Today news comes out that Brad Richards may not be willing to waive his No Trade Clause and he may want to test the market...at the same time Brad is saying he would love for the Stars to be able to get something for him...

So it's time to play everyone's favorite game..."Let's Spin the Spin!"

Here is my spin on the Richards situation..

Because of the rules, Brad can't negotiate with any team until July 1.

However, Brad CAN:

1. Tell the Stars the teams he is willing to play for.
2. The Stars better hope it is more than 1 team. (Remember the trade deadline, when TSN reported only the Rangers could make a deal with the Stars?)
2. Those teams can then ask the Stars "How much do you think Brad wants."
3. The Stars can try to work out a trade to the team.

So much better than Brad just talking to teams and getting an idea what the market is and therefore being able to really halo out the stars (that was sarcasm)

This system is so broken. The guise that UFAs aren't already talking to teams is ludicrous...and grows more and more year after year. Agents start talking up UFA's before the season begins. How can we really have a "realistic expectation" that agents and GMs who talk all year long stop talking until July 1. Is it really necessary to even pretend this is happening? I don't see the point.

Why can't the last two weeks of June be a time when UFAs and their families visit cities openly and be shown around and courted by teams. You can still have your rules that no one can sign prior to July 1, but the players wouldn't have to play this silly game.

These teams and players are making huge financial decisions. Family decisions. And they aren't even allowed to go on a date with these teams. Of course they are getting around it by talking through friends or by just ignoring the rules, but the problem is a few of the GMs are getting killed by being the "honest" ones. There are a handful of GMs who play by the rules, but unless everyone is doing this...

Bottom line is...this is broken.

What's the Buzz?

Fix the system. Tell me your idea.

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