Unrestricted free agency is, famously, not a place to go looking for bargains. The NHL’s July 1 shopping spree is best known as the place where really good players can make a fortune, moderately good players can get way overpaid, and even depth players can dramatically increase their salary.
There are some exceptions—Brad Richards' one-year, $2 million deal with Chicago was notable in 2014—but they tend to be uncommon. Unrestricted free agency is a player’s fantasy, not an owner’s—a place where doubling, tripling or even more than quintupling one’s salary (as Deryk Engelland did) is possible.
What is in incredible is the way the dynamic shifts just within just a few weeks, as the veterans unclaimed early look desperately for a soft place to land. It’s a great market for a team willing to take on the role of scavenger and leave the hunting to others, a market where players can be had for dollar figures that can even make an entry-level deal look rich.
The most recent example is the Calgary Flames’ signing of Devin Setoguchi, who inked a one-year ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
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