from Sean Gordon of the Globe and Mail,

Despite all the bluster and public disappointment, the NHL has won a fundamental philosophical concession from the PA - both sides are now de facto accepting a 50-50 split as the end point of this negotiation, as my colleague Mirtle adroitly points out.

It's not going to be either quick or easy, but the discussion over how to divide a massive pot of gold has now become a discussion over how long it should take to split it.

To grossly over-simplify, the sides are now arguing about when it should happen - year one, two or three of a five-year deal - and how quickly.

This is not a huge surprise, the PA had telegraphed its intention to accept a lower overall share of revenues this summer. The sides aren't close enough to shake hands and the main sticking point is still very sticky - how would you feel if your employer signed you to a contract at market value and then came back two months later and said 'gimme'?

But to say that we're back to square one isn't strictly true.

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