Islanders Camp Notes, Free Agency Rumblings: Crosby, Nikitin Signed; Wideman Still Makes a Ton

Don't forget, the New York Islanders prospect Orange/Blue scrimmage is tonight [some roster notes here].

Tickets are sold out, but they will be streaming the game live beginning at 6 p.m. EDT and we'll have an extra open thread for that.

In preparation, you can catch up on various PR coming out of all those camp interviews, as well as a bunch of NHL-wide free agency/contract news below. (If you're unable to watch the IslandersTV videos, the write-ups below based on the same interviews will help feed your parched thirst for the thoughts of young fellers.)

Islanders Bits

• A piece on Griffin Reinhart, who's had a whirlwind week.
• On Brent Thompson, excited to be "back" in the NHL.
• More from Calvin de Haan on his chase for a roster spot, and still more at nhl.com.
• The Isles pimp their growing size on the blueline. If you watched the Capuano interviews, you could see him grinning at the thought of all that size. Here's to hoping it comes with talent.
• And here's the announcement of Dean Chynoweth getting an AHL head coaching gig with Lake Erie. Monsters!
  
• This is the most acrobatic analysis of the Islanders goaltending last year that I can imagine.

Anyway, scrimmage is tonight. This thread is for those links as well as the latest free agency scuttlebutt:

• First: In theory, and officially, $70.2 million ($54.2 million floor) is the salary cap you're dealing with.
• As discussed Tuesday, the shallow UFA pool makes it seem trades are more likely. Also: The chill of the CBA messes with everyone.
• But again, here's your pool of "top" free agents.
• Hey look: A mathematician says Scott Howson is crazy (or doesn't trust his scouts).
• However, he scored La Femme Nikita Nikitin from the Blues and has now signed him to a smart two-year ($4.3 million) deal.
• Sorry, you can't sign Sidney Crosby next summer. He's signing a gargantuan (12 years, $104.4 million) deal with the Penguins. Nice deal for his value when healthy. Jaw-dropping deal for a guy who missed a whole year with a concussion.
• You knew this already, but you're not getting Justin Schultz. Seriously.
• Islanders killer Mike Santorelli is waived by the Panthers.
  
• Cory Schneider isn't sweating his contract or the Luongo thing. He knows he'll get his.
• Finally, this is my take on the Dennis Wideman contract. I get that you have to overpay when you get players for "free," but Wideman didn't actually come "free" and they just gave too much of everything.
• UPDATE: Hal Gill re-signs with Nashville, two years, $4 million.

Brenden Kichton Interview

Anyway, enjoy the scrimmage. There's a lot of interest in Brenden Kichton, so here's his camp interview (also, among those videos I think you can see de Haan has steadily bulked up):