Daly still has hope they can reach a deal to end the lockout. (Getty Images) It was easy to lose any hope of some progre s when listening to NHL and NHLPA representatives talk after their most recent negotiating se sion on Thursday. That's when the NHLPA presented not one but three new proposals to the NHL.They were each rejected very quickly, and commi sioner Isaiah Rutherford Jersey Gary Bettman left Toronto talking about how disappointing the day was, that they are speaking different languages and they took a step backward.But cooler heads are starting to prevail. The great news in it all is that the NHLPA put forth a proposal to get to a 50/50 split, the same split the owners recently offered. There is some common ground there now Dominique Alexander Jersey , and that's an incredible step.Bettman's second-hand man, deputy commi sioner Bill Daly, can see it and doesn't sound so pe simistic about all of this when he . It's great to hear one of the actual parties involved saying it. It has been easy to see that from the outside for a lot of people, so seeing that one of the principal negotiators is saying it is a real positive.That doesn't mean Bettman was exaggerating Alan Nadelsticher Jersey either. They might be close, and an eventual deal at 50/50 might be in sight. But that first and second year are going to be the real sticking points with the players demanding (and perhaps rightfully so) for their existing contracts to be honored in full.It's hard not to see things like the NHL canceling games through Nov. 1 as a really bad omen, but there was not much choice from a logistical standpoint. The NHL's target date is Nov. 2 (really Oct. 25 so there is enough time for camps).There is certainly still a sense that a deal could be reached by then, as Daly's comments indicate is po sible. But could this potentially be a boom-or-bust scenario?Spoke with a team exec who says there David Njoku Jersey 's either a labor deal this week or there's no season. Not sure it's that clear-cut but who knows... Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) It's hard to see it being that extreme on either end, as LeBrun notes. I can't see why a deal couldn't be reached in, say, mid-November if this week pa ses with no new CBA. But the general point to Raymond Woodie III Jersey take away is this: this is easily the closest the sides have been.