Finnigan said:
In the proposal offered today, it stated that players must be signed 14 days after training camp starts.
Exactly. You can't hold out anymore, not the way it used to be done. You can be qualified at 75% of your contract, down to a minimum of $800K; you might not have arbitration as an option anymore, and you have to be signed 14 days after the start of camp.
Under #4: "Players and Clubs obligated to reach agreement on terms of a new contract by no later than fourteen (14) days after the opening of Training Camp; failure to do so results in player ineligibility (and unavailability to Club) for balance of the season."
So you can't hold out indefinitely, only for the duration of full NHL seasons. That emasculates this as an option; it used to be one of the few options a player had to exert leverage on a team if it was playing hardball during negotiations. The change is very significant when coupled with the possibility of arbitration elimination.