from Frank Seravalli of TSN,
Insanity was expected. Restraint was delivered.
Beleskey helped define July 1, 2015, as a rare day of reason on the NHL market. Justin Williams capped off the day, with the 2014 Conn Smythe Trophy winner leaving Los Angeles for Washington via a two-year, $6.5 million deal.
Williams was the 57th and final signing of July 1. A total of $193,540,000 was doled out.
In perspective, $528 million was awarded to 89 players one year prior on over 180 year's worth of contracts. There were seven mega-deals of $20 million or more in 2014 compared to just three on Wednesday.
“Free agent is a frenzied time,” Sweeney said. “You can get caught up in the hype of it. I think the visiting and interview period has tempered that to some degree.”
Sweeney joked the free agency period is no longer a “cloak and dagger” exercise like the old days. Thanks to the internet, agents and managers are both “very aware” of each other’s cap situations.
Agents, Sweeney said, do a good job of “teeing it up for every team.”
At the same time, the five-day interview window - which stretched from June 25-30 this year - allows general managers time to field interest and sort out game plans. Prior to 2014, it was more of an impulse buy period.
Teams would talk to a player high atop their list and fall in love at the sound of his agent’s voice. Now, managers are given the opportunity to sleep on their decisions for a few days. In all sports, sometimes the best deal a manager makes is the one he ultimately decides against. There was no period to pause - it was either meet a player’s demands or move on.
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