Those who are still under contract will have their salaries reduced by 24 percent, a concept first proposed by the union last December. Some high-priced players will also be on the market as teams pare payrolls to get down to the cap.

Even with the salary rollback, nine teams would’ve been over the cap based on payrolls at the end of the 2003-04 season.

There will also be rules changes, some that could include the size of goaltender equipment to a shootout to eliminate tie games.

“Our focus right now, from the coaches standpoint, is we’re waiting to see what our roster is going to look like and what the playing rules are going to look like,” Hitchcock said.

The draft was supposed to be held last month in Ottawa, and the Canadian capital might get to host the event soon.

Junior hockey phenom Sidney Crosby is the consensus choice to be the No. 1 pick. Where he goes will be determined by a weighted draft lottery that will give each team some opportunity to snag him.

NBC will start its two-year television deal a year late, but the NHL still needs to find a cable partner.

“We are thrilled for the fans that hockey is returning to the ice, and we’re delighted to be the network television partner of the NHL as it moves into what I believe will be an exciting new era,” NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol said.

NBC is a partner in the joint venture that runs NBCSports.com.

The deal finally came down during sport’s biggest lull of the year — the baseball All-Star break.

The NHL probably won’t hold such an event until 2007 as next year’s All-Star game is expected to be replaced by an Olympic break, allowing for players to represent their countries in Turin, Italy.

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