The NHL’s annual exercise in overspending, also known as free agency, will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday. The list of unrestricted free agents available is led by Jaromir Jagr and Joe Thornton, two of the NHL’s top 25 all-time scorers, but the trend toward youth and speed means they won’t skate off as the day’s biggest winners.
The modest bump in the salary cap from $73 million to $75 million for 2017-18 might restrain a market that tends to overpay when given a chance. The lack of premier players in their prime also might result in signings made for specific strategic needs.