All the talk about NHL belt tightening and cost containment turned out to be just that — talk.
The action started early on the opening day of NHL free agency — think Black Friday at the mall — and by the time the first hour passed, teams had spent $335 million on free agents.
As expected, free agent power forward Milan Lucic signed with the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, a seven-year deal worth $42 million. Helping the Oilers edge the likes of Montreal was the presence of Edmonton’s star-in-the-making, Connor McDavid, and General Manager Peter Chiarelli, who had been Lucic’s GM in Boston.