Once again, today seemed to be a slow news day with respect to the NHL. Then I came across an article that may turn out to have huge significance for the future of our beloved sport.

According to the Globe & Mail, Gary Bettman will meet with the Toronto Maple Leafs just prior to the CBA negotiations and the Board of Governors meetings next week.

The article states that although there is no official agenda, the Maple Leafs will tell Bettman that they will not use replacement players next year. The article also mentions that there are a good number of teams who feel the same way. Additionally, they report that NHL sources indicated that Bettman will ask the Leafs to give up their opposition to greater revenue sharing, and he will do the same with other large revenue teams.

This very well may turn out to be just another 'rumor' article about the lockout. But I sat back and thought about the consequences and implications of the things mentioned.

For one, the fact that there might be such a large number of teams who are opposed to the use of replacement players is very significant. This would push Bettman to reach a deal with the union at all costs, as many of those teams do want this lockout to extend into next year. The Maple Leafs are one of the larger revenue clubs, and they want the NHL to resume play probably as much as any other franchise. Yet they could be informing the commissioner that they will not use scabs. So the only way they get what they want is through a fully negotiated agreement with the Players Association.

Also, Bettman is reportedly going to ask the large market clubs to ease up on their opposition to greater revenue sharing. Wasn't that one of the aspects of these negotiations that the NHLPA was asking for? Does this mean that Bettman is reaching out to his constituency to find ways to actually give a concession to the union?

Of course, I could be reading more into this than there really is. A union source told the Globe & Mail: "I don't have any optimism at all based on what I've seen”. But I couldn't help but start to see the beginning of the end of this horrible mess. Sorry, it is Friday and I felt like being optimistic.

The Wolf Pack end their season this weekend with three games in three nights. Tonight will be the first of the three, as the Pack host the Albany River Rats. Game time is 7:05 pm EST. Coach Ryan McGill isn't going to dwell on the team's terrible loss to Manchester on Wednesday. I think the guys know how badly they played.

HDH

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