Owners, players agree to extend CBA deadline 24 hours

In a development that indicates good news for all sides, the NFL owners and players have agreed to extend negotiations 24 hours beyond the previous end of the league year, which was to be 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday.

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith made a very brief statement as he left the talks. "For all of our fans who dig our game -- we appreciate your patience as we work through this. We're gonna keep working, and we want to play football."

Both sides had been in negotiations for many days under the eye of federal mediator George Cohen, and according to several reports, the owners began Thursday's negotiations by putting a very favorable offer on the table -- an offer that apparently took the players aback and set the tone for positive discussions going forward. Most likely, the 24-hour window means that there will be further extensions and discussions as opposed to an automatic stalemate.

Several elements led to a more conciliatory tone from both sides. First, there was the ruling from Judge David Doty, reversing the previous ruling by Special Master Stephen Burbank that the owners were allowed to use the $4 billion in television money due them whether a season was played or not. Doty reversed the Burbank ruling with very specific language as to the nature of the NFL's dealings with several networks, including DIRECTV. And he was able to better understand the concept of "good faith."

And he very clearly stated that the owners did not act in the best interest of the players when they basically left money on the table, or extended current agreements without the opportunity to gain additional revenue, in exchange for loopholes allowing free money to go to the owners.

In addition to the loss of that revenue, the threat of decertification by the union was (and still is) a reality. The NFLPA must de-certify before the now-extended end of the league year, or it will lose its most effective weapon, because the CBA says that the union cannot de-certify for a period of six months after a lockout. They would also lose Doty as the arbiter of the de-certification case, which would throw their strategy into a series of legal uncertainties.

If Doty were to take the case before the end of the league year, he retains it no matter how long it goes. And this is where the decertification and subsequent antitrust suit becomes so very important -- if there is an antitrust suit, whoever the judge is would most likely rule that the two sides must keep their business going through the litigation process.

Decertification, and the loss of the subsequent lawsuit from the union, became much more of a threat when Doty ruled that the owners violated their fiduciary duty to the players by exchanging digital rights fees for lockout insurance, essentially proving that they sold the players short in exchange for money to find a lockout they had been planning all along. Once caught by a jurist with actual legal sense, the owners were in a real pickle, and they knew it. Now subject to all sorts of exposure and derision, and without the money budgeted to get them through a protracted labor battle, the owners had to take a different tone.

A longer extension allows for a few things. The owners can go back, take a breath, decide where they stand at this point, and allow the players to discuss the counter-offer now received. Most likely, the two sides are still too far apart on the primary issues to wrap everything up in the next 24 hours, but the fact that the two sides didn't just go back to their corners and declare war is the most encouraging sign we've seen in this process for a very long time.

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As deadline fades, which NHL teams moved closer to the Cup?

Every team approached the NHL trade deadline, and the days leading up to it, in a different way. Some buy. Some sell. Some pull the trigger late. Some choose to do most of their business weeks before the deadline because they're Brian Burke, and nobody puts Brian Burke in the corner.

Some stand pat, for the most part. The Philadelphia Flyers adding Kris Versteeg(notes) or the Vancouver Canucks adding Max Lapierre or the San Jose Sharks adding Ian White(notes) make teams with the Cup already in reach even better; the Detroit Red Wings holding their cards doesn't make them any better or worse.

But some know that with an aggressive move or two, they can solidify their Cup chances around the deadline. Here are a few teams that may have done just that.

Boston Bruins

The most glaring need was a puck-moving defenseman. The Bruins traded for Tomas Kaberle(notes), one of the elite members of the current class. In doing so, they cleared cap space and ended up with hard-working Rich Peverley(notes). They traded for Chris Kelly(notes) to help at center.

Was all of this enough?

Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe opines:

They are by no means Cup favorites. But, yes, they are decidedly in the hunt, perhaps more so now than they have been since Chiarelli was handed the Black and Gold keychain and clipboard in the summer of 2006. And that's the feeling despite the fact that No. 1 pivot Marc Savard(notes) won't be seen again until perhaps, well, September. Not many NHL teams would be gushing about postseason prospects with their top playmaker and point-getter designated for extended R&R, maybe even retirement, but the re-tooled Bruins are playing with confidence, speed, poise, and success, all of which rightly has them feeling very good about themselves.

He points to the loss of Marc Savard and the inconsistent play of David Krejci(notes), Nathan Horton(notes) and Michael Ryder(notes) as points of concern. The power play is middle of the pack (17.6 percent) but should improve. And then there's the goaltender whose save percentage (.939) is still close to an NHL record for a single season.

If the Philadelphia Flyers are looking for their main competition in the East, they should look no further than a team foaming at the mouth to earn some playoff redemption against the Bullies.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals did two things with the waiver claim on Marco Sturm(notes) and the deadline day acquisitions of Dennis Wideman(notes) and Jason Arnott(notes): Fill essential lineup needs for relatively low costs and change the dynamics of the roster with an infusion of veteran voices.

