June 30 Is July 1

There's something timeless about The Big Lebowski. It has so many good quotations in it, and there's someone in your life that likely acts like the Dude, Walter, and/or Donny. I found myself watching this celluloid masterpiece once again last night, and it occurred to me that the Dude says the line to the left. That would be an accurate summation of today's social media adventure as NHL Free Agency is supposed to begin tomorrow on July 1 at 12:00pm ET, but it seems that almost every big-name free agent has already agreed to a deal today.

Look, I'm as interested as the next person in who is signing where, but I really question how the NHL can have an honest free agency period where all 31 teams have a shot at players if they allow them the week previous to speak to teams and narrow down their choices. While I get that not all 31 teams will be on any player's list of places they'd choose to play, July 1 is simply the official signing date for a lot of players in their new homes. The week prior? That's when deals were made despite those deals being technically against the rules.

Rules can be broken in certain cases. Rules can be bent in specific situations. NHL Free Agency seems like neither the case nor the situation where rules should be allowed to be ignored. Teams who are trying to re-sign players are virtually shut out of the process if a player decides to go elsewhere thanks to the week of interviews and backroom deals being made, so let's cut the garbage and scrap this week of suitors wooing those looking to move addresses. It's a farce.

Instead, I propose that the morning of free agency is when the mall opens and teams can come rushing into the meat market where they can throw themselves and their cap space upon free agents who indeed are wanting to move. It will give the TSNs, Sportsnets, and NHL Networks something to actually do rather than have 60 talking heads discussing the "free agent board" and how teams made mistakes or found value for 36 hours. They would be forced to follow leads, check sources, and make calls to find actual stories - hey, that's entertainment!

This ruse of letting players, agents, and GMs cut deals long before the free agency window opens needs to end. After all, what are we supposed to watch for 12 hours tomorrow on our national holiday?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!