League, players close to lengthy CBA extension

If you hate lockouts in the National Hockey League (and who doesn't), this is great news. There are reports that the league and its players are close to an extension of the current collective bargaining agreement that would eliminate the possibility of strikes or lockouts for a few years.

"Hearing lots of progress being made on a CBA extension with NHL and NHLPA. Essentially a six year extension. A MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) could be announced as soon as the 1st week of July," said Fox Sports Midwest reporter Andy Strickland on Twitter.

"There is some pressure for owners and players to have framework in place considering the millions of dollars due in signing bonus money, mostly on July 1st. [Artemi] Panarin, [Auston] Matthews, [Mitch] Marner, [Sergei] Bobrovsky among those with heavy signing bonuses," Strickland added.

The current CBA was ratified by the NHLPA membership on January 12th, 2013, concluding a four-month lockout by NHL owners. It runs ten years, expiring on September 15th, 2022. Both the NHLPA and the NHL had the option to opt-out of the deal in the eighth year of the Agreement, but both sides declined.

The option to eliminate any further disruption beyond this season is likely a very desirable things for both the NHL and NHLPA at the moment. Owners are losing money without ticket sales, which likely means the salary cap isn't going to go up for next season and may even drop. Either will lead to smaller, shorter contracts for free agent. Overall, a six year extension would be great news for everyone involved, including fans.

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