Takin' a T/O With BT: Behind the Scenes Signings of NHL Free Agency 2009

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Let's face it—July 1 is a big deal in Canada.

Who would've thought the NHL would be smart enough to place the day that free agent signings can commence on the same day as the birthday of a land mass who could provide each of it's inhabitants with 27 baseball fields worth of land.

It's true. I read it on the JumboTron at SkyDome (or for the "politically correct," the Roger's Centre).

Sidenote: The politically correct can bite me. It will always be the SkyDome.

But on the day Canada turned 142, the nation was treated to a wealth of things to talk about, a majority of them centering around hockey.

A drive home from Toronto that began with gloating over the Blue Jays' 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays to the two Rays' fans in the car quickly turned to shouts of surprise, anger and excitement as we began to catch up on the latest NHL free agent news.

Sidenote: My friend Will (one of the two Tampa fans—his other being his girlfriend) is the most obscure sports fan you'll ever meet: He's a Minnesota Timberwolves fan, a Minnesota Vikings fan, a Phoenix Coyotes fan (formerly the Jets) and a Tampa Bay Rays fan. He's a transplanted Winnipeg resident living in Southwestern Ontario, meaning the only one I actually understand is the Jets/Coyotes one.

Poor guy, he may be the most diverse sports fan who'll never witness any of his teams win a championship if they keep going 'close but no cigar.'

Of course, there was the news of the Sedins re-signing in Vancouver and Marian Hossa's monster deal with the Chicago Blackhawks to vault them firmly into the Western Conference stratosphere; but there were also the minor deals mentioned.

Deals featuring players who get lost in the shuffle of the big-money contracts and the long-term tie-ups; guys simply looking for one last shot at glory, a chance to keep playing the game they love while contributing to a team or even a chance at all.

These are the players and the contracts that can turn out to be the biggest steals on deadline day.

Don't get me wrong, Marian Hossa signing for 12 years and the New York Rangers paying Marian Gaborik $7.5 million is news, but we always knew Hossa could swaggle the long-term deal he wanted from someone. It just happened a year later than we thought.

We also knew that someone out there would be desperate enough to pay Gaborik a bunch of money to stay healthy for half a season (But who knows? He could surprise).

So while everyone pumps out articles regarding today's perceived big winners, let's look at who could pay dividends down the road when they slip out from the shadows of obscurity.

Dwayne Roloson—Goalie, New York Islanders—2 years, $5 million ($2.5 hit)

In going to the New York Islanders, Dwayne Roloson really did two things.

First of all, he helped prove to everyone that while Dany Heatley is still contemplating whether or not he wants to live there, Nikolai Khabibulin wants to live in Edmonton.

Or at least get paid by them.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?