With players due to report to training camps on Sept. 11, now is the time an unsigned restricted free agent's resolve is tested. Holding out is the only leverage some players have -- and leverage isn't exactly an accurate description of the situation. After all, when was the last time a team was seriously hindered by a player's absence (see also: Eric Lindros, Alexei Yashin, Mike Peca)?

Below is a the status of key restricted free agents as of Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. ET.

And the clock still ticks...

Unsigned restricted free agents
Team	Player	Pos.	2000-01 stats
Boston Bruins	Jason Allison	C	82 GP, 36-59-95, 85 PIM
The skinny: It looks as if Allison will be the one to blink first. Allison is seeking a three-year deal worth an average of $8.5 million. The Bruins countered with an average of $6 million. An arbitrator awarded teammate Bill Guerin $5.1 million and Pittsburgh's Martin Straka, another 95-point producer, was awarded a two-year deal for $3.5 and $3.7 million. With those guideposts, it's unlikely the Bruins will budge.
Buffalo Sabres	J.P. Dumont	LW	79 GP, 23-28-51, 54 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 6) The skinny: Dumont had his best season in 2000-01, but it was also his first full season in the NHL. He turned down the Sabres qualifying offer of $875,000. While money is an issue, so is the length of his contract -- he's still two seasons away from arbitration rights and the Sabres would like to have the deal extend beyond that point.
Buffalo Sabres	Alexei Zhitnik	D	78 GP, 8-29-37, 75 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 11) The skinny: GM Darcy Regier likes arbitration -- at least this time around. Regier considers Miroslav Satan the team's best forward and Zhitnik the team's best defenseman. An arbitrator awarded Satan a two-year contract worth $6.8 million ($3.25 for this season), making him the team's highest-paid player and giving the Sabres a parameter to negotiate with Zhitnik. One problem: Zhitnik's agent is looking at his worth among league defensemen and is asking for $4 million, according to the Buffalo News.
Columbus Blue Jackets	Deron Quint	D	57 GP, 7-16-23, 16 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 24) The skinny: Quint is looking at a one- to two-year offer of $600,000 per season, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Quint emerged as the Blue Jackets top defenseman by the end of the season, but the six-year veteran has yet to play a full schedule in the NHL. Plus, how much leverage does a player have on a second-year team that likely won't make the playoffs anyway?
Florida Panthers	Valeri Bure	RW	78 GP, 27-28-55, 26 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 20) The skinny: Bure opted to forego arbitration, and reportedly is using the awards given to Penguins Robert Lang ($2.9 million) and Martin Straka ($3.5 million) and New Jersey's Petr Sykora ($3.5 million). While Bure's point production may compare favorably, he failed to score an even-strength goal in 50 games and was a career-worst minus-21 last season.
Los Angeles Kings	Felix Potvin	G	27-22-8, 2.62 GAA, .900 SV%
(Signed, Sept. 10) The skinny: L.A. pulled Potvin off Vancouver's scrap heap, then Potvin went 13-5-5 and helped the Kings to within a game of the Western Conference finals. Reality is somewhere between. With Stephane Fiset and Jamie Storr still in town, leverage falls the Kings' way.
New York Islanders	Alexei Yashin	C	82 GP, 40-48-88, 30 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 5) The skinny: OK, so the deal should be done within the next week, placing the odds of Yashin holding out between slim and none. However, one can't help but wonder with the rate salaries are rising that the longest and richest deal in NHL history (10 years, $90 million) might render Yashin one of the most underpaid players before it expires.
New York Rangers	Petr Nedved	C	79 GP, 32-46-78, 54 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 16) The skinny: Being the top scoring forward on a team that didn't make the playoffs doesn't mean much. However, the Rangers are without four of their top 10 scorers from last season -- Jan Hlavac, Adam Graves, Kim Johnsson and Valeri Kamensky. Nedved is two seasons away from unrestricted free agency, so the length of the contract will be an issue.
Ottawa Senators	Marian Hossa	RW	81 GP, 32-43-75, 44 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 24)	Zdeno Chara	D	82 GP, 2-7-9, 157 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 21)	Daniel Alfredsson	RW	68 GP, 24-46-70, 30 PIM
The skinny: The Senators got rid of a headache by jettisoning Alexei Yashin, but they put a premium on point production. That fact isn't lost on Alfredsson or Hossa, two of the Senators top three returning scorers. According to reports, Alfredsson is seeking a two-year deal around $7 million, while Hossa is looking for $3 million a season. Chara, who provides the size and grit on the blueline the Sens have been lacking, is aiming for the $1 million per year range.
Pittsburgh Penguins	Johan Hedberg	G	7-1-1, 2.64 GAA, .905 SV%
(Signed, Sept. 6) The skinny: The two sides are working on a three-year deal worth $1 million per season, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. GM Craig Patrick, who anointed Hedberg as the No. 1 goaltender for next season after the late-season acquisition carried the Penguins through the playoffs (9-9, 2.30, .911), is confident a deal will get done before the start of the season.
San Jose Sharks	Mike Rathje	D	81 GP, 0-11-11, 48 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 5)	Miikka Kiprusoff	G	2-1-0, 1.95 GAA, .902 SV%
(Signed, Sept. 7)	Todd Harvey	RW	69 GP, 10-11-21, 72 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 18)	Patrick Marleau	C	81 GP, 25-27-52, 22 PIM
The skinny: It's business as usual in San Jose. The Sharks had eight restricted free agents sign last season and played their first four games without captain Owen Nolan, who then missed 10 games with an abdominal injury. All sides have been mum on salary figures, however, GM Dean Lombardi reserved his optimism about any of them being signed by training camp, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Tampa Bay Lightning	Vincent Lecavalier	C	68 GP, 23-28-51, 66 PIM
The skinny: Missing games will hurt Lecavalier as much as it will the Lightning. The Lightning are reportedly using the three-year, $5.35-million deal Joe Thornton signed with Boston as a gauge. Lecavalier reportedly is seeking in the realm of $3 million a year. GM Rick Dudley said he won't trade him and will match any offer made to his team captain. One key is the length of the contract; the Lightning would like a five-year deal, which would extend three years beyond the date his arbitration rights kick in.
Toronto Maple Leafs	Tomas Kaberle	D	82 GP, 6-39-45, 24 PIM
The skinny: GM/coach Pat Quinn can blame this one on Bob Clarke, who reportedly was seeking Kaberle in a trade for Eric Lindros. Quinn refused, and in turn, gave Kaberle plenty a good argument for a pay raise. Kaberle's only leverage is an opportunity to play in the Czech Republic. So far, Kaberle has rejected a one-year offer of $275,275. Kaberle, who isn't eligible for arbitration for two more seasons, is reportedly seeking $1 million per year.
Washington Capitals	Jeff Halpern	C	80 GP, 21-21-42, 60 PIM
(Signed, Sept. 26) The skinny: Halpern has a pretty good case for a decent raise over the $510,000 he made last season. Playing in a primarily defensive role, Halpern compiled 39 goals in 159 games over the last two seasons. On the high end of the comparison scale, Colorado's Alex Tanguay ($975,000 last season) scored 44 in 158 games, while spending the last season on a line with Joe Sakic. On the low end, Mike York ($525,000) scored 40 in a comparable role with the Rangers. The two sides have yet to talk.

Sherry Skalko is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.