Circle Oct. 9 on your calendars, that’s the opening of free agency, the NHL confirmed Tuesday.
Keep in mind the NHL and NHL Players’ Association did away with the UFA speaking period so we’re going back to the old days where the opening of free agency, technically speaking, is when teams can actually start speaking to free agents from other teams (because there’s no tampering in the NHL, right?).
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And what an offseason it’s going to be. So much uncertainty with the effect of the pandemic on the NHL economy. We already know there’s a frozen salary cap but there may also be teams told by ownership their payroll number is even lower than that.
And while I’m not worried for the cream of the UFA crop, guys like Alex Pietrangelo, Torey Krug and Taylor Hall are going to be fine even if it’s not pre-COVID numbers, there’s a huge group of UFAs beneath them who face so much uncertainty in terms of what’s available and what will transpire.
Take Wayne Simmonds, for example. The 32-year-old pending UFA winger was traded to Buffalo from New Jersey at the deadline.
Now what?
“Honest to God, I couldn’t tell you what lies ahead for me,’’ Simmonds told The Athletic. “All I can say to you is that I’m actually, finally 100 percent healthy from my surgeries two years ago. I’ve been training like an animal.
“All I have in my mind is that I’m ready for this upcoming season whenever it does happen. I’m looking to make a huge impact wherever I go. Obviously I know I didn’t have the best of years last season. I’m looking to prove a lot of people wrong and show that I can still play at the level that people are accustomed to seeing me play at.’’
I think at the right price, a healthy Simmonds is a sneaky add for a playoff team. Look at the two teams in the Eastern Conference final right now. The Islanders have a great blend of high-end skill with some blue-collar grit and edge. The Lightning? Look at what they’ve done in terms of tweaking their roster ever since losing to Columbus a year ago in terms of adding the likes of Pat Maroon, Blake Coleman, Zach Bogosian and Barclay Goodrow.
You can’t tell me there isn’t a skilled team out there that couldn’t use a healthy Simmonds next season.
“My whole career, I think I’ve been that guy who is willing to do all the dirty work. I pride myself on doing that type of dirty work,” said Simmonds. “I think now I’m in a position as being a free agent again where hopefully I can land myself on a contending team. That’s the goal here. I want to be a difference-maker, I want to be a piece to a puzzle that’s not yet complete but I can help push over the top.’’
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Let’s just deal with the elephant in the room. If there’s a skilled, talented roster that screams needing the kind of elements that Simmonds can bring, it’s his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs.
Simmonds can provide some of that physicality and edge the Leafs are missing, but let’s not forget he was also a 30-goal scorer and he’s a tremendous leader, beloved everywhere he’s gone.
I don’t think we’ll see 30 goals again. But you might get 15 to 20 goals plus the other elements in his game. There’s a lot to like in that package.
I asked him about the Leafs as a possibility, as if he doesn’t get asked that all the time.
“I moved up to Aurora (north of Toronto) probably three summers ago, my wife and I and our daughter,’’ Simmonds said. “I’ve been walking around the neighbourhood way more frequently than I usually do because I’ve been here a lot longer than normal and all I keep hearing is, `When are you going to sign with the Leafs?’
“So of course it’s crossed my mind. I know they’re in a bit of a salary cap situation and things of that nature, but you know I’m open to everything, Toronto’s got a great core of players and I think that’s definitely a team where I could go in and make an impact right away. It’s up to the teams. Whoever wants to choose me, I’ll be waiting. I’ll definitely be ready to go.’’
The hardest part for pending UFAs on the seven teams that didn’t take part in Return to Play is the wait. It’s been forever.
“Sitting at home and not being to play in this re-start has left a bitter taste in my mouth,” Simmonds said. “I think that whole transition from New Jersey to Buffalo didn’t go the way I envisioned. I don’t think it went the way Buffalo envisioned, either. With all the turnover and everything that’s happen in Buffalo, I don’t know too much about what’s going on there; I haven’t had too much contact with the new management. For me, it’s just wait and see what presents itself to me and I’m going to pick my best opportunity.’’
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The Sabres, I’m told, haven’t totally closed the door on circling back to Simmonds but it’s going to depend on how the next few weeks play out and other potential moves.
At least from my perspective, it would make more sense for a playoff contender to take a crack at Simmonds.
It would be natural for some teams to have hesitation, but again Simmonds insists it’s the best he’s felt in two years. And his passion over the phone line suggests he’s ready to make a GM look good for gambling on him.
“Whoever is willing to take a shot at me, I can undoubtedly say that they’re going to get a lot more than what they’re going to pay for,’’ Simmonds said. “I can guarantee you that.’’
Coaches contracts
The Vancouver Canucks had a fantastic Return to Play and the expectation is Travis Green will be rewarded for it. My sense is that at some point after the fall NHL draft, the Canucks will turn their attention to Green, whose contract expires in a year. There’s no rush, but the hope from a Canucks point of view would be to have Green extended before next season.
Green joins four other NHL head coaches entering the final year of their contracts:
• Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina. I wrote about his situation in early August. My sense is that the Canes will want to approach him at some point this offseason to feel him out on the future. As one of the lower-paid NHL head coaches, he’s due a nice raise. He also doesn’t want to coach anywhere else as far as I can tell.
• Rick Tocchet, Arizona. Geez, who knows what the future holds there, right? The Coyotes did briefly talk to Tocchet about an extension before Return to Play, I’m told, but both sides decided to wait until after the season to re-convene. Since then, GM John Chayka and the club parted ways rather acrimoniously. So until a new GM is hired, who knows on the coaching front, but also, who knows what Tocchet himself wants? The Coyotes might be in player payroll cutting mode, it might not be the best coaching gig out there over the next few years.
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• Jeremy Colliton, Chicago. I don’t believe there have been any conversations yet on the contract front, the Hawks priority right now is readying themselves for the Oct. 6-7 draft and potential roster changes. But I do expect the Blackhawks to explore extending Colliton before next season begins.
• John Tortorella, Columbus. Torts’ whole staff is entering the final year of their respective deals. If this were a normal offseason, I think the Jackets would have already begun the process of trying to extend Tortorella but because of the uncertainty around next season, the Jackets, for now, are in a holding pattern. So it’s something they’ll get to later once there’s clarity on if/when there’s hockey next season.
(Top photo: Kyle Ross / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)