from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

- The league and players have to agree on something called "game density," or how often a team can play. With the decreased travel of an intraconference schedule, and the fact there tend to be more games during this time of year in normal seasons anyway, things should work out alright. There were several reports of an April 5 trade deadline, which means the regular season probably ends in the last few days of that month.

- There is another reason players (and some teams) would want a delay before the season starts: a nice little free-agency period. I can see how the league would want zero part of that, just like it cringed when there was a wild spending spree right before the lockout. There's not anything UFA-ish that looks crazy, but there are some interesting scenarios.

- Does Anaheim, for example, pursue immediate extensions with free-agents-to-be Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry? Not cheap. You'll remember that in 2005, 21-year-old Rick Nash signed a five-year, $27 million US extension right out of the lockout. There are three good, young RFAs who must be dealt with quickly -- Jamie Benn, Ryan O'Reilly and P.K. Subban. All three had difficult negotiations with their teams. An offer sheet would put the NHL world on its ear, but does anyone believe the Stars, Avalanche or Canadiens would actually let one of them go?

more thoughts...