Everything appears to be in place for the floodgates to open along with the start of NHL free agency on Friday. With a number of teams eager to open their wallets and very little top-level talent available beyond Brad Richards, one league observer predicted the spending could get "out of control." NHL general managers have certainly been down that road before -- most notably July 1, 2008, when nearly US$400 million in contract commitments was handed out in a matter of hours. While it seems unlikely that kind of money will be spent again -- there simply arent enough players available -- a similar climate exists this time around. The free-agent crop doesnt come close to matching the demand, so players like James Wisniewski, Erik Cole and Max Talbot have leverage to ask for more money than they otherwise might. Interestingly, some of the big spenders will likely be teams at the bottom end of the pay scale that are trying to reach next years $48.3-million salary floor. "I look at my board and I see the number of players and quality of players, and theres just not the high-end players," Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said Thursday on a conference call. "Of course, youve got the floor of the cap and teams have to spend so youre going to get contracts that are generally higher in the unrestricted market. "I think theyll be at an even added premium because they have to spend." Richards was destined to be paid big money no matter what kind of shape the market was in. The centre has averaged slightly less than a point per game since the lockout and is the lone marquee player available. He travelled to suburban Toronto and will be with agent Pat Morris when the suitors start making their pitches at 12 p.m. ET on Friday. Richards is 31 and recently played out the last season of a deal that paid him $7.8 million annually. Hell likely command another long-term contract in a similar pay bracket. The urgency in the marketplace could be seen in some of the signings made Thursday: Buffalo signed Christian Ehrhoff to a reported $40 million, 10-year contract; Carolina gave forward Jussi Jokinen a $9-million, three-year deal after watching his goal total drop from 30 to 19 last season; and Chicago signed journeyman Steve Montador to an $11-million, four-year contract after surrendering a seventh-round pick to acquire his rights from Buffalo. And those players didnt even reach the open market. The average salary was $2.28 million last season (before escrow deductions) and appears destined to take another jump in 2011-12, the final year of the collective bargaining agreement. A number of GMs find themselves in an awkward position. With pressure mounting to improve their team and send a message, they have very few choices. To top things off, they must all surely be aware of the mistakes made in the recent past. Former Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon famously lamented "on July 1, you always overpay" after spending more than $79 million to land Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet in 2008. Tallon is now in charge of the Florida Panthers and needs to spend to get to the floor even after acquiring Campbell in a trade last weekend. Who does he want to overpay now? A number of teams probably regret getting involved in the free-for-all that was July 1, 2008. Toronto grabbed Jeff Finger that day while the New York Rangers landed Wade Redden and both players now find themselves earning big-league money in the minors. The Columbus Blue Jackets also inked Mike Commodore -- the same player they placed on unconditional waivers Thursday with the intent of buying out the remaining two years of his deal. Sheldon Souray, signed to a five-year deal by the Edmonton Oilers in 2007, can also expect to be bought out Friday after being placed on waivers. Its the time of year where GMs make more mistakes than any other. Clearly, none of them want to repeat those errors. "Im a little wary of the market," said Chiarelli. "The cap is high and its certainly going to come down in some shape or form (eventually)." Of course, he can afford to be patient. With the nucleus of his championship team virtually intact -- defenceman Tomas Kaberle and forward Michael Ryder will each test free agency -- there is much less pressure for Chiarelli to get involved in the action. Ultimately, the key to successfully navigating this July 1 probably lies in bringing modest expectations. "If youre looking for a No. 1 centre or that kind of player, maybe (the free-agent class) is not as strong -- thats debatable," Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman told local beat writers Thursday on a conference call. "But we havent been focusing on that because were comfortable with the players we have in those roles. Were trying to get a different kind of player into our mix here. 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The Cardinals (10-1) took control early and never let up against the Bears (8-2). They combined dominant rebounding and offensive accuracy during a 16-0 first-half run for a 19-4 lead in the first meeting between the schools since 2006. Harrell was among four Cardinals with at least eight rebounds each, a combination that alone outdid MSU in Louisvilles 51-30 domination of the boards including 20-10 offensively. They also outscored the Bears 46-28 inside and held them to 38 per cent shooting to close a 5-0 home stand. Asked if this was Louisvilles best effort to date, Harrell answered, "Id say so. It was a great win. The first half we really got into it, (and it) got us going." Senior guard Russ Smith added 11 points and eight assists, while freshman Terry Rozier had 11 points and eight rebounds. Forwards Stephan Van Treese and Mangok Mathiang combined for 17 rebounds for Louisville, which shot 34 of 66 from the field (52 per cent). Louisville coach Rick Pitino agreed that it was the best he has seen his team play, adding, "I dont know what was better, the defence, the offence or the offensive rebounding. It was just awesome in the first half." Jarmar Gulleys 14 points led the Bears, whose two-game winning streak was thoroughly halted by a Cardinals squad that controlled every facet of the game. MSU led Louisville 4-3 before the Cardinals seized the pace with the big run. The Bears never got closer than 17 after that, spoiling Paul Lusks 100th career game as a coach. "They just dominated us on the glass," Lusk said. "Theyve got a lot of talent but they also play so darn hard.dddddddddddd We just simply couldnt keep them off the glass. That was the telltale of the game." Missouri State brought some impressive credentials into its second meeting against Louisville and first since losing to the Cardinals in the 2006 NIT. The Bears were runners-up to Virginia in the Corpus Christi Challenge, a four-game run that included a win over previously unbeaten Texas A&M. They also boasted an impressive scoring combination in Gulley and Marcus Marshall, who had combined for nearly 27 points per game coming in and were developing into a strong scoring duo in just four games together. Against the Cardinals, though, they combined for only 22 points as Marshall finished with eight. MSUs bench was outscored 32-26, 10 points below their average. Louisville welcomed back point guard Chris Jones from a one-game absence because of a sprained right wrist. Rozier started but the 5-foot-10 junior came in five minutes later with the wrist bandaged and finished with nine points in 19 minutes. The Cardinals were in the midst of their key run when Jones entered. The sequence was highlighted by Chane Behanans thunderous one-handed dunk off of Van Treeses long lead pass and Roziers steal of the inbounds pass and layup seconds later. Louisville continued to overwhelm MSU, which was outrebounded 20-5 through 13 minutes and 27-10 overall in the first half. That statistic offered the best indicator of Louisvilles defensive effort, which disrupted the Bears dribbling, passing and shot selection. The Cardinals nearly matched their per-game blocks average (4.6) by the break alone, finishing with seven and answering everything MSU attempted. "They switched defences a lot," said MSU guard/forward Keith Pickens, who had four points. "It was sometimes hard to read. I think it came down to rebounding early. They killed us on the offensive glass." Louisvilles offence was just as effective, as the Cardinals dissected MSUs zone and muscled their way for baskets. Louisville also had 14 assists and recorded seven blocks. 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