June 15 Is The NHL’s Real Offseason Start Line

The league has a date circled on its calendar, and everybody in the room knows why. June 15 is when front offices stop pretending they are still focused on one more game and start moving money, contracts, and wish lists around in earnest. That is when the NHL shifts into full offseason mode, and the real maneuvering begins behind the curtain. For fans, it is the first clean look at how aggressive teams plan to be once the season finally stops talking back.