Crosby among big name players in today's CBA Negotiations where NHLPA will make "alternative view" proposal

CBA NEGOTIATIONS

Photo Credit: @NHLPA

The big names are in attendance for today's CBA negotiations where the NHLPA will be presenting their first proposal after dissecting the NHL's proposal for nearly a month and coming away with pretty much nothing they liked.

Don Fehr is calling today's proposal not a "counter proposal" but an "alternative view". The CBA expires on September 15th and commissioner Gary Bettman said last week the league intends to lockout the players if a new CBA is not struck, saying the league has no plans to play next season under the current CBA which legally could be extended. With the two sides still needing to work out a number of complex economic issues and differences in such a short span, a lockout is believed to be a near certainty.

The NHL's proposal last month called for lowering the players revenue share from 57% to 46%, including a number of other restrictions such as a five year max limit on player contracts.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is among 23 players attending today's meeting, according to NHLPA. Crosby's teammate Craig Adams who has been a regular participant in negotiations, is also attending today's meeting.

In addition to Crosby, big names Alexander Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos are also apart of today's meetings. The NHLPA will be speaking this afternoon about their "alternative view" offer.