. 2, a sudden turn of events just when it looked like fans would have to endure another extended work stoppage.

The biggest sign of progress in the newest proposal is the even split of hockey-related revenue (HRR). The owners previously wanted the players to drop from 57 percent to 46 percent, a drastic change that held up negotiations.

By offering to make it a 50-50 deal, the owners are putting a lot of pressure on the players because from the outside it looks like a fair offer. Yet, it would still result in a seven-percent reduction from the previous CBA.

One potential sticking point that carried over is an attempt to limit all player contracts to five years. The trend lately has been giving players mega contracts, some reaching double-digit years in length, partly as a way to make it work under the salary cap, which remains in place in the offer.

It's a rule that would limit stability for players and would probably have a negative impact on the amount of power they have in negotiating new contracts, especially for prized free agents.

For example, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter both signed 13-year deals with the Minnesota Wild prior to the lockout. That, or anything close to it, wouldn't be possible if the players accepted the deal.

On the flip side, the new proposal doesn't include any action to rollback deals that were signed under the previous agreement. There was concern that would become a major issue, but it's apparently off the table, at least for now.

All told, while there's still probably some negotiating to do on certain issues, the offer is a gigantic step in the right direction. The fact the NHLPA didn't come right out and tear it to shreds like previous deals on the table shows there are at least some key building blocks.

Hockey fans aren't out of the woods yet, however. The proposed starting date is only a couple weeks away, which means a final deal must get reached relatively quickly in order to start by Nov. 2.

It's unclear what would happen to the latest offer if the two sides aren't able to pound out the details in time to start by the new deadline. Pierre LeBrun of ESPN reported the two sides will talk on Wednesday and meet on Thursday with hopes of avoiding that scenario.

All fans can do is cross their fingers and hope for the best. At the very least, the light at the end of the tunnel is finally visible.