Notable NHL Offseason Dates: Three Crazy Weeks in June

Ready for the craziest three weeks in NHL history? Ready for the “they traded him for that?!” to come? Ready to plan your next twelve months? Ready for the Vegas Golden Knights to have more than three players? We are.

Here are the dates for anything and everything about to take place in the National Hockey League.

Thursday, June 15th – First Club-Level Salary Arbitration begins
Restricted free agents (RFA) and teams can head to a third-party to decide on a deal.

Thursday, June 15th – NHL Player Buyout Opens
Wanna get out of a deal? Here’s your 48 hour window before submitting the protected lists. The curious case of Marc-Andre Fleury among others who have a no move clause (NMC) could begin here.
For more on buyouts, go to this informative page on CapFriendly.com

Saturday, June 17th, 2pm PT – NHL Clubs Must Submit Protected Lists
Teams have two options to protect key players. They can go with:
Seven forwards, three defensemen, one goaltender

OR

Eight skaters (mixed combo of forwards and defensemen) and one goaltender

Look for a number of trades to take place prior to this date. Players with NMC’s are automatically protected.

Sunday, June 18th, 7am PT – Protected Lists are Unveiled to the Public
The NHL will unveil which players are protected from selection from the Vegas Golden Knights.

Sunday, June 18th – Wednesday, June 21st – Vegas Free Agent Exclusivity Window
Where was this when the Sharks joined the league? The Vegas Golden Knights will have an exclusive window to negotiate and sign unrestricted free agents (UFA) and exposed restricted free agents (RFA). As an example, if Vegas were to sign Patrick Marleau, that would be considered the pick from San Jose in the Expansion Draft.

Week of June 18th – 24th – 2017-18 Regular Season Schedule Unveiled
Time to plan your hockey life for the next twelve months! Waiting to see when Toronto comes to San Jose? Or are you one of many who plan to be a part of San Jose’s first game in Vegas? Looking at availibilty of SAP Center, it seems like the Sharks will start the season on the road with a couple of concerts at the Shark Tank the first week in October. Could the Sharks be the first opponent in Vegas Golden Knights history?

Wednesday, June 21st, 7am PT – Vegas Golden Knights Submit Expansion Draft Selections
Vegas will pick one player from each of the 30 NHL clubs (if they did not sign a UFA or an unprotected RFA)

Wednesday, June 21st – NHL Awards Ceremony at T-Mobile Arena
In addition to the awards being handed out for regular season excellence, Vegas will unveil their selections made in the Expansion Draft.

Wednesday, June 21st – Sharks Adidas Jerseys Unveiled
It was reported on May 29th by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, that all 62 NHL Adidas jerseys will be unveiled at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.  Sharks are rumored to make slight modifications to their home and away jerseys, that could include the secondary logos that debuted last year.

Friday, June 23rd – Saturday, June 24th – NHL Entry Draft, United Center, Chicago
San Jose currently holds their 1st round selection (#19 overall), a 5th round pick, two 6th round selections, and three 7th round picks.  Of course we could “have a trade to announce” or two from the league by the time the draft begins

Sunday, June 25th, 2pm PT – Deadline for Qualifying Offers

Sunday, June 25th – Friday, June 30th – UFA’s Can Speak to Other Teams
Teams can talk to unrestricted free agents about signing a new deal. However, contracts can not be signed until July 1st.

Monday, June 26th – RFA’s Can Negotiate With Other Teams
Teams can talk to unrestricted free agents about signing a new deal. However, contracts and offer sheets can not be signed until July 1st.

Friday, June 30th, 2pm PT – First Buyout Period Ends

Friday, June 30th – Setting the Salary Cap and Floor for the 2017-18 Season
Unless the players want to increase their escrow, look for the salary cap to stay flat at $73 million (US dollars)

Saturday, July 1st, 9am PT – NHL Free Agency Begins
Let the signings commence! Players can sign contracts or offer sheets with any team they choose. Those players with a year left on their contract, can sign extensions. Could Martin Jones and Marc-Edouard Vlasic be re-signed on this day?

The Stanley Cup may have been just awarded, but plenty of news and drama from the National Hockey League await. Let’s see what kind of roller coaster will be on!