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Now that the Lightning's Tim Taylor is done working on union business, he can get back to taking care of his own business.
The Lightning's player representative is an unrestricted free agent, and Thursday, the day the union ratified the new collective-bargaining agreement, Taylor turned his attention to where he might play this season.
He hopes it's Tampa Bay.
"My intent is to come back to Tampa and I'm going to give the Lightning every opportunity to sign me," he said. "It's what I want."
Taylor said at least two teams other than the Lightning are interested in his services. He said his agent, Jay Grossman, who also represents goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, wants to talk to the Lightning sooner rather than later.
The 36-year-old center made $850,000 last season and likely is looking for a similar deal.
"We want to move on this quickly," Taylor said. "Hopefully, something can get done in the next four to five days. If not, then maybe we'll see what's out there. But it's my hope things can work out with Tampa Bay."
WHAT ABOUT BOB?: The new CBA could signal the end of Bob Goodenow's reign as the union's executive director.
He has been under siege by comments from disgruntled players unhappy about losing a full season and, eventually, giving in to what appears to be an owners-friendly deal that includes a salary cap and a 24 percent rollback of salaries.
But Goodenow does have his supporters.
"I think it's unfair for guys to start to point the finger," Islanders center Michael Peca, an influential union member, told the Canadian Press. "It is what it is. ... Any deal that we would have gotten was going to be significantly worse than the one we came off from."
Asked Thursday whether he expected to continue running the union, Goodenow said he has a contract and expects to keep his job. Goodenow has three years left on a contract that will pay him $2.5-million a year.
He said it will be up to the union's executive committee to determine if he will take a 24 percent pay cut like the players.
There is some speculation the union will buy out Goodenow's contract, but that process could take months if it happens at all.
Meantime, Gary Bettman gave a one-word answer when asked if he expected to stay on as commissioner: "Sure." FRANCHISE VALUES: With a new CBA in place, business analysts are predicting the value of NHL franchises, particularly in big markets, will increase. The reason is simple: The league now has cost certainty.
A hard salary cap of $39-million and the fact that players cannot receive more than 54 percent of the league's revenues means it will be easier to gauge profits and expenses. Sports bankers are predicting teams will be more profitable and, thus, more attractive to potential buyers.
"The attractive franchises are going to see maximum appreciation," Sal Galatioto, founder of New York's Galatioto Sports Partners, told Bloomberg News. "It's a home run for owners."
The New York Rangers, who haven't made the playoffs since 1997, are worth a league-high $282-million, according to Forbes magazine. They're followed by the Maple Leafs ($280-million), Philadelphia Flyers ($264-million), Dallas Stars ($259-million) and Detroit Red Wings ($248-million). Forbes lists the Lightning at No. 13, worth about $150-million.
I HATE PINGPONG: Leave it to Jeremy Roenick to say something outrageous about, of all things, the draft lottery. The outspoken Flyers star thinks the league should scrap the lottery and put Sidney Crosby, the highly regarded prospect who is expected to go first, in a Rangers uniform.
"I say throw the balls away," Roenick said during an appearance on the TV show Off the Record on Canadian network TSN. "The Rangers haven't made the playoffs in seven years. ... You have the most acclaimed kid coming into hockey since Mario Lemieux. Don't make a big mistake with this kid."