The NHL Draft is, at its most basic, 31 teams choosing up sides for a game they will be playing a few years from now. It always amazes me how kids, like the young Turcotte, who is an absolute DIE-HARD Hawks fan, who you KNOW grew up in the HEAT of those amazing Blackhawks/Kings Wars-of-a-series, can be skipped over by his favorite team and then drafted by the hated rivalry...pull on a Black LA Jersey and be transformed, saying, "This is the greatest moment ever, I can't believe how thrilled I am to be a King!"
But the Draft is now a distant memory to these teams, as the ridiculously compressed offseason continues on...as teams are now setting up blind dates and moving on to the UFA signing period/Trade Deadline of sorts, that is just 8 days away..
Today is a travel day as teams are either flying back from Vancouver or recovering from the red-eye flight they took home last night...and by resting, I mean maybe they slept in until 7:30am.
The trades we saw yesterday were thrilling, but also just the tip of the iceberg this year. They were the outer rings of the swirling hurricane that is approaching. So many teams. So many key players without contracts. So little cap space....it all adds up to hell for these teams and nirvana for all of us who get to watch the scramble happen before our eyes.
So...what now?
In order to interpret what happens next, you have to look at it like all these GMs and players are looking at it.. What are the priorities? What absolutely HAS to happen? Most years it is about the UFAs available on July 1...and finding ways to make space for them...This year, however, they are taking a backseat to a far more pressing and intriguing group.
Priority #1
Welcome to the SUMMER OF THE RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS! (worst Marvel film ever) ... Point, Marner, Aho, Rantanen, Provorov, McAvoy, Werenski, Laine , William Karlsson....and many, MANY more...
These are the guys who are driving the trade market...These players, and a salary cap that came in about a million less than expected...but in reality is about 10 million less than would be needed to avoid the trade frenzy that is the eye of the storm that is approaching.. For the first time I can remember it isn't a matter of "Will there be a lot of big trades?" It is a matter of "When they happen, how many will be needed, and who will survive it?"
Priority #2
aka: Overstock Gems
‘Tis the season to take advantage of teams in Cap hell all the way to the bank!
We saw Carolina, NJ, and Vancouver doing this yesterday and there will be a hell of a lot more where that came from...Montreal is talking to Vegas and tried to get William Karlsson out of it. It looks like that won't happen now, but Vegas may move another player to Montreal to make the Karlsson contract fit Gostisbehere could find a new home. Someone will get Tyson Barrie...(probably Vancouver...) The list of available salary dump/overstock players, who were they UFAs would be doubling or tripling their salaries is incredible. As one source put it, "Salary dumps are the best deals out there....by a mile."
Priority #3
Oh yeh, by the way, UFA Day is July 1.
There are some stellar players out there and they will start visiting teams this week...Florida is bringing in Bob and Panarin...but there are many more "speed dates" coming...One GM actually joked with me that the NHL should set up a "Speed Dating Singles Party" and bring all the teams and players into the same place and serve up cheap drinks, mini hot-dogs, and crepes. "It would save us all a hell of a lot of money and time."
As much sense as that might make, the big names really want to be brought around the potential new city and wined and dined.
Next up...I will be updating the rumor chart and getting down to attempting to put the pieces of this puzzle together for all of you....sleep is for the weak!
What's the buzz?
Tell me the one player that would 100% take your team to the next level...
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