In nautical terms, GM George McPhee attempted to add a few reliable sails to a ship that's been adrift far too many times this season.

From On Frozen Blog:

The Capitals this morning are not a favorite per se for the Cup this spring. Instead, what seems to be fair to say about their newly re-engineered lineup is that, given decent health among the prized core, they are likely a seriously tough out this postseason. In this salary cap era of conspicuous parity, that's really all you can ask for. 

Marco Sturm, Dennis Wideman, and Jason Arnott are not All Star performers. They will not infiltrate the Capitals' lineup beginning Tuesday night and litter the scoresheet with goals and assists. In fact, Sturm and Arnott are likely in the twilight of their respective careers. They're rentals. But all three bring something of an imperative to a damaged product in red: street cred. Jason's Arnott's stick, for instance, is singularly responsible for his New Jersey Devils' club lifting Lord Stanley in 2000. 

That was a while ago, yes, but Arnott knows where he is in his hockey career, knows what he can bring to a talented Capitals' club, and knows that he wants one more taste of hockey's greatest glory. And he waived his no movement clause to get here.

It doesn't make them a favorite in the East; not when their last good month was November, and not when the Flyers are better overall and the Bruins are better defensively. But these moves should put them back in the conversation for the Cup.

Los Angeles Kings

Yes, it's completely overrating the Dustin Penner(notes) trade to say that it elevated the Kings to Cup contender status, right? The price was a bit rich, right? The Kings celebrated by getting their asses handed to them by Detroit, right?

The bottom line is that Penner was exactly what the Kings need: a veteran, goal-scoring winger who could reinvigorate Anze Kopitar(notes) and who has skated the Cup. Let's not make this out to be the Messier trade for the Rangers or anything. But as Dean Lombardi said Monday on LA Kings Insider, he's the right fit for this team:

"Yeah. I think you know him here. That's the other thing that's attractive about him. Whenever you get a guy that has a Stanley Cup ring - and was a big part of that team, in his own way -- that certainly bodes well for somebody that has been through the wars and understands what it takes in the playoffs. But you know, you hit the nail on the head. That's his strength, his size. The one thing we've prided ourselves on here is becoming a team that's hard to play against. That's also why sometimes, when you go to the marketplace, I'm skeptical of certain things. This is a guy that would certainly fit that definition, of being hard to play against. You know, you're also banking on the whole Edmonton experience. You see this in the other sports at times. He comes off a big season, and there's a lot of pressure that comes with that big contract and expectations. I think, here, he can just come in and fit in."

And he's a great fit: For the lineup, for the city and for this team's burgeoning Cup chances.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Lost in all the shuffling and reshuffling around the deadline, and especially around the St. Louis Blues, was the trade of Eric Brewer(notes) to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It's a significant name player added to a room that, frankly, had earned the right to have GM Steve Yzerman bolster their chances. But more than that, according to the St. Pete Times, Brewer's a top-pairing defenseman who can match up against the top lines in the East and reset the Bolts' blue line to coach Guy Boucher's liking:

His presence has a domino effect on the rest of the blue line with Randy Jones(notes) moving back with regular partner Pavel Kubina(notes) and Brett Clark(notes) and Victor Hedman(notes) staying together. In addition, Marc-Andre Bergeron(notes), with his great shot, can focus on one of his primary roles, sparking the power play. 

"It's like the forwards. When everyone is in their chair, it relieves some pressure off some guys to do what they do best," Boucher said. "It gives us an opportunity to get some chemistry back on defense."

The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of those teams that isn't, for some reason, listed among the serious Cup contenders the way the Flyers or Canucks or Red Wings are. Yet they've added a significant veteran goalie and a former captain to their defense in the last two months. And, checking the standings, they appear ready to challenge for the Chalice.

Related: Jason Arnott, Rich Peverley, Kris Versteeg, David Krejci, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Penner, Dennis Wideman, Nathan Horton, Randy Jones, Ian White, Chris Kelly, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Michael Ryder, Eric Brewer, Tomas Kaberle, Marco Sturm, Marc Savard, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals

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Puck Headlines: Penner, Richards fallout; trade deadline review

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Pass or Fail: The Chicago Wolves St. Patrick's Day jersey. [Wolves, via Hockey Broad]

• Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews(notes), San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi(notes) and New Jersey Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg(notes) have been named the NHL "Three Stars" for the month of February. Johan Hedberg. No. 3 star for an entire month. As the Devils goalie. Incredible.

