When the clock strikes noon, money will be thrown like crazy ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other. "You have to be prepared rightly or wrongly to overspend and to give more term than you probably would want to," Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said on a conference call last week. "That doesnt mean you dont make a good deal, its just the deal is probably pricier than you would like." Bad contracts of years past are being revisited now as theyre bought out, like the Buffalo Sabres getting out from the rest of Ville Leinos deal or the New York Rangers having little choice but to cut ties with Brad Richards. Last years madness included Mike Ribeiro getting $22 million over four seasons, and last week he was bought out. "It is a time where I think the day after some of these contracts are signed, people go, Hmmm, and sit back and think," Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said last week in Philadelphia. "Thats the age were living in. Thats the nature of it." The teams that sign winger Thomas Vanek, centre Paul Stastny, defenceman Matt Niskanen hope their investments prove more sound. Those three players lead the crop, followed by wingers Matt Moulson and Jarome Iginla, centre Dave Bolland, defencemen Christian Ehrhoff and Dan Boyle and goaltenders Ryan Miller and Jonas Hiller. Already, before teams are free to sign players at noon Tuesday, over $1.1 billion has been spent to retain potential unrestricted free agents at an average cost of $3.57 million, according to CapGeek. Many of the top free agents will get more money than that on an annual basis, just based on the market value. Still, Chiarelli believes its possible to spend smart money in free agency. "As long as the expectations are in place and you know the player that youre getting, I wouldnt necessarily call it a bad deal," he said. "It may be in five years if it is a bad deal, but it is something that can help your team and you just have to be cautious of the hysteria that happens." The hysteria started early this year thanks to the new five-day window teams and pending unrestricted free agents have to talk before deals can get signed. Theyve been free to discuss fits and salary parameters, just not agree verbally or in principle. It seems to have given players more leverage than before because they can consider options rather than make a quick decision on July 1. For teams, the negotiating period is still a work in progress. "Its useful in that you can lay some plans and some groundwork," Toronto Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis said last week in Philadelphia. "Whether it helps in getting players in or not, I think that remains to be seen.” Compliance buyouts have also changed the landscape, pouring more players like Richards, Ehrhoff, ex-Vancouver Canucks winger David Booth and ex-New Jersey Devils defenceman Anton Volchenkov into the market. Those players can double-dip on pay cheques, while their former teams can allocate the saved salary-cap space elsewhere. The Buffalo Sabres have the most cap space, according to CapGeek, with almost $39 million. They need to spend more than $20 million just to get to the $51-million floor. First-time GM Tim Murray isnt worried about needing to get to the floor, nor is he scared of the perils of free agency. "I dont think its dangerous. I go back to my old cliche: evaluate properly and its never dangerous," Murray said Saturday in Philadelphia. "If you fall in love with the flavour of the week, it could be very dangerous. "But do your homework. Evaluate players properly. Go after the right players, which doesnt mean its the top guy on somebody elses list. Its who you feel is the right guy." The negotiating window has shed some light on the idea that some guys are wanted by a lot of teams. Niskanens agent, Neil Sheehy, said in an email that more than 10 teams had shown interest in the 27-year-old defenceman and that they were planning to pare down that list before Tuesday. Thats a task many of the top free agents and their representatives have been going through because its still very much a players market. "Its kind of the double-edged sword," Cheveldayoff said. "Youre trying to find pieces that can maybe push you and the different depths of the free agent market in different years entices you or maybe doesnt excite you. "But its a way to add and if you can do it reasonably and maybe someone fits in your organization and maybe it becomes a long-term thing. You have to take a look at that regardless of the dollars." Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Edgar Martinez Jersey . PETERSBURG, Florida – Heading into Thursday nights action, Dioner Navarro had caught 14 innings combined from starters Drew Hutchison and Mark Buehrle. Ben Gamel Jersey . Lupul injured the hand in a fall at practice on Thursday. He will wear a cast for a minimum of 10 days before he can put a glove back on it and get some mobility back, said Carlyle, who added the winger wont go on the teams upcoming road trip. http://www.marinersrookiestore.com/Marin...on-Kids-Jersey/. The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Jay Buhner Jersey . -- Josh MacDonalds second goal of the game kept his team alive as the Peterborough Petes edged the host Kingston Frontencas 6-5 in overtime on Friday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action. Alex Colome Jersey . On the day the club activated Casey Janssen from the 15-day disabled list, his return from a strained oblique that cost him the first six weeks of the regular season, it announced Sergio Santos would be placed on the disabled list on Monday with discomfort in his right forearm.TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger gathered for the latest installment of Insider Trading and the topics discussed were what a rising salary cap means for PK Subbans contract negotiations, the coaching situation with the New York Islanders, the Buffalo Sabres search for a new general manager, what stories emerged from Tuesdays Board of Governors meetings and Jakob Chychrun, the son of former Flyers defenceman Jeff Chychrun. Q: