TORONTO -- A new NHL labor deal might not be as far off as it seems.

Steve Fehr, special counsel to the NHL Players' Association, believes the collective bargaining agreement can be wrapped up in a hurry once the sides make a breakthrough in negotiations.

"One thing (deputy commissioner) Bill Daly and I agree upon is that when the moment is right the deal could be done very quickly," Fehr said Monday during a panel discussion at the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference. "One day, three days or whatever."

Asked later if he agreed with that assertion, Daly replied: "I hope he's right."

Representatives from the NHL and NHLPA have met seven of the last nine days, but no future talks are planned. Fehr told the panel that three issues remain to be solved: the split of money, player contract rights and who pays for the damage caused by the lockout.

The contract issue in particular has flared up recently, with Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby sounding off on that topic to reporters Monday. The NHL has proposed changes to entry-level deals, arbitration, free agency and contract limits.

"The question I'd ask is: Why would we change that?" Crosby said. "I think we all think it's the most competitive league in the world. So why would you go and change that -- the way contracts go and the way teams can operate?"

On a more positive note, Fehr indicated that the sides were "fairly close" to an agreement on revenue sharing. It's believed the NHL is willing to bump the annual pot to $220 million from its current position of $140 million.

The NHL lockout started in mid-September and forced the cancellation of all regular-season games through Nov. 30. A deal likely would need to be struck early next week for a shortened season to begin Dec. 1.

On Monday, Fehr was joined on the labor issues panel by Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, New York Giants assistant GM Kevin Abrams and Toronto Raptors vice president Ed Stefanski.

Most of the talk centered on the NHL negotiations, which kept Burke uncharacteristically quiet because team officials can be fined up to $1 million for speaking about the CBA. At one point, he quipped: "This is painful."

Fehr also spoke of his experiences with the Major League Baseball Players' Association, where he earned the nickname "Designated Optimist" during the 2002 talks, and observed that lockouts seem to have become unavoidable in sports with a salary cap.

He also hinted that NHL owners might not be taking the union seriously during these negotiations.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Material may not be redistributed.

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