• New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello on Zach Parise(notes): "Zach Parise will be seeing the physician on [March 2] and we will have knowledge of exactly where he's at, and what he can do, and when he can skate, when he can't skate. ... The results of the examination, that will say everything." [Devils]

• Long interview on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas featuring Brad Richards(notes) of the Dallas Stars, in which he says he never agreed to waive his no-trade clause for the New York Rangers; talks about his concussion recovery; and discusses housemate James Neal(notes) being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. [Stars]

• Kings GM Dean Lombardi on whether Richards was in play: "No, I don't think he was ever a viable option, pretty much (since) early last week. I think it was probably pretty far-fetched, given where Dallas is and that we're in the same division. That was highly unlikely." [LA Kings Insider]

• Is Jason Arnott(notes) the new Sergei Fedorov(notes) for the Washington Capitals? We'll assume they aren't talking about skating ability. [Capitals Insider]

• The threat of legal action by the Goldwater Institute is really raising the price tag for the Phoenix Coyotes for the city of Glendale. [AZ Republic, via reader Solo]

• Great piece by Jeff Z. Klein on 37-year-old Donald Brashear(notes) and the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey, considered "the toughest hockey league in the world." [NY Times, via reader 'the immortal reg dunlop']

• "My question is...does throwing up everywhere and then passing out in it, at a sold out hockey game, in front of thousands of people get this guy laid?" [Barstool and viewer discretion is advised; via Dave McBrayer]

• Analyzing the Los Angeles Kings' big trade: "The Penner is Mightier than the Sturm." [Royal Half]

• Another take on the Dustin Penner(notes) trade: "For those who were clamoring for a big deal at the deadline, you got it.  For those who didn't want to see chemistry or core compromised, you got it." [Pro Sports Blogging]

• Interesting piece comparing Penner's trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs' choice to hang on to Clarke MacArthur(notes) at the deadline. [PPP]

• Nice work out of Phil Kessel(notes), as the Toronto Maple Leafs star donated $5,000 to Brendan Burke Internship, USA Hockey announced Tuesday; money one assumes had come from his "Mr. Irrelevant" windfall at the NHL All-Star Draft. [The Star]

• Why, exactly, are the Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers trade buddies? [Pass It To Bulis]

• If you missed it, the Twitter dust-up between Florida Panthers president Michael Yormark and Miami Herald writer George Richards. Randy Moller, Panthers announcer, told us on Puck Daddy Radio Tuesday that they shared a laugh about it Tuesday morning. [Pro Hockey Talk]

• The Montreal Canadiens lose Jaroslav Spacek(notes) for 4-6 weeks to surgery. Said Spacek: "The situation is that I went to see the doctor yesterday and we decided to go for a clean up of my knee.  I think it's a good thing for me because at least I can come back this season." [Canadiens]

• Quebec's new hockey arena would be called the Videotron amphitheatre. Look, if this means lightcycle races when the New Nords are on the road, we're all for it. [Y!]

• Following up on this great piece by Leahy: "The Checkers today announced ‘Facebook Fandemonium 2,' an online fundraising initiative with the goal of raising $25,000 for Zach 'Bug' Bennett and his family. For every new ‘like' the Checkers get on their Facebook fan page, the team will donate $2 to the Bennetts, up to $25,000, as they continue to gather the resources needed to move to Charlotte." [Checkers]

• Darren Eliot on the trade deadline: "It was hard to wow or surprise anyone with anything that went down. I mean, how much wonder can there be in a cap era where exchanging assets is done under much narrower parameters and players send tweets as they walk out of a GM's office, as defenseman Brent Sopel(notes) did when he was sent from Atlanta to Montreal? The world was aware of the move before Sopel had gathered his gear and left the building." [SI]

• Down Goes Brown presents deadline winners and losers. "Loser: Vancouver Canucks -- Despite a handful of minor moves, still completely failed to address the team's most obvious flaw, a distinct lack of depth on the sixth line." [DGB]

• Steven Ovadia on the NHL trade deadline's meaning this season: "So while a slow deadline day is always kind of a bummer, it really is a sign of the NHL's overall health. The league has achieved parity and while that doesn't always make for exciting games, it gives the fans plenty to root for over the course of a very long season." [Puck Update]

• Are the Carolina Hurricanes a playoff team? [Canes Country]

• NOT HOCKEY: As we pour a little out for our mates at NHL FanHouse Tuesday, a great look back at the Great Fantasy Sports Girl Mutiny. [Deadspin]

• Via Scotty Hockey, a look at what the $1.575 billion stadium complex in Las Vegas would look like. [Wired]

• A podcast featuring Bourne, Lambert and Sean Gentille of The Sporting News? Yes please. [JTBourne]

• Finally, using Blur's "Song 2" can spice up any highlight of a 9-year-old scoring. But why is the title of this "Ice-Hockey Crack"?

Related: Jaroslav Spacek, Jason Arnott, Antti Niemi, Phil Kessel, Jonathan Toews, James Neal, Clarke MacArthur, Dustin Penner, Zach Parise, Sergei Fedorov, Johan Hedberg, Brad Richards, Brent Sopel, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals

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