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It's Impossible To Holdout Without A Contract: A Lesson In Common Sense

It's not a difficult concept to understand; honest. I mean, I get it. And I don't get a whole hell of a lot.

By Nolan Cardwell
Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

If we told Haggs that TD Garden was relocated to a vacant parking lot in Waltham, he'd probably show up on October 8 all geared up for some Flyers-Bruins action. The man covers the Bruins for a living, so you would think that at some point he'd grasp this whole restricted free-agents aren't holdouts nonsense. I mean after all, it is his job to know this kind of stuff.

With that said, let me enlighten the rest of you:

REILLY SMITH AND TOREY KRUG AREN'T HOLDOUTS.

Why?

BECAUSE THEY AREN'T UNDER CONTRACT.

"But but Nolan, Brad Marchand wasn't under contract and still went to camp and loves us?!?!" Yeah, great. Did Marchand go to camp following the 2011 Stanley Cup while being in the same contractual position as Krug and Smith? Yes. Was his situation different? Yes.

Peter Chiarelli has no money. He's -$850,000 in the hole - though placing Savard on LTIR will save some dough - so not much can be done on the RFA front until some cap space is freed up. Should Chiarelli burden some of the blame? Oh, hell yeah. Kelly and Seidenberg's contracts are the financial equivalent of Dennis Wideman trying to play defense, and much like the ladder during his brief tenure in Beantown, they're crippling the Bruins.

The point here, though, is that Krug and Smith aren't holding out. Don't freak out and get pissed they won't be gliding around the ice with Lucic and the ghost of Simon Gagne later this week. They're looking to get paid; the same thing everyone of us would be looking to do, given we were fortunate enough to be in their shoes.

They aren't holding out. Please remember that because I don't want to write another one of these. Tell your family, friends and even the town drunk yelling "charman need to fights more!" at a TV from 1994 located behind the bar.

I hoped you've listened to what I've had to say. This is very important. Like more important than anything ever.

Warmest regards,

Dr. Nolan Cardwell IV