Yes I’m at Disney here…the coolest place on Earth…….
Turn up the cooler….it is a hot one today. There are only six days to go till the free agent frenzy starts….and indeed it will be a crazy time for any and every hockey fan. Our every Monday column will feature the Coolest Game On Earth in all its glory….so with a bowl of ice cream in hand…here we go.
July 1st starts the UFA signing period….The NHL Arena will have you covered with wall to wall commentary and more beginning in the early hours of Sunday morning right through the week. When news breaks…we’ll try to get you the honest, factual truth on all that is going on. Look on our ticker for breaking news and on the site for the latest signings, trades, and resignings.
The first issue I figured I’d bring up today is the negotiating a UFA’s rights before July 1st. Is this really illegal? The actual answer is no…although it lends it hand to speculation as far as tampering…it is not actually forbidden. The Preds did this to rid themselves of two players they felt they couldn’t sign and all the Flyers had to do was give up a first round pick that they got from Nashville in the Peter Forsberg trade. Will other teams think about doing this?? You better sure as Hades believe it!
The next issue is the offer sheet. When Bobby Clarke offered Ryan Kessler a 1.9 mill a year offer sheet last year…that set the bar. Yes, Dave Nonis matched it…but boy did it cause a ripple in the NHL. This year, there is much talk that at least two players will be tendered an offer sheet. I have heard that Thomas Vanek is one and don’t be shocked to see Zach Parise to get one as well. Restricted free agents aren’t quite as shackled as they used to be…as GM’s are plotting ways to take their shot to actually pry some of a team’s unrestricted guys away. Is this fair? Probably not, but you know what…it is all apart of the game.
Finally, I don’t know if many had seen the article and I wish it was still up….but….if you check out Yardbarker…..and search a little….I think you will find the Adrian Dater tirade of ESPN commentators. This was akin to the days of a tirade from Scotty Ferrell…but maybe even better and more vintage. Whether you agree with the guy or not, he makes this one extremely paramount point….guys on Espn don’t report the news…they just use infotainment. They get their information from real sources who get little or no credit and act sensationally to get their point across. I agree with Dater on this…maybe they need to do a little reporting and a little less reliance on how good they look.
So, what do you think? Got an opinion…want to throw it up here and see if it sticks?? Go right ahead!! I’ll be waiting…..
