The NHL free agency frenzy has been anything but a frenzy this year.
Sure there was the John Tavares soap opera that ended with the New York Islanders needing a centerman and the Toronto Maple Leafs dreaming of a deeper run in the playoffs.
But after the first hours of the free agency period, there has been little to get excited 
about except if you are a fantasy drafter.
One trade was announced Sunday with Ryan O’Reilly moving from the Buffalo Sabres to the St Louis Blues.
O’Reilly, 27, toiled in Buffalo for three years on a Sabres’ roster that was more patchwork than a competitive club.
“I’m definitely happy with what just happened,” O’Reilly said Monday on NHL.com.
O’Reilly had 61 points on 24 goals for the season but as soon as the campaign ended, he made negative comments about the team and organization after finishing last in the NHL.
“I don’t know if it was my comment at the end of the year that got it rolling,” O’Reilly said. “I think to a team that finishes in last place, you expect changes to happen, and it just so happened that I think they wanted to go younger.
“With the comments, I stand by them. I think I wanted to make a change, I wanted to personally do things different and be more honest and show I was making that effort that I was going to take responsibility and make that change. I think it wasn’t maybe perceived the best way, but sometimes that happens. I stand by it. … I’m happy with it. I didn’t really have any real expectations, but now that it finally happened and I can put the last few seasons behind me and look ahead, I feel like there’s a spark in me right now. There’s something different.”
One free agent signing on Monday that was notable was the move of James Neal to the Calgary Flames.
Neal had 44 points this past season with the Vegas Golden Knights on 25 goals; he added six goals and 11 points in 20 playoff games through the Stanley Cup Final.
“For me, I want to win,” Neal said. “I’ve been really close the last few years to winning a Stanley Cup. Once you get a taste you want more. We have great goaltending in [Mike Smith], and we have great guys up front and a good [defense] corps. I feel like we’re really close to winning, and for me I hope I can be that little piece that they’ve been missing.”
The Flames have been disappointing the last few seasons. They have played well but been betrayed by weak goaltending in the playoffs or a late season fade has cost them a berth in the post season.
“He fills a specific need, which is a top-six right winger,” Flames general manager Brad Treliving said. “It’s an area that we’ve been looking to address for a while. He fits a spot that we have open. He’s a big body, power-play guy, scores 5-on-5.
“When you look at a specific area going into this offseason, we wanted to look at our forward group and address some areas … depth at center ice, adding a right-shot at center ice, looking at our right wing position higher in the lineup, and creating overall depth in the organization. He certainly addresses some of that.”
Treliving has been busy in the off season, adding Bill Peters as head coach from the Carolina Hurricanes and completing a trade with the Canes for Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin.
“In the end, coming back and playing in a Canadian city and playing for the Flames and seeing how close they are to winning … they have all the right pieces … it’s going to be a good fit,” Neal said.
Elsewhere this week, Billy Gibbons, or rather Joe Thornton signed a one-year contract with the San Jose Sharks to stay on a club that surprised many in the Pacific Division last season.
“I think with [general manager] Doug [Wilson] adding [Kane] again this year, our window is always open it seems, in San Jose, and it’s a good feeling,” Thornton said
The one mystery left hanging is the disposition of Erik Karlsson in Ottawa. Reports confirmed that the Senators have given permission to Karlsson to talk to other clubs in the NHL and work a deal. He currently has an offer from the Sens but an extension is desired beyond the short-term offer from Ottawa.
“We don’t really want to talk about roster players, contract negotiations, trades, all these things, but I think we owe it to our fans and we made a promise at the town hall that we would make a contract offer to Erik Karlsson and we’ve done so,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said Sunday on NHL.com.
Karlsson had 62 points on the season on nine goals.
A few moves are coming but we will have to wait.
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