The EP Rinkside Guide to NHL Free Agency in the 2023 Offseason

This isn't the strongest free agent class. You know that already. Everyone knows it at this point. And we're going to get reminded of it repeatedly over the next week-plus.

There is no Alex Pietrangelo or Johnny Gaudreau or Dougie Hamilton available, to say the least. Teams tend to make gigantic mistakes on July 1, but barring a few teams getting way too frisky we might see a bunch of medium-sized screw-ups instead here. 

That just makes things more interesting. This group isn't Dmitri Orlov, Michael Bunting, and a bunch of AHLers. There's hidden talent, including the kind of depth that has turned teams into Stanley Cup contenders, and franchises who are able to navigate the minefields in this class will benefit enormously.

There are all-stars entering their twilight years, useful two-way jou