Now a decade into the salary-cap era, NHL free agency isn't what it used to be.
And the 2015 unrestricted group is one of the weakest in recent memory.
''It's not a great group,'' Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said recently. ''Your options are minimal.''
Options are out there, such as center Antoine Vermette, wingers Matt Beleskey and Justin Williams, defensemen Mike Green and Christian Ehrhoff and goaltender Karri Ramo. But this isn't a star-studded class.
Money will still get thrown around as it does every July 1, but GMs are conscious of what this time of year actually means in the grand scheme of things.