No, there weren't. Every single projection and indication had the cap rising significantly, and the NHL themselves projected a multi-million dollar jump to 84-88m in just the first season - which didn't even include the primary causes of the imminent projected rise. The only debate was whether it would rise at an above average rate or a massively above average rate. A GM can't just randomly decide to ignore all that and claim that a once-in-a-century global pandemic is going to hit and stagnate the cap for years like never before, so the players need to take less than they're worth. Any GM would get laughed out of the room if they did that.
