At the other end, the NHL Players' Association could potentially pull some good trump cards of its own - strike or decertification.
Under a strike scenario, the union simply won't accept the new work rules and walk out. They would gamble that fans wouldn't flock back into arenas to watch non-regulars dressed in NHL uniforms.
The other option is for NHLPA members voting to decertify the NHLPA as their representative body. That way, the new framework of the CBA would not be applicable to them. Simply put, you can't have new labour practices applying to members of a union if that union doesn't exist anymore.
This specific process will essentially fragment the union's former membership. Decertified players who think they can make better money under a new CBA could head back to work, while players who take a financial hit from the new CBA could sue the league under anti-trust laws. If 'Hockey Player X' made $9 million US under the old deal, and only $6 million US because of restrictions - whether it be a salary cap, luxury tax, or re-vamped salary arbitration - under a new deal, he could seek damages for as much as three times the difference.
The other impact of decertification is its effect on the NHL as a product. No one knows how many players would return to such a 'new' NHL, and if most rosters are filled with replacement players, would fans be willing to watch a 'lesser quality' of hockey?
With everything taken into consideration, declaring an impasse would only show us more of that massive iceberg in the already frosty relations between the NHL and NHL Players' Association.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature.asp?fid=9941