Currently, all NHL player contracts are guaranteed, but the league would like a system more like pro football in the U.S., where you have non-guaranteed contracts. For example, if an NFL player is not working out, he and his contract can be instantly disposed of, making it much easier for NFL clubs to stay within the hard salary cap.

The lone caveat is that NFL teams are prohibited from terminating the nonguaranteed contracts of injured players unless the team and player negotiate a compensation package in which the team agrees to pay the player a portion of the salary due him that year.

Under the current system, NHL teams can't terminate, say, a five-year deal with a player after two years, as happens in the NFL. Teams can, however, buy out a contract for two-thirds of its remaining value if the player is 26 or older, or for one-third if he is under 26.

NHL owners would like to adopt the NFL's system of non-guaranteed contracts, as it would allow them to cut players without having to buy out the remainder of their contracts.

Players are against this as it gives owners the power to arbitrarily terminate contracts.

Many players, such as Toronto's Owen Nolan, were shrewd enough to have had clauses put in their contracts that stipulate they get paid regardless of a lockout.

Owners have been protesting these and filing grievances against them. Players who have these types of contracts cannot be named because, according to the NHLPA, "there is a pending grievance on this matter and it the NHLPA's policy not to discuss grievances before an arbitrator has reached a decision."

A recent review of NHL salaries by USA TODAY shows that most teams have avoided this problem by making sure most contracts expire this season prior to the potential lockout. Still, according to the review, about $700 million US in contracts and options are on the books for players next season, making a potential lockout an expensive exercise for some owners.