The NHL and NHLPA have reached an agreement on a number of
"significant issues that had hung over the season" including
Transition Rule 2 which covers arbitration and free agency,
according to Larry Brooks of the N.Y. POST. The league and
players had differed on their "respective interpretations of the
accord." The players had claimed that one-year arbitration
"meant just that" -- arbitration for this season, then free
agency for those eligible. The league's position was that
players who had filed would have their salary arbitrated for this
year only, but would be bound to their teams for two seasons --
as in the past -- thus forfeiting free agency in '95. The
compromise: Players who would have been eligible for the now-
eliminated Group I free agency and who had filed for arbitration
will get arbitration for this season and become Group II free
agents. That would allow teams to match any offers to the player
or get draft compensation. Remaining players in the Group II
category are eligible for arbitration and free agency based on
years of service (N.Y. POST, 4/26).
