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Pegula says he doesn't have much to say about the potential lockout -- only that talks between the NHL and its players continue. The current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Saturday night.
And if Pegula is aware of any progress, he wasn't saying during a Monday news conference about Harbor Center.
"Obviously, we'll all want to see some hockey played, so let's hope it doesn't happen, and be positive on it," Pegula said.
And while Pegular remains hopeful, one of the newest Sabres doesn't share those feelings.
With a potential lockout looming, it's becoming increasingly more difficult for Buffalo forward Steve Ott to remain hopeful.
Raring to go with his new team - the Sabres - after an offseason trade from Dallas, Ott spoke with cautious optimism on Monday before a golf outing benefiting the Buffalo Sabres Foundation. He wants to play. He can't wait to play. But he knows that might not happen.
For a while.
"It's tough," said Ott, who was obtained from the Stars in July for forward Derek Roy. "The players are looking for a fair deal. We want to play, and we want to get going. I think every single guy is ready to go. It would be a complete shame if the doors are locked by ownership."
After the entire 2004-05 season was lost due to labor struggles, the NHL is heading toward another work stoppage. The collective bargaining agreement expires Sept. 15. And for players who are looking to make fresh starts on new teams - like Ott - any delay makes it that much harder to get acclimated.
WHERE THE TALKS STAND
When talks broke off last week, the NHLPA responded to an offer from the NHL with changes to an earlier proposal. The union's most recent offer came three days after the NHL made its first counterproposal last Tuesday. After asking the players to cut their share of hockey revenue from 57 to 43 percent, the NHL upped its proposal to have the players get a 46 percent share over a six-year deal.
The union revised its initial offer by proposing to restructure the fourth and final year of its initial offer. The NHLPA was willing to give back between $465 million and $800 million in revenue over the first three years of the deal as long as the system switched back to the existing agreement in the fourth year.
Donald Fehr countered by proposing "several concepts" in which the players would get less than 57 percent of revenues in the fourth and final year. The NHLPA, however, is still asking NHL owners to establish a revenue sharing program to help struggling teams.
Bettman called revenue sharing "a distraction" and questioned whether the union made an actual counterproposal or a mere response to the league's presentation.
The union has questioned the NHL as to why it is attempting to have players bear much of the burden of cost savings, especially after the league reported record revenues topping $3.3 billion last season.
Aside from asking the players to take an across-the-board cut in their share of revenues, the NHL is also seeking to place severe limits on free agency while also abolishing players' rights to salary arbitration.
The NHL has had three labor disputes since April 1, 1992, when players held a 10-day strike that forced 30 games to be rescheduled. The most recent two were lockouts.
The regular season is scheduled to begin on Oct. 11.