Finally back from a great weekend in Boston and I see there has been little in the way of progress in conversations between the NHL and NHLPA.

While there’s still time for a last minute miracle, it certainly looks like the National Hockey League is headed for yet another lockout. At a time when the league is surrounded by good vibes and record revenues, the powers that be have decided now is a good time to lock the doors to arenas around North America.

With no new progress to report on the CBA front, a lockout is looking more and more likely.

Gary Bettman will meet with the owners a week from now to discuss their plans moving forward and while there are no formal talks planned between the two sides, there have been rumours about informal negotiations.  According to some reports, Steve Fehr and Bill Daly met for dinner in New York last night.

The Ottawa Senators are doing their best to keep busy during the CBA negotiations, this time signing forward Zack Smith to a four extension.

Similar to the deal signed with Turris, Smith had another season remaining on his current contract.  The extension will see Smith earn an average of $1,887,500 per season.

With just 11 days to go until the NHL’s current collective bargaining agreement expires, there is little reason for optimism.

Late last week, the NHLPA and the owners decided that it was best to take a recess in the negotiations.  No meetings are currently scheduled and it’s clear that we have reached a cross roads in the talks.  It’s really a matter of who blinks first.