Inside the NHL’s Hottest Free Agency Secrets: What the Draft Combine Whispers Reveal

In addition to their advertised “remarkable views of the downtown skyline and stunning sunsets,” the small hotel restaurant next to KeyBank Center, the Sabres’ arena, was full at every table with multiple people from the hockey world.

Around a corner, CAA super agent Pat Brisson lunched with NHL general managers, one after another. At the next table, top executives from the Toronto Maple Leafs dined with a group of agents — preparing for one of the busier offseasons in the league — as Detroit’s Steve Yzerman ambled by and said hello. Down the hall, Tampa Bay’s Julien BriseBois, Utah’s Bill Armstrong and other GMs linked up for quiet conversations away from prying media eyes.

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