It’s kind of like offer sheets, explained one executive. We hype them up every year and then the hype rarely delivers. This year, like the increased offer sheet speculation, there’s a lot of talk about a more active trade market than usual. The salary cap isn’t expected to move much. There are contenders who are squeezed. General managers seem to be more eager to make bold moves in the summer rather than the trade deadline.



“So many teams are trying to do something. I guess it’s more active than the past,” said the Eastern Conference executive. “So many teams tight in there against the cap – Tampa, Vegas, Pittsburgh, Toronto – they’re all right against the cap. They have to do something. And then you’ve got a team like Edmonton who is going to do whatever they can to change things up. (Ken Holland) is not going to sit back.”



Said another executive: “Arizona is in on a lot of different guys.