With the cap going over $71 million and climbing even higher, what does this mean to P.K. Subban and his contract talks? LeBrun: It could mean a lot. In many ways, he could be the poster child for young, star free agents and future negotiations. For guys like Alex Pietrangelo and Erik Karlsson, they signed long term deals because they were looking for security and didnt know where the salary cap was headed. Well, P.K. Subban and his advisors from Newport Sports know where its going and its going way up, so the debate for Subban is, do I sign an eight-year deal like a lot of people are expecting me to, but then, the salary cap might be at $100 million by the end of the eight-year deal, maybe Im better off taking a shorter term deal, three or four years. Of course, the Montreal Canadiens will be looking for some long-term security themselves, so a big decision for Subban because the cap is going way up. McKenzie: The players and agents are wondering whos going to be the guy who breaks the bank; whos going to be the guy who gets closer to the 20 per cent maximum salary thats allowed. If the salary cap is $75 million or $80 million in a couple of years, thats potentially $15-16 million a year. What player might command that kind of money? Well, lets have a look at the guys who are coming up to unrestricted free agency. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have a year left on their deals after this year. They can start negotiating in the summer. You can easily justify doubling your current $6.3 million salary if youre Toews or Kane. Steven Stamkos, a free agent in 2016, could he be the guy who breaks the bank? We saw the redefining of the goaltender market last week when Henrik Lundqvist brought the maximum goaltender salary from $7 million to $8.5 million. Agents and players believe its only a matter of time until some star player gets $12, $13 million or $14 million under this new salary cap environment. Q: Are the reeling New York Islanders going to be looking for a new head coach? Dreger: They might, but in the moment, the New York Islanders are willing to be patient, so there is no imminent coach firing. Jack Capuano has the full confidence of his general manager. What the team needs is more offence from its star players and thats aside from the top line. Garth Snow is also looking for a top-pairing defenceman. Hes taking more of the responsibility than putting it on the coaches. Q: What is the status of the Buffalo Sabres search for a new general manager? McKenzie: The list is getting longer, rather than shorter. The expectation is that the Buffalo Sabres will certainly take until the New Year and maybe beyond that, closer to the Olympics, before a general manager is named. Our sense is that there is somewhere between six and 10 names that Sabress president Pat LaFontaine is looking at and that hes probably spoken to two-thirds or three-quarters of that group, but hes continuing to look and theres one name thats popping into the mix lately.dddddddddddd The Buffalo Sabres have asked for permission from the Los Angeles Kings to talk to director of amateur scouting Mike Futa, but no word yet on whether or not that permission has been granted. Q: What stories emerged from Tuesdays Board of Governors meeting, including the push for the next World Cup of Hockey? Dreger: I believe Hockey Canada will reach out, if they havent already, to the Players Association. The NHL is waiting for some gesture from the Players Association on the scenarios that have been discussed over multiple meetings about the next World Cup. Hockey Canada would prefer that the next World Cup be in February 2016. Its unlikely that the owners will shut down part of the season again. Theyd prefer September of 2015. Theres still a lot of work to do, but the league is getting antsy. They want an answer in the next couple of months. LeBrun: Brendan Shanahan addressed the Board of Governors on Tuesday, talking about league discipline. One of the things he brought up was Matt Cooke and how he became a rehabilitated player in part because of the help he got from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. The message from Shanahan was look at what that coaching staff did for Matt Cooke. Hed like to see more teams around the league adopt that model when it comes to helping out their own players when it comes to league discipline issues. Dreger: This was very much a business meeting for the governors of the NHL and good news for the small market owners, as they learned that they can earn upwards of $45 million. With the cap floor going to $52 million in 2014-15, those full revenue-sharing teams will get upwards of $20 million in national rights money, theyll get $20 million in revenue sharing and, perhaps, an extra $5 million in escrow. So thats $45 million of $52 million to get to the floor. LeBrun: The story that generated the most buzz today was something that wasnt even talked about within the walls of the Board of Governors meeting - expansion, but because Gary Bettman was questioned about expansion in the media, it was really his demeanour, more than what he actually said, that generated the buzz. He openly talked about receiving interest from other markets. In the past, he would just shut that down and not even broach it. It gives us the impression that expansion is on the horizon. One governor said, nevermind the next couple of years, he believes in the next year, expansion talk will heat up seriously. Q: Whats the next step for Jakob Chychrun, son of former Philadelphia Flyer Jeff Chychrun? McKenzie: Jakob Chychrun is a 62", 195-pound, 15-year-old defenceman who plays for the Toronto Canadiens of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. What makes him special is that if he decides to go the OHL route, hes expected to be the first-overall pick. While he never applied for exceptional status, even before that, they did make an exception at the Under-17 World Challenge this Christmas. He will be the first minor hockey player, not playing in the OHL, to go up and play on the Ontario under-17 team. 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