In the summer of 2012, the current CBA is going to come to an end. What exactly does this mean? I have read a bit about it, nothing extensive, but could there be another lockout season (as there was in 2004)? Could there also be a salary cap decrease? If so, what happens to all of the current contracts? On the other hand, could there be the opportunity to get rid of a salary cap altogether (or change it to a soft cap)?

Thanks