Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr held a private meeting for the second straight day, while the larger group session centered on revenue during labor talks between the league and union Saturday in New York.

Fehr said the two had discussed ways for the league and union to bridge the gap and make some progress on brokering a new deal.

The NHL and the NHLPA started meetings for the second consecutive day in an attempt to end the ongoing lockout.

The sides were not expected to discuss the core economic issues on Saturday that are at the root of the dispute that threatens the start of the regular season.

Some progress was made on Friday on secondary issues related to player safety and drug testing.

Hockey Canada announced early Saturday morning that Nail Yakupov was now free to play in his native KHL.

Yakupov was suspended earlier this week from playing in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League while officials ironed out his status.

Despite two sessions of negotiations and a private meeting between Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr on Friday, no progress has been made on the core economic issues of a new CBA and the likelihood any is made this weekend appears bleak.

Although the two sides are scheduled to reconvene Saturday and Sunday, those financial issues are not expected to be addressed, according to an ESPN.com report.

The International Ice Hockey Federation is operating on the assumption that NHL players will take part in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, according to an ESPN.com report.

"We've prepared everything with the idea that NHL players will be there," IIHF president Rene Fasel said Friday. "We've decided about the format and expect them to be there."

The NHL and its locked-out players are talking again, according to an ESPN.com report.

The sides have resumed negotiations at league headquarters Friday. These are the first talks since the lockout was put in place and they come a day after the league canceled the remaining preseason games.

The regular season is to start October 11.

Montreal players Brian Gionta, Andre Markov and Josh Gorges, and Los Angeles' Simon Gagne and Jonathan Bernier were among 20 NHL players who took part in the first game of the Tournee des joueurs on Thursday night at the Complex Multisports de Chateauguay.

Canadian TV networks stand to lose broadcasts that attract millions of viewers and generate millions of dollars in advertising revenue if the NHL lockout extends into the regular season, according to an ESPN.com report on Thursday.

CBC president Hubert Lacroix acknowledged this week that a delayed or canceled season would be "a cash flow challenge for us."

The NHL on Thursday announced the cancellation of the remainder of its 2012 preseason schedule due to the lockout of its players, according to an ESPN.com report.

The league had previously canceled preseason games through Sept. 30.

The players aren't the only ones out of work as a result of the NHL lockout, according to an ESPN.com report on Tuesday.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Blues have laid off some of their front-office workers.