Are NHL training camp holdouts now the norm for young stars?
 

The problem with that, though, is that there is a fairly surprising number of restricted free agents who enter the season without a contract, and that could be a part of a very troubling trend for teams going forward.

It's probably safe to say that a lot of players around the league weren't especially happy with the terms foisted upon them – in so draconian a manner – by the owners as they brought the lockout to its merciful end last January. It gave players less of a chance to earn a lot of money for a longer period of their careers — for the good of the league and all that — and simultaneously seems to have taken away a lot of rights for restricted free agency that could help the younger players in particular to earn paydays commensurate with their skill levels.

What the new CBA also seems to have done is allowed teams to start digging in their heels once again over the "second contract" or "bridge contract" or "not especially fair contract" that had become so much less prevalent in the wake of the Second Bettman Lockout (2BL).




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