Chelios has a point. Maybe not expressed as well as it might be but still a point.
NHL owners have expanded (to make a few extra bucks) into cities where hockey is not viable. Now, rather than accept the consequences of a poor business, they want to get back their money thru' cost certainity. In effect they are saying the players should bail out a bad busiess decisions.
If teams cannot be viable in certain markets maybe they should go out of busniess, The NHL was a good League when it had 6 teams and when it ahad 12 teams and even when it had 21 teams. What reason is there for fans in Toronto or Detroit to see their seasons go down the tube because they can't grow hockey in Nashville or Pittsburg. Teams like Toronto, Detroit and many other teams are financial viable. What is in fact happening is that the upper end hockey cities are being asked to save owners in non-viable markets. You might say some players will lose jobs but, again, why should the legit NHLers bail out the marginal players, many of which should be playing in the minors anyways.
One of the basic problems is that the League has expanded into non-hockey markets or located teams in cities that are simply too small. Now they want to save these franchises by putting restrictions on every one else. (including centers were such restrictions are not necessary) It would be like expanding the NFL into cities with little support and then using that as an excuse to reduce salaries.
Maybe the solution lies in teiring teams as in British soceer. The top teams, with the big fan bases to support those top teams, go into a top division. Lesser teams, with smaller fan bases, go into lower divisons. If in time one of the lower teams improves its fan base and can support a better team they can move up. Likewise a weakening franchise can move down. Right now what the NHL owners are demanding is that their be equivalency between big hockey centers and almost non-esistant hockey centers. It would be the same as asking Manchester United to have the same salary base as some place like Exeter.
I don't believe that the problems of over-expansion should be solved by reducing everyone to the same level. A much better decision is let the non-vialbe franchises fold. Then the true hockey centers can get on with the game. Right now the fans in Detroit, Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Montreal etc... are paying the price for the greedy over-expansion of the owners.