Open Thread: Free Agency, Day 1

And so it begins

As we all know, hockey has a few unofficial holidays, and July 1 is probably right at the top of that list. Every year we watch teams throw bags of money at highly coveted unrestricted free agents in the hopes that they might be the piece they are missing. And although this year’s free agent market is unremarkable beyond a few big names, it will still be a wacky day — because it always is.

The Rangers aren’t expected to make any big waves today, but we have heard that Gorton has been inquiring about some veterans with character. Will the Rangers overpay for intangibles (again)? Will we see this team that is dedicated to a rebuild ink a guy that “win now” teams are pursuing? Might Anthony Duclair come back to New York? There’s only one way to find out. Let the madness begin.