Ducks Soup: Why NHL Free Agents Are Still Free Agents, and More Non-News!

Too lazy to scour the web for NHL-related news?  I’ve got your back – today . . . .

The month of July is almost complete, which means we are officially about to enter the absolute WORST month for hockey fans: August.   NHL news becomes virtually non-existent, and . . . wait a minute!  That’s already started to happen, if this report over at NHL.com is any indication of how slow things have become:

"Former NHL forward Ryan Smyth said he hasn’t been asked but has considered letting Edmonton Oilersprospect Connor McDavid live with his family this season.“Haven’t been contacted at all (about McDavid) … it’s all rumors,” Smyth told the Edmonton Sun on Monday. “I haven’t put my name forward. It’s not that I haven’t thought about it though.”"

See how bored the media gets?  This is a total non-story.  I bet if the media called ANYONE in Edmonton and asked them if they were considering housing Connor McDavid, 99% of the people would answer, “Yes.”  How is that news?!?

The other day, I shared with all of you that the Anaheim Ducks will appear on NBC Sports a whopping total of four times in 2015-2016.  Meanwhile, the crappy Philadelphia Flyers have 18 nationally-broadcast games.  Clearly, the Ducks lost that contest, while the Flyers won.  See the other winners and losers of NBC Sports’ 15-16 schedule according to Puck Daddy.

There are still some notable free agents available on the market, but as this piece over at Bleacher Report points out, even teams with flexibility under the cap may be unwilling to spend money this summer:

"More likely, Curran says, too many teams are up against the cap already. Indeed, according toGeneralFanager.com, the website that has become the go-to for cap information since the unfortunate end of CapGeek.com, five NHL teams (Tampa Bay, Chicago, Detroit, the Rangers and Flyers) all have a $1 million or less in cap space. Eleven other teams have less than $5 million of remaining space under the $71.4 million cap for 2015-16.Still, that leaves 14 teams with the money to afford a nice player still available, eight of which, according toGeneralFanager.com, have more than $10 million available.“But what has happened more and more in the league is that teams have internal budgets set, and they just don’t want to go over that amount,” said Curran, who works with the Orr Hockey Group and whose clients have included Eric Lindros, Adam Foote, Jason Spezza and hundreds of others in a 37-year career. “Like it or not, that’s the market and you just have to deal with it. But I have had a few GMs tell me, ‘Hey, I’d like to do a deal, but my owner won’t let me spend another dime for a while.”"

Finally, those NHL players who did put an end to their free agency by signing contracts this summer often were rewarded to the tune of signing bonuses, which according to SI.com’s Allan Muir is a sign of the times:

"There are storm clouds looming on the NHL’s labor horizon. At least that’s what a pair of recently signed contracts seem to suggest.The current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NHL and its players extends through the 2021–22 season, but it includes a clause that allows either party to opt out of the agreement after ’19–20. And judging by an emerging trend, it’s clear that some players aren’t just expecting the owners to take advantage of that opportunity—they’re preparing themselves financially for an inevitable lockout.The trend became apparent to everybody when the details of DerekStepan’s new contract with theRangers were released. As Larry Brooks of the New York Postconfirmed, Stepan will be paid a total $5 million for the 2020–21 season, with $3 million coming in the form of a signing bonus.Why is that distinction important? Because unlike straight salary, that money is due to the player no matter what … even if the owners instigate the fourth lockout of the Gary Bettman era.Stepan isn’t the first player to secure this kind of protection in a deal. Earlier this month, Ryan O’Reilly’s seven-year, $52.5 million contract with the Sabres was structured to feature only $1 million per season in annual salary. The remaining $45.5 million comes in the form of signing bonuses, including a $5 million payment for 2020–21.O’Reilly’s deal then isn’t just lockout-proof. It’s buyout-proof."

That’s amazing, to think that ROR will make $45.5 million in BONUSES.  Lockout or not, these players are going to get paid.

Wish we all enjoyed that sort of job security, right?

Next: The Anaheim Ducks Should Be Paying Attention to Jeff Skinner