By Fitzgerald Cecilio

With the way negotiations are going between team owners and players, Los Angeles Kings forward Kevin Westgarth said "it's foreseeable for them to lock us out again".

Westgarth, the most vocal among NHL Players Union representatives during the negotiations, said players are eager to play next season but the right deal has to be put in place first.

"Generally, like the fans, we are concerned about. I think everyone has a little post-traumatic stress from last time," Westgarth said, referring to the 2004-05 lockout and missed season. A new collective bargaining agreement should be reached before Sept. 15 to avoid it from happening for a second time.

"It is something (where) they locked us out last time. It's foreseeable for them to lock us out again. So guys obviously want to play, but obviously we need to get the right deals together, as well," Westgarth added.

But for Deputy commissioner Bill Daly, a lockout is not a necessary mode of action.

"As a legal matter, we can still play, yes," Daly said. "There are certain provisions that fall out of the CBA upon expiration, including no-strike and no-lockout provisions, so as of that point in time the situation is not entirely the same.

"The status quo has changed. We'll have to deal with that if and when we get there, but I think the goal and objective of hopefully both sides is that we don't get to that point."

The players' union has requested all the financial documentation from the NHL for its analysis, a move questioned by Commissioner Gary Bettman, saying he and the owners didn't understand the relevance in the ongoing negotiations.

"We all want to do this as quickly as possible, but the reality is some of this is … information gathering and just putting the pieces together," Westgarth said in response to Bettman's comment.

"They want us to give back 24 percent of our salaries combining various aspects of the league's proposal. If your boss came to you and said that, then I don't think you'd do it without asking to see his books and see if what he's telling you is reasonable. So to me our request is not unreasonable."

 

Kings Forward Kevin Westgarth Claims NHL Lockout 'Foreseeable'