Holland should’ve waited to sign a guy like Vanek before signing Larkin. It’ll end up alright but I doubt he’s super happy about being limited by the cap the team has left.
These are non-factors in real life. Just overspeculation.
If Vanek signing would create any kind of problem, Holland wouldn't just do it. He signed Vanek because, before free agency he knew all the alternatives how this Larkin case will solve out.
RFA caphits are easiest to predict, because there seems to be certain formulas on them and not a free market like for UFAs. And GMs will know the ballparks already after the last season in April. Playoff teams little bit later. Players can't do anything on the summer to change their value.
It's just this timetable, that free agency mostly happens before some RFA signings. If RFA signings would always happen before free agency, we would see exactly same caphits for UFAs and RFAs and nobody would wonder anything.
Same is happening every summer. People wonder. GMs won't, they go on holiday because the basework is already done.