"Penguins general manager Ray Shero is headed back to the Stanley Cup final.

This time, though, he will not have a vested interest in the outcome.

Shero will join his fellow general managers today in Philadelphia, where Game 3 of the Cup final between the Flyers and Chicago will be played tonight, for a meeting held during the championship round each year.

One major topic will be the salary-cap ceiling for 2010-11. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has projected a $2 million increase over the $56.8 million figure for the season now winding down, and that figures to have an impact on how Shero approaches negotiations with players who are eligible for unrestricted free agency if not re-signed by July 1.

Those talks with the agents representing guys such as Sergei Gonchar and Matt Cooke likely will begin in earnest next week, according to Shero and several agents.

"We've talked about some parameters [for contracts], but there's nothing concrete at this point," Shero said. "Most likely next week, we'll get into [negotiations with] a few of our free agents."

Specifically, he said talks with the Cooke camp are "not too far along," and reiterated that he had a general conversation with Gonchar's agent, J.P. Barry, during the NHL draft combine in Toronto last week."