From the NHL perspective I can see some benefit to having a mediator rather than direct communication.  1) It gets the players heads back in the game.  Rather than focusing on how much they hate Bettman the players can actually read the offers and decide based on the offer, not the one presenting it.  2) It short circuits any subsequent gamesmanship from Fehr about how they aren’t being ‘honest’.  If the mediator is the guy doing the talking Fehr doesn’t have that stick to employ.

From the PA perspective, point 1) above is as beneficial to them as it is to the NHL.  Beyond that I’m not certain they get a whole bunch out of this considering the mediation isn’t binding, but it can’t hurt them any more than they’ve hurt themselves so far already.

My experience with contract mediation has been fairly limited, but the times when I’ve seen them come in and be really successful have been the times they made one side or the other think a lot more positively of an old offer (or a new offer with largely old terms) than they did before.

When they’ve just shuttled back and forth and read off of notecards… not so much.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 01/05/13 at 01:51 PM ET

I’d say both sides owe Mr. Beckenbaugh a new pair of loafers and a steak dinner when this is over.

Posted by TEMO from LANSING, MICHIGAN, U.S.A. on 01/05/13 at 01:58 PM ET

Posted by TEMO from LANSING, MICHIGAN, U.S.A. on 01/05/13 at 12:58 PM ET

Is that all he gets ?

Posted by Evilpens on 01/05/13 at 02:08 PM ET

Posted by Evilpens on 01/05/13 at 01:08 PM ET

Well, seeing as how they can’t exactly give him a duffle bag full of money and he’s volunteering his free-time to get this resolved, yeah.  They owe him that at the very least.

Posted by TEMO from LANSING, MICHIGAN, U.S.A. on 01/05/13 at 02:32 PM ET

Posted by TEMO from LANSING, MICHIGAN, U.S.A. on 01/05/13 at 01:32 PM ET

Steak dinners for life ! I would say

Posted by Evilpens on 01/05/13 at 02:40 PM ET