While some clubs continue to subscribe to the idea of throwing big money at unrestricted free agents, a good many others are taking a giant step back this summer.

	Martin Gelinas, center, may not be celebrating after deciding to leave the 'Canes.

For some teams, paying any single player in the $9 million range or higher isn't economically feasible. Yet for a majority of others, it's not the cash that's the hangup, it's the length of the contract. Only two seasons remain until the summer of 2004, at which time the current collective bargaining agreement expires. Even the most optimistic people around the NHL believe there will be a work stoppage. One NHL insider called it "almost unavoidable."

There is no dialogue between the league front office and the NHL Players Association. Commissioner Gary Bettman said he's open to any contact with the NHLPA but he's been told there won't be any prior to the end of the pact.

For better or worse, beginning Monday morning -- and expect some players to be signed by teams as early as 12:01 a.m. -- the feeding frenzy begins.

With Dominik Hasek retiring after winning the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings, the most sought after netminder among the unrestricted free agents is Toronto's Curtis Joseph. The Chicago Blackhawks have said they won't retain the services of unrestricted free agent forward Tony Amonte. The Boston Bruins are expecting a bidding war -- the likes of which Ebay has never seen -- will lure away right wing Bill Guerin. The Dallas Stars and New York Rangers are the favorites to snag him, although Florida appears poised to enter the sweepstakes.

The Bruins have said they'd like to keep Guerin, who served as their de facto captain last season. But even with the money they're saving on not re-signing goalie Byron Dafoe, they have no interest in locking in a player -- any player, even a 40-goal scorer -- for a term that goes beyond the current CBA. The owners, who have been putting money aside for years in anticipation of a lockout/strike scenario, want a strong salary cap. The players, whose average salary has gone from $400,000 to about $1.5 million in the past nine years, don't want anything to change. One prominent agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the NHLPA's ultimate goal is a dictatorship. Agents are more likely to work within the market the owners set rather than take a hardline stand in which their clients hold out, especially those who represent middle-tier players. The organization wants to put all the agents out of business and wants to negotiate all contracts on the players' behalf. The players' union has zero interest in scaling back salaries. The owners -- led by Bettman -- insist there's no other choice.

"In many ways, this sport has never been more popular and has never been stronger," said Bettman. "The economics, though, are not working. While we have seen revenues grow, player salaries have gone up ever faster. That has created some difficulties for some of our franchises. It's terribly inflationary ... I do say and I do believe that the longer this goes on, the harder it's going to be to fix it. So nobody should be surprised that if the problem is greater in two years, it isn't going to be because we didn't try to fix it sooner but that's the union's decision."

However, some teams don't appear ready to change their free-spending ways. Detroit owner Mike Ilitch's deep pockets have paid dividends. The Rangers and Stars didn't even make the playoffs despite their garish payrolls, and the Flyers were punched out in the first round. A number of other teams -- the majority really -- can't afford to max out their credit cards. Buffalo is in severe financial straits. Edmonton, Calgary and Pittsburgh are just hanging on, and Ottawa seems to be in a constant state of reorganization.

The Bruins, who were big disappointments in the playoffs, can afford to spend more than many other organizations but given the current economic climate -- and without benefit of a crystal ball -- they say they'll be one team who will stay the course. Though the club raised many eyebrows last summer when they signed Martin Lapointe to a $20-million contract, they won't hand Guerin a five-year deal at $9 million-plus per season if the last three years of the deal might exceed a cap figure.

"Term is very important," admitted Bruins' general manager Mike O'Connell, who has taken some heat for not locking up Guerin to a long-term deal last summer. "After 2004, we have no idea what kind of system is going to be in place. Nor does anyone. If we go forward and sign say, five players past that, it might handcuff us. We don't know what that landscape is going to look like. We have to be prepared. We don't want to be in a situation where you have to wait three or four years to get back into the game. I'm sure every manager wishes they knew what the landscape will be like then. The clubs have to protect themselves that if you get into that situation where there is a salary constraint, you have to have the money to be able to spend. You have to be able to compete. So we have to be careful what we do going forward past this collective-bargaining agreement."

The players who will most likely be affected by this increasingly popular philosophy are the middle-tier players. Players like Joseph, Guerin, Amonte and Teemu Selanne will get their money -- and the contract length they're looking for. Those behind them, though, will almost certainly end up short on money or short on term.

The next two years promise to set the tone for an ugly 2004.

Bettman said he's not looking for a fight, he's looking for a solution.

But clearly, it's going to take the former to even come close to accomplishing the latter.

Nancy Marrapese-Burrell of the Boston Globe is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.