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Today is the day where a remarkable amount of money will be spent in the National Hockey League. Today is the day where many, many contracts will be signed and registered between all 31 franchises. Today is the day where lots of people will be committed to terms, salary, and possibly bounces that will help their team get to where they want to be at best or become an anchor in due time at worst. Today is July 1. Today is Free Agency Frenzy.
The Time: Noon. News will likely start in the morning about expected deals but no one can actually sign anything until noon today.
The Broadcast: The NHL Network and TSN should have something on throughout the day.
The Preview: I wrote a full preview yesterday for the Devils in free agency and the market as a whole. It includes what they need, who is available, and more. Check it out here. Should you want something Binghamton-specific and do not ignore the B-Devils because they do need players, then check out Jeff’s piece here.
The AAtJ Offseason Posts: CJ and Gerard did a great job addressing many of the angles, issues, and questions surrounding the Devils this offseason for the past two and a half months. After the draft, we all chipped in with additional spotlights on pending unrestricted free agents and whether the Devils should go after them. You can see all of those posts and those spotlights here.
The Songs for the Day: Here’s a whole bunch about money and negotiation and moves that are not a pro wrestler’s theme. I have to change it up for some years. And I could not decide on one, so I went with some older songs that came out before 2000. The last one is probably the most appropriate for the day:
- “Have a Cigar” by Pink Floyd
- “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child
- “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” by Willie Nelson (a whole bunch of people did this song)
- “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” by The Pet Shop Boys
- “Dollar Wine” by Colin Lucas
- “Moneytalks” by AC/DC
- “Changes” by David Bowie
- “Money, Money, Money” by ABBA
- “The Big Money” by Rush
The Purpose of the Post: This is where you should comment about all of the moves made today in free agency. The moves the Devils made. The moves you wish the Devils made. The moves other teams in the NHL made. This is an open post for all of free agency. React as you see fit.
The Plan: We will do our best to get posts up for major signings by the Devils. Minor signings may be lumped in together.
The Rules: As a reminder, comments will be clean, on topic, and respectful of each other.
Here is one that specifically important for today: Please, please, please do not share unconfirmed rumors and “news” from false sources like fake Twitter accounts, “insiderrs,” a “rumor breaker,” an incarcerated Robert, people who claim to have sources and not even have 100 followers on Twitter, etc. Please stick to people who may actually know things. Think Bob McKenzie, Elliotte Friedman, Renaud Lavoie, etc. There’s going to be a lot going on, especially once noon hits. There’s no need to muddy the waters of actual news by getting people riled up about something that isn’t likely to happen from someone who claimed they heard somebody. For the benefit of everyone, link to legit sources and don’t make things up. Being right is more important than being first.
That all said. Enjoy this year’s Free Agency Frenzy and hope that Ray Shero spends Josh Harris’ and his groups money today and, as importantly, spends wisely.