Former Preds Goaltender Mason Looks Back on NHL Free Agency Experiences

Under normal circumstances, the NHL transaction list would be a mile long on July 1.
At 11 a.m. CT on that date each year, the League's free-agency signing period begins - or, as it's more commonly referred to, the free-agent frenzy commences.
Of course, the year 2020 has been anything but typical. Instead of players finding new cities all across North America today, we await further details on the NHL's Return To Play Plan with the hopes of having live hockey again this summer.
In the meantime, we thought it might be enlightening to find out what it's like to be a free agent on July 1 from someone who has done so multiple times.

Predators broadcaster Chris Mason experienced three unique situations surrounding that date over his career as a goaltender - the initial instance as he avoided free agency, and the final two as he found different clubs requesting his services.
The first came in June of 2006, and the potential to sign a new contract wasn't the only thing on his mind.
"It was June 30, and I was in a hospital as my daughter was being born. She was born on June 30, and I was on the phone to my wife in labor before she's going to have the baby, and I'm on the phone with my agent, sending the messages and finding out what [former Preds Assistant General Manager] Paul Fenton and [Preds General Manager] David Poile said and what their offer is going to be and all this type of stuff. It was really crazy."
"I ended up agreeing to a contract with Nashville and signing on July 1, the day after my daughter was born. It was a pretty amazing day there, but it's really stressful when you go through those situations, because now you're on the clock. And in that situation, I was with Nashville, and I knew I could be unrestricted but you're going into potentially the unknown. There might be more opportunity out there, there might be a better chance to play more games but there might not be. And so, it's really tough to make those decisions. Obviously, I love Nashville, and we love Nashville… so that was an easy decision."

The Predators traded Mason to St. Louis 10 days before the start of free agency in the summer of 2008, and after two seasons with the Blues, he was about to test the waters - unrestricted - for the first time.
As July 1, 2010, neared, Mason thought he had an idea of what to expect. But hockey is very much a business at that time of the year, as he quickly found out.
"I was talking to the Blues about signing a contract, and the week before free agency, I was down in St. Louis looking for a place to live… We were talking contract negotiations, and all of a sudden, right before free agency, they signed Jaroslav Halak, so it was like a bombshell to me… All of a sudden, I was set to hit free agency again, and that was kind of a tough one to swallow, but that's life in pro sports.
"In free agency there I talked to a bunch of different teams. Now, some were more interested than others, and Atlanta was one that was most interested. I think New Jersey was really interested… but I thought Atlanta would be a better opportunity… to play a little bit more. But the hardest part was you don't have time to really sit down [and think about it].
"We were sitting there, and I didn't know what I wanted to do, to be honest with you, I had no idea. I was talking to my agent and I wanted to wait. But then again, I know that if I didn't sign that somebody else would, and there's only so many contracts. You know who's all out in the free agent pool, and there are a lot of similar kinds of players. I kind of wanted to wait, but you only have 45 minutes to an hour to make this decision, because sometimes teams will tell you, 'Hey, we've got to fill the spot so… if you don't want to do it, we have to move on and try to find somebody else.' They try to get to know as soon as possible, so that puts a lot of pressure on you.
"It was the tough one just because it had to happen so fast, and I don't think I was ready to really make that decision, but I had to make it quicker. So, there's good and bad, but it's exciting to hear teams that are interested in you, and then you also hear the ones that are a little bit interested that you wish were more interested. It's a very interesting process, and you don't really have a lot of time to make that life-changing decision."
Mason signed a two-year deal with the Thrashers on July 1, 2010, but after one season, the team moved to Winnipeg as the Jets were reborn. Being a part of that arrival to Manitoba was a highlight of Mason's career, and he's glad he got to experience that season as a player.
After that first campaign as a member of the Jets, Mason was set to become an unrestricted free agent once more. That situation presented unique opportunities as well, but ultimately, Mason decided to come home.

"I didn't end up really talking to the Jets much about a contract until the day before in the morning of free agency, and they actually offered me a better deal than I got in Nashville. But I ended up taking that [deal with the Preds] because I was getting older, I didn't know how many more years I had, and in Nashville they had a really good year the year before. I obviously knew the coaches, a lot of the players, I love the city, so I took one year less and less money per year on the contract.
"Winnipeg offered me a two-year deal, and Nashville offered me the one year. I loved playing in Winnipeg, but I knew that they were still a young team in a rebuild situation. I just wanted to give one more crack at potentially winning a Stanley Cup or doing something awesome in the playoffs. It ended up being a lockout year, so obviously that never materialized, but that's a dream of any hockey player and I had to give myself the best opportunity to do that even if it meant leaving money on the table and an extra year in the NHL. I just kind of made that decision from the heart.
"I was actually on vacation at the time, and it was really tough for me to actually pick one of those teams because the Winnipeg situation was better deal for me money wise, but Nashville - I love Nashville."
In the moment, Mason says it was tempting at times to look back and wonder what might have been if he had made a different decision. However, now that his playing days are complete, he doesn't have any regrets at how things played out over the course of his career when it came to free agency.
Ultimately, he was able to come back to a place in Nashville that simply reaffirmed his affection for the city, and it's led to life after his time in the crease.
"Free agency, it's not easy. But, at the end of the day you get the opportunity to play in the best League in the world and play the game you love. It all kind of works out in the end."