NHL Lockout 2012: Report indicates that Gary Bettman suggests two-week break in talks

You know that saying "when it rains it pours." That kind of applies to the NHL CBA talks right now.

Just two days after I told you all to stop following the blow-by-blow details of the CBA, the league gives me back-to-back reasons to post something.

Why don't I just let ESPN explain this one. From Katie Strang:

Multiple sources told ESPN that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman suggested to NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr on Wednesday that the two sides take a two-week moratorium from negotiations. The news was earlier reported by TSN's Aaron Ward.

Fehr informed Bettman he'd like to speak with his membership first, a source said. The union likely will give Bettman a response Friday, although it is believed they would prefer meeting rather than not.

So, that's probably a bad sign if anyone expected a deal anytime soon. Please realize that a two-week layoff in talks would bring the two sides into December before they even meet again, let alone come to an agreement. This could be a negotiating tactic by Gary Bettman (forcing the players to miss another round of checks), but even if it is a ploy it's a little insane.

The two sides aren't going to get any closer to a deal doing things like this. And while Donald Fehr loves to say the players want to negotiate, he hasn't given the NHL a reason to negotiate for about a month. Then again, the owners continue to take a ridiculous stance when it comes to their demands -- even when they are making concessions.

I also don't understand the logic in breaking off talks for two weeks right now. It doesn't make too much sense, especially since the two sides haven't met for a week as it stands. And what exactly are they breaking off from? A week full of real negotiations for the first time in these talks? Anger that neither side is just willing to cave in?

What does this break solve?

Nothing. It solves nothing. But then again, to this point, nothing has solved anything.