NEW YORK - Now the NHL and the players' association will start trying to save next season.

Less than three weeks after commissioner Gary Bettman canceled the 2004-05 NHL season, he invited union executive director Bob Goodenow back to the bargaining table for talks this week.

Countless meetings and proposals weren't enough to end the lockout that began in September, so Bettman wants to get talks going as soon as possible before next season is put in jeopardy, too.

He contacted Goodenow late last week to request a meeting, and the players' association agreed to get together, NHL chief legal officer Bill Daly said in an e-mail to The Associated Press Monday.

The date, time and location of the next round of talks wasn't announced.

It will be the first bargaining session since Feb. 19, when the sides met in a desperate attempt to save the season three days after Bettman canceled it. But even the presence of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux wasn't enough to get owners and players to reach an agreement.

Bettman and Goodenow will take part in this week's meeting, a source close to the negotiations told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, after both leaders sat out the last session. They left the bulk of those talks to Daly and union senior director Ted Saskin, who are also expected to be in attendance.

Last week, the NHL board of governors met in New York on the same day more than 150 players got an update from union leadership in Toronto.

Bettman said the board discussed many ways to get next season started on time in October, and didn't rule out the use of replacement players. He said that wasn't a choice he wanted to make, but added the league is committed to having a full season that isn't delayed.

"We haven't decided exactly what options we would or would not pursue in the event we don't have a deal," Bettman said last week. "The option we're pursuing most fervently ... is to make a deal with the union.

"I believe it's in everybody's interest to make a deal as soon as possible."

The board even entertained a $3.5 billion offer last week from an investment firm and a sports advisory company to buy all 30 teams and take control of the league. That doesn't seem to be a realistic possibility after several clubs already said they aren't interested in selling.

Each team would have to agree to such a plan.

When players emerged from their meeting with union leadership on March 1, they were more inclined to let time pass before re-engaging in talks. Players have already lost a full season's salary and aren't due to be paid again until October.

"It's important for both sides to take a little time to reassess," said players association president Trevor Linden, a Vancouver Canucks center. "The process at this point hasn't worked, and we'll step back and have a look back at how we can move this thing forward."