Not to rain on any parades, but there is so much that needs to be negotiated besides the salarycap issue.
A CBA is a major piece of legal documentation that breaks down EVERY single issue that can come up, and sme of the stuff is excruciatingly detailed and boring. (I know, I read the last CBA and have a copy of it in my desk somewhere)
Lawyers will be combing over single line to make sure verbage is done correctly. Every little financial point has to be argued over, from per diem to how much and how long a team will have to pay a players mortgage if they trade him.
And let's not even get into the free agncy rules that the NHLPA will want relaxed now since they conceded. owners probably are not going to go lower on the UFA and RFA rules. What about arbitration rights, rookie salary caps, trainign camp agreements, travel negotiations, etc etc etc.
If there is an agreement to a salary cap, that is only one of the big issues, and if that it out of thw way, and the NHLPA agrees to whatever the owners want in the CBA, than we might have a meaningful season, but if there is any debate over the little issues (which are now the big issues), a CBA will take some time to work on.
And what about recalling all the players from all across the globe, setting up ice times, making a schedule, booking the dates in the arenas, rehiring all the laid-off staff, and getting the training camps up and rolling.
Will it be soon enough to have a meaningful season that isnt a complete charade?