Inspired by the escrow post over on the Big Board, I took a look at the link provided by James in the comment section to gain some additional insight into pieces of the CBA that I may not have been previously aware of. Lo and behold, I found something that was particularly relevant. There has been a lot of controversy regarding UFA's that take a lot of time to make their playing decision (I'm looking at you, Mats Sundin) and whether there should be a rule in place that discourages the chess game and drama that inevitably follows.

Some may argue that this is their right as UFA's (which I don't disagree with), but then I saw this:

Restricted free agents must sign NHL contracts by December 1, or they are not eligible to play for the rest of the season.

There is a rule for RFA's, but not UFA's? I'm going to assume that this was a "new CBA" clause, as I remember several RFA's (being a Buffalo fan, Michael Peca being very prominent) holding out well past that date. Now, were the owners that short sighted to not include this for UFA's as well, or would the players have made such a stink over it (which in my mind is a very valid one) that they agreed it was just going to be for RFA's.

Something tells me the owners missed their chance the first time and none of the Sundin drama could have happened.