Today marks the first day that teams may contact pending unrestricted free agents ahead of July 1st. The free agency window—established in the latest CBA—allows teams to talk to UFAs from June 25th to June 30th. An important caveat, however, is that teams and players cannot discuss specific contractual terms like contract length, salary, or no-movement clauses.
While nothing substantive is talked about officially, teams use this window to get a sense of what a player is looking for contractually, and to gauge a player’s interest in its team. Essentially, it allows teams to see if they are in the running, or whether they should focus their efforts elsewhere. Unofficially, however, teams and players find creative ways to skirt those limitations. Last year Milan Lucic’s deal to the Edmonton Oilers was all but signed prior to July 1st.
This year’s free agency class features less big names, but numerous solid middle-tier options. A trio of Washington Capitals headline this year’s class, including D Kevin Shattenkirk, D Karl Alzner, and F Justin Williams. A potential fourth, T.J. Oshie, just signed an eight-year, $46MM contract prior to the open window. Other big names garnering attention this year include Alexander Radulov, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Martin Hanzal.
Boston should add a winger like Williams or Radulov, but Radulov will end up being out of their price range.