The NHL officially locked out its players last week, and it appears the league is digging in for a prolonged work stoppage. The NHL informed staff on Wednesday that as of Oct. 1, it will be scaling down to four-day weeks and reducing pay by 20 percent, according to Chris Botta of the Sports Business Journal. Botta also reported that, for now, there will be no layoffs.
The potential for a lengthy lockout has a number of Pens players considering overseas options. Defeseman Kris Letang has indicated he'll consider playing in Europe and there has been speculation about Sidney Crosby signing up to play in the KHL. Reigning Hart Trophy winner, Evgeni Malkin, has reportedly already agreed to a deal with his former Russian club, Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
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