The Canucks have “a plan for their office staff and that involves working less, and making less as well” if the NHL locks out its players on Saturday at 11:59pm ET, according to Elliott Pap of the VANCOUVER SUN. Employees would be “reduced to a four-day week and take a corresponding 20 per cent pay cut.” Canucks COO Victor de Bonis said that the team “will continue to be ‘very active’ with their charitable endeavours throughout any work stoppage” (VANCOUVER SUN, 9/13).
IN UNDER THE WIRE: In DC, Katie Carrera notes the Capitals signed LW Troy Brouwer to a “three-year, $11 million contract extension on Wednesday that keeps him in the Capitals’ plans through the 2015-16 season.” The possibility of a lockout and the uncertainty about “what limitations will be placed on contracts in a new agreement prompted a flurry of signings around the league in recent days.” Brouwer admitted that the CBA deadline “played a role in coming to terms on an extension” (WASHINGTON POST, 9/13).
NEW RULES & RESTRICTIONS: In Ft. Lauderdale, Harvey Fialkov notes the Panthers players during a lockout “will not be allowed to use the team's facilities in Coral Springs or at the newly named BB&T Center.” They will be “permitted to rent ice time at the Iceplex as they have been doing because it's a public ice rink.” But they will have to “use the cramped, antiquated locker rooms across from their state-of-the-art training area.” In addition, they “won't be allowed to have any discussions with coaches, management or public relations employees” (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 9/13).
LET THE BATTLES BEGIN: In Winnipeg, Gary Lawless writes the NHL owners are “asking for as much as they are for the best reason of all -- they believe they can get it and they likely will.” That may “prove to be unpopular with players but it's true until proven otherwise.” Maybe NHLPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr “really is that good at his job.” But if NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman “gets his way, the Jets and the people who own and run the franchise will find themselves on even better footing than they are today.” The Jets “made money last season under the current CBA model and any improvements to the next agreement from an ownership perspective” will provide Jets Owners Mark Chipman and David Thomson a “little more breathing room and give the franchise more of an opportunity to succeed on and off the ice” (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 9/13).
