On the laundry list of player rights issues in the NHL, restricted free agency is near the top. It’s patently absurd that a player cannot command fair market value for their services until they’ve either played eight years in the league or reached age 27. These rules inherently tip the wage scale in favor of ownership and the franchises for no real reason.
In the NBA, restricted free agency does exist, but it does not restrict player earning power or freedom as drastically as the NHL’s version. In the NBA, other teams can make a contract to an RFA and the team who owns the player’s rights has the right to match the offer.