from Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times,

The Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner, the Lightning’s Brayden Point and the Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen are the headliners, the franchise players who likely will push $10 million salary-cap hits on their new deals — when they happen. The Maple Leafs already have positioned their salary structure to work even if Marner holds out.

But Marner, Point and Rantanen are just the tip of the iceberg. The Flames’ Matthew Tkachuk and the Jets’ Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor aren’t far below that top tier, and the notable RFAs go on and on beyond that.

In fact, of the top 18 free agents of any type entering the summer (as determined by Evolving Wild’s popular contract projections), 11 remain unsigned and 10 are RFAs. All of them are projected cap hits above $6.5 million.

This offseason paralysis is radically different from Major League Baseball’s problem in recent offseasons. The NHL’s blockade is with its young free agents, not its veterans, and this probably will prove to be a one-time issue.

Still, it’s perplexing. The lack of movement at the top of the board has created a trickle-down effect.

more