A system in which big market teams channel a percentage of their profits to the small market teams to achieve parity and ensure the survival of the smaller-market franchises.

The NHL wants to establish some sort of long-term way to keep small-market clubs healthy and competitive and fix the disparity with the big markets. But before that kind of system can be put in place, Bettman argues the NHL owners need cost certainty.

"Revenue sharing without cost certainty doesn't work," he said in an interview with The Hockey News. "Spreading around losses and feeding into an already inflationary system would only make the problem worse."

"We could do revenue sharing tomorrow if we wanted to. We don't need the players association for that."

Like the owners, the NHLPA is also interested in establishing a system that will foster small-market teams and improve league parity; they just have different ideas on how this is to be achieved.

According to reports, the players have proposed a system that would collect taxes on teams' regular-season and playoff gates. There would also be a payroll tax on teams going over an agreed limit on salaries.

The money collected would go into a pool and be distributed to the small-market, cash-strapped teams.