Detroit — Many players can’t wait for their first venture into unrestricted free agency.
It’s their first opportunity to test the market, have the market dictate their worth, and decide where to play on their own terms.
And not through the draft, or trade, or waivers.
For teams also, free agency can be a huge asset. It can turn around a franchise with one swift stroke, strengthening a lineup with a proven veteran player.
Signing that key free agent can be the final piece to constructing a championship roster, as the Red Wings showed during their Stanley Cup-winning years.