This summer, the NHL was split into two camps when it came to restricted free agents and their unsigned contracts covered in nervous droplets of flop sweat from general managers: Those who believed this was the new normal, and those who believed this offseason was an anomaly.
I've been Team Anomaly. Things got weird this summer, and not just because our culture was briefly ruled by spiked seltzer and a chicken sandwich. We had an offer sheet -- an actual offer sheet! We have a player in Mitch Marner who may or may not be gumming up the market as he asks for a contract that every general manager thinks is preposterous and every agent hopes resets the bar.