The NHL's free agent frenzy quickly and abruptly halted following July 1.
After over $600 million was spent on Day 1 of free agency, teams have since become much more selective in choosing their next moves, and many players are now left nervously waiting for the chance to resume their careers.
With so many seeking jobs and only so many spots to be filled, it is only natural that many players who took to the ice last season might not be so fortunate this time around.
Here are five players who might not receive a contract heading into next season:
Mike Richards
After drug charges - which were eventually dropped - and a questionable contract termination by the Los Angeles Kings, the Washington Capitals decided to give Mike Richards another chance this season.
The club signed him to an affordable one-year, $1-million deal and pretty much got what they paid for.
Richards managed just two goals and three assists in 39 games, and went pointless in 12 playoff games.
He was lucky to have had a team take a chance on him last year, he might not be so lucky this time around.
John Scott
It's hard to believe that this year's All-Star Game MVP will likely go without a contract next season.
After becoming the feel good story of the year, John Scott is likely to go without another NHL contract. After starting the year with the Arizona Coyotes, Scott was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens where he played just one game for the big club before reporting to the St. John's IceCaps for 27 contests.
In case we needed another piece of evidence, rather than fielding phone calls on July 1, Scott was a special in-studio guest on TSN's free agency special instead.
Rene Bourque
Rene Bourque once strung together three 20-goal seasons from 2009 to 2011 with the Calgary Flames, but that was many moons ago.
Following his tenure with the Flames, he was moved to the Canadiens where he tallied just 21 goals and 39 points over 141 games.
A failed 30-game stint with the Anaheim Ducks in 2014-15, followed up with only three goals and eight points in 49 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets this past season, it's hard to imagine another team risking precious dollars on Bourque.
Christian Ehrhoff
Christian Ehrhoff has spent the last two seasons trying to join contending teams and has nothing to show for it.
After being sidelined with a concussion and subsequent concussion-like symptoms during the 2014-15 year with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ehrhoff joined the Kings this season.
He played 40 games with the team and five with the team's AHL club before being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. There he played eight games with the team, but served as a healthy scratch in the playoffs as the club bowed out in seven games.
With his age now a factor - 34 - his numbers dwindling, and a history of concussions to consider, Ehrhoff might just be out of luck.
Cody Hodgson
During the 2013-14 season Cody Hodgson had a career-year, hitting the 20-goal plateau for the first time while adding 24 assists for 44 points in 72 games with the Buffalo Sabres.
Two years later, he could be hard-pressed to find a roster spot on a NHL club. After following up his career-year with just six goals and 13 points in 77 games, Hodgson was moved to the Nashville Predators for the 2015-16 campaign where he didn't fare much better.
He put up just three goals and eight points in 39 games, only showing promise with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL where he had 11 points in 14 games.
Hodgson failed to crack the lineup for the Predators during their postseason run, and now it seems as though the former first-round pick's best chance at a roster spot could be in Europe.
