Fehr did not want CBA negotiations to take away from the playoffs and upset the fans because he cares about them more than Bettman Inc. does. He did not want the fans to have to hear about these things when they were trying to enjoy the best hockey of the year. The league could have hammered out a deal with the players in August during hockeys down time and none of this would have happened.
...It takes to to tango...
The league was under no obligation to play this season under the terms of the previous CBA. Saying that the lockout is purely the league's fault, and that the players are the only ones that want to play is a poor way to characterize the actual situation. It could also be said that the lockout is players' fault because they didn't accept to the league's first offer in the summer. But that one is equally as poor.
I cringe whenever I hear Fehr, or PA supporters, say that the decision to lock the players out was completely unnecessary. It could also be said that it was completely unnecessary for the players to reject the league's first offer in the summer.
The league had no obligation to play under the previous CBA, and the players new that, AND the players were advised that the league was not willing to play under the old CBA for another year.