NHL free agency 2019: When will the floodgates open with signings?

Free agent forward Brian Boyle expects to be signed as teams figure out their cap situation. Can other players who are still looking for a job in NHL free agency expect the same?

This year’s NHL free agency frenzy has been disappointing, to say the least. Then again, after last summer where the likes of John Tavares were up for grabs and no big-name free agents hitting the market this July 1st, it was hard not to pale in comparison to last summer. Still, there are a few big names veterans that haven’t been tendered a contract by a team yet.

Defenseman Jake Gardiner remains unsigned and has carried most of the speculation into this year’s anti-climactic free agency, but forward Brian Boyle remains unsigned as well. The 34-year-old former first-round pick became a key piece in the NHL after playing through his cancer diagnosis. He split last season with the New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators in the final year of his contract.

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In an interview with NHL.com, Boyle discussed some of the things he potentially believes are holding back suitors: such as his age and less than stellar production last year (he finished the year with 24 points). However, Boyle did have one interesting take on his current situation. He believes teams might hold out on signing him until the salary cap begins causing problems for teams.

“I’m waiting. You know, it’s funny, there’s just a lot of moving pieces. It’s very well-documented as to how the cap kind of worked itself out,” said Boyle, who has 216 points (124 goals, 92 assists) in 766 NHL games.”

While it’s hard to imagine teams dishing out a contract to a player when they’re trying to save money, Boyle might be onto something here. Even though the cap amount is already set for next season, summer can be a time of uncertainty for the bean counters that make sure the NHL and its teams are cap compliant.

There’s still plenty of time for something to happen that can make or break a team’s cap situation (here’s looking at you, Mitch Marner). Once the dust settles, teams might take a second, and serious look at the veteran’s services.

Unfortunately for Boyle, he’s not a top free-agent prize anymore. He might have been a July 1st signing two years ago with the Devils, but his value has only decreased since then. General Managers have their eyes set on other pieces. If they find themselves with some extra cash to spend, then they can justify bringing Boyle aboard.

It might not all be based by the almighty rules of the salary cap. As the summer goes on and training camps open, teams might begin to realize a few missing needs from their roster that they might not have realized in the July 1st frenzy.

A veteran bottom-six forward might be one of them, and Boyle would be an easy asset to grab. But of course, if you ask him, he expects to have a job before then.

There are teams that aren’t in a cap crunch in the sense that they are over, but that they’re under the cap floor. If any team is seemingly below the $60 million minimum cap they likely aren’t contenders, and not attractive free agent destinations. But still, an offer from them is better than no offer at all.

Of course, the real reason for this year’s seemingly excitement free off-season is the lack of big-name free agents that can change hand. For players like Boyle that are so far removed from that hype, that distinction provides little consolation.

Sure, players like Boyle can be easily replaced by eager young AHLers ready to make their mark in the league, but they fail to bring the amount of experience and leadership players like Boyle can provide.