The NHL and NHL Players' Association plan to return to the bargaining table Friday.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHL Players' Association special counsel Steve Fehr had a meeting today in Toronto.

They have scheduled a formal bargaining session for the end of the week.

A location for the talks has yet to be determined.

It will be the first formal negotiation session for the sides since Sept. 12, when the players and owners exchanged proposals.

Neither of those offers gained much traction and the lockout started at midnight on Sept. 15.