from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

Days after the NHL declined its option to re-open the current collective bargaining agreement, the NHL Players’ Association met in Chicago on Wednesday to plan their attack heading into the Sept. 15 deadline.

No decision was made. Not that anyone expected it.

According to union head Don Fehr, the coming deadline on whether to allow the current CBA to run its course for the next three years or strike a new deal before the 2020-21 season is not an actual deadline.

“We’re in a bargaining situation with what you might call a soft deadline,” Fehr said. “Nothing happens on the 16th of September if there’s a reopening made or something like that. You have to believe that discussions will proceed on the basis that both sides want a deal and, however difficult it is, you’re going to try to make one.”

The dealmakers look different this year: Less facial hair, more baseball caps.

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