If I'm the owners, I say fine we're sticking to the original guidelines but it's going to be an 82-game season that starts in May to full crowds. Regular season ends mid-October and playoffs go until the end of November. Then one month off, kick off 21-22 with the Winter Classic and run 82 games again, reg season ends June 30 and Cup awarded end of August. 22-23 then starts around mid-October and we're back on schedule.
Players then ask themselves if they prefer two short offseasons to the deferred payment and the negotiation goes from there.
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