The NHL has made some strides in recent years, but in some other aspects the league is still an old boys' club.
The league's stance on restricted free agents is potentially the biggest example of this notion.
As with every other major sports league, the NHL has two types of free agents: unrestricted and restricted. Unrestricted free agents are free to go anywhere, talk to anyone and sign any deal they wish. RFAs can sign any deal they want, but their current team has the right to match any offer, and if they do not, the offering team must send draft picks along as compensation.