Spacelobster must have better sources than me. The signals I'm reading do not suggest a deal is done or close to done. Not to say a deal can't be done at some point, but logic suggests they're going to need a lot longer to actually reach an agreement. I mean a lot longer. You would have to be naive to think that Gary and Bob in one nine hour meeting, less than that if you count the dinner break, would agree on a new CBA. No one knows for sure exactly where it's at and we'll find out soon enough. The encouraging signs are players publicly saying a cap might be okay, that linkage is now evil incarnate. That might, and I say might, form the basis of some negotiation but let's assume the NHL decides they can live without linkage, which has been the motherhood issue in all of this, how long do you think it would take for the two sides just to crunch the numbers on an agreeable cap, to say nothing of salary arb, QOs, ELS, profit sharing etc etc etc...and remember, that's only if the NHL decided to drop linkage as the basis for an agreement, which many would suggest is a real longshot. The pressure of losing the season is obviously pushing the two sides together, and it may be that we're just beginning the real negotiating process, but if you can determine out of all that whether that means there's going to be a deal or it blows up sky high, well, you're a better man than me.