Let the frenzy begin.

As the calendar turns to July, hundreds of free agents will be in search of new deals, while the NHL's 31 general managers will spend their bosses' money, be it out of want or necessity.

It's time, then, to pull out our crystal ball and see what will happen in free agency beginning July 1.

Devil of a deal for Shattenkirk

The New Jersey Devils have a star winger in Taylor Hall, an elite goalie in Cory Schneider, and blue-chip prospects down the middle in Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha. They also have a boatload of salary cap space and glaring holes on the blue line.

Enter Kevin Shattenkirk, arguably the biggest name in free agency this summer.

There will be plenty of suitors, but general manager Ray Shero can outbid them all and offer Shattenkirk the opportunity to play close to his New York-area hometown.

Only defensemen Andy Greene and Ben Lovejoy are signed past 2017-18, and Shattenkirk would be a nice and necessary building block on the blue line to complement talent elsewhere on the roster.

Radulov is 'one and done' in Montreal

Alexander Radulov returned to the NHL by way of the Montreal Canadiens, but priced himself out of "La Belle Province" by fitting in so well.

Out of the league since 2012 following a brief and failed return to Nashville, Radulov left the KHL and signed a one-year deal with the Canadiens last summer. He went on to record 18 goals and 36 assists in 76 regular-season games, with an additional two goals and five assists in six playoff appearances.

Now, Montreal won't be able to afford to keep him.

Potential landing spots could include Vegas, Columbus, or San Jose.

Girardi will have options, sign multi-year deal

Former New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi won't have to wait long for a new job, and he'll get some security to go with a new deal.

On Tuesday, The Athletic's Craig Custance reported several teams had recahed out to former New York Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi, suggeting there will be a good market for his services in free agency.

This despite barely registering as a third-pair defenseman at this point in his career.

(Courtesy: Own The Puck)

Girardi, whose contract was bought out by the Rangers, will earn $1.11 million from the Blueshirts through to the end of 2022-23. Look for him to concurrently cash another hefty paycheck over the next three-to-five seasons, likely from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Thornton and Marleau team up elsewhere

Back in 2003, Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya - both of whom were recently elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame - left the Anaheim Ducks and decided to sign tandem deals with the Colorado Avalanche in pursuit of a Stanley Cup.

Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau find themselves in an eerily similar situation and there's a real possibility their long tenures with the San Jose Sharks have come to an end, leaving them to seek glory elsewhere around the NHL.

Drafted first and second overall respectively in 1997, Thornton and Marleau have become quite a duo both on and off the ice, and no doubt relish the opportunity to win together after failing to do so in San Jose.

The Dallas Stars have put themselves in position to win now and would be a great landing spot, but don't rule out the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, or even the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Long summer ahead for many

It's happening every year with increased regularity: following the initial rush of signings, several players are forced to wait things out until deep into the summer or even right up until training camp to find a new hockey home.

This year will be no exception, even with the advent of a 31st franchise to fill out. The salary cap didn't increase all that much and teams are relying more and more on cheaper, younger talent.

Once the dust has settled and teams have a better handle on their respective situations, look for an onslaught of short-term, low-value deals and training camp tryouts.

As an offshoot, Jarome Iginla and Shane Doan, for example, will be left with plenty of time to think about their futures.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Jordan Weal to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday.

The deal carries a cap hit of $1.75 million, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Weal drew significant interest in the lead-up to free agency, as the 25-year-old reportedly met with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks, among other potential suitors.

The Los Angeles Kings drafted Weal in the third round in 2010. He was dealt to the Flyers in 2016 as part of the trade that sent Vincent Lecavalier to Los Angeles.

Weal split last season between the Flyers and the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He netted 12 points in 23 games with the Flyers after scoring 47 points in 43 contests with the Phantoms.

Weal led the Flyers in a host of key categories last season, including a team-best 2.19 points per 60 minutes, 1.46 goals per 60, shooting percentage (18.42 percent), and a 55.96 Corsi For rating.

