They call it Canada Day in the Great White North, and incredibly, the name has nothing to do with hockey or the free-agent frenzy that usually accompanies July 1.
That’s a good thing, for this year’s class is about as enticing as P.K. Subban’s breath.
But Saturday is not just the day on which teams may begin negotiating with the unrestricted-free-agency class of 2017. It is also important for those with the opportunity to become unrestricted free agents in 2018.
Beginning July 1, players with one year left on their contracts — such as the Islanders’ John Tavares or Columbus’ Cam Atkinson or even Toronto’s James Van Riemsdyk (remember him?