from Rory Boylen of Sportsnet,

As we await further news on what a 2020-21 season might bring, here are some other unresolved storylines that will rise to the top again at a later date.

REMAINING FREE AGENTS
In any normal season the unrestricted free-agent class would be mostly bare this long after the market opened, but for many reasons there are still a handful serviceable and impactful players available to sign.

Because of the flat cap at $81.5 million, 16 NHL teams are either over the regular-season ceiling or within $2 million of it. Because of those tight squeezes, other players could still be available at a discount via trade, which is another market for teams who hold cap space to target....

BIG UNSIGNED RFAs AND CAP SQUEEZES IN NEW YORK AND TAMPA BAY
While there are some solid players still available on the UFA market, the remaining unsigned RFAs has the better pool of players at the top. If ever there was an off-season for a competitive offer sheet to put a team in a bind this is it, and it's telling we've yet to see one.

Some RFAs do take this long to sign in normal circumstances — Brayden Point, for instance, didn't re-up with the Lightning until late September last year....

more on the two topics above plus additional points...