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The Calgary Flames have acquired goaltender Eddie Lack, defensive prospect Ryan Murphy, and a 2019 seventh-round pick from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Keegan Kanzig and a 2019 sixth-rounder, the teams announced Thursday night.

Carolina will retain 50 percent of Lack's salary in the deal, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

Murphy was drafted 12th overall by the Hurricanes in 2011, but has struggled to make much of an impact at the NHL level, spending time in the AHL in each of the past five seasons.

Kanzig, meanwhile, was a third-round pick of the Flames in 2013, and has yet to play a game in the NHL.

After trading for Mike Smith earlier in the offseason, Lack will likely serve as a backup for the Flames. Last season, the 29-year-old posted a 8-7-3 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. He's evidently been ruled the odd man out from a Carolina crease that now features Scott Darling and Cam Ward.

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Pending unrestricted free agent Patrick Sharp has been contacted by nine teams as he looks for a new contract on July 1, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports.

Sharp endured a trying season with the Dallas Stars in 2016-17, as two separate concussions and a season-ending hip surgery limited him to just 48 games.

Ultimately, Sharp's misfortune eliminated any leverage he might hold against potential suitors for a lucrative contract, but there's reason to believe the 35-year-old still has something left in the tank, health permitting.

While he notched just 18 points last season, Sharp has eclipsed the 30-goal mark four times in his career, topping 20 tallies on three different occasions. He's also a three-time Stanley Cup champion, and could potentially fill a need on several rosters to bolster an attack.

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Anton Thun knows his soft rock.

The agent for Steve Mason made reference to a certain chart-topper when asked about his client's future by Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Carchidi asked Thun via email Thursday if Mason was still considering the Philadelphia Flyers or if that ship had sailed.

“Google Christopher Cross’ greatest hits," the agent reportedly replied.

One of Cross' most successful tunes was 1980's "Sailing," off his eponymous debut album.

Thun implied Mason's days as a Flyer were numbered a couple of weeks ago when he told Carchidi the club didn't enter into contract talks with the pending unrestricted free-agent goaltender, adding that the agent and player were moving on.

A couple of days later, Flyers GM Ron Hextall told the Courier-Post's Dave Issac that Mason was still an option for Philadelphia.

The Winnipeg Jets have reached out to Mason's camp, as the Winnipeg Sun's Ken Wiebe reported Wednesday.

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Need some goal scoring? Call Jaromir Jagr.

The future Hall of Famer took to Twitter on Thursday with a little self-deprecating humor, poking fun at the apparent lack of interest in his services:

The 45-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and has made no bones about wanting to continue his NHL career. Jagr spent the 2016-17 campaign with the Florida Panthers, racking up 46 points in 82 games. The two sides discussed the possibility of a contract extension earlier this month.

Should Jagr continue his playing days, he'll need just 57 games to grab sole possession of the NHL's all-time games played mark, currently held by Gordie Howe. Last season, Jagr leapfrogged Mark Messier for the second spot in all-time scoring, behind only Wayne Gretzky.

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Trevor Daley's tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins appears to be drawing to a close.

The veteran defenseman has whittled his list of destinations down to two or three teams and the Penguins aren't one of them, an industry source told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Earlier Thursday, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings were contenders for the pending unrestricted free agent's services.

Daley helped Pittsburgh win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and spent parts of the last two seasons with the Penguins after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for Rob Scuderi in December 2015.

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Legendary Edmonton Oilers enforcer Dave Semenko died of cancer Thursday at the age of 59, and the player he was most responsible for protecting, Wayne Gretzky, released a heartfelt statement mourning the passing of his longtime friend.

From the Oilers' official website:

One of the first Oilers I met in 1978, I didn't know at the time the impact he would have in my life and my career. He was the toughest player I knew and yet the biggest Teddy Bear you would ever know. A beloved Oiler that will be missed dearly because of his kind heart and funny sense of humour. He made us all better people. RIP # 27, thanks for your friendship.

Gretzky and Semenko shared eight full seasons together with the Oilers in the 1980s, both playing integral roles in helping the club earn multiple Stanley Cups and become one of the most revered dynasties in NHL history.

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