Weak UFA Class Sets Up A Busy NHL Trade Summer

The free-agent market is not giving teams much to work with, and that usually sends front offices back to the phones. With the class looking thin, clubs that want to change their fortunes may have to hunt for upgrades through trades instead of waiting for July 1 fireworks. That changes the leverage game fast, because sellers know who is desperate and buyers know the shelf is bare. The smart teams are already lining up their next move before the market gets picked clean.