The commencement of the NHL’s free agency period is mere hours away. Changes to this year’s free agency eliminated the negotiating window where teams could get exact terms agreed upon in handshake deals before making them official once contracts can begin being filed at the league’s front office.
That doesn’t mean that NHL teams aren’t basically aware of what players are looking for, though. Teams can speak with agents to get a general sense of term and desired salary ranges. Which means insiders are starting to place “educated guesses” as to where some of the biggest names are headed today.