The time between the draft and the first day of player free agency is exciting for any hockey fan. Draft day can be exciting with the trades for movement within the draft. This year, though, there were only a couple big splashes by June 22. I can only assume teams are waiting to woo those free agents to bulk up their lineups - and there are a lot of players worth wooing this year:Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, Ryan Smyth, Daniel Briere, and Paul Kariya to name a few. It will be exciting I'm sure.
There was something different this year. Something I've never seen before. A trade between the Flyers and the Predators for the rights to Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell was something new. These two players were to become free agents on July 1, but the Predators traded them to Philadelphia so the Flyers would have exclusive rights to sign these players. Both players now have six-year deals.
Will this be a new trend in the NHL? We usually see teams trade away these upcoming free agents at the trade deadline for a last minute boost before the playoffs. Trades after the season has ended is an interesting concept. It all comes down to what a team is willing to sacrifice for the future. The Flyers experienced a season last year worth forgetting and this seems like a gamble that paid off. Nashville also got their first round pick back in the draft.
It will definitely be interesting to see what will happen next year after the season wraps up. Whether this type of deal will become commonplace. It will be interesting to see if the excitement leading to July 1 will turn out to be less exciting due to these types of deals.
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