NHL Free Agency Begins, Rumors Fly, Etc.

The NHL free agency period is officially upon us, with signings allowed to legally begin (wink wink) at noon today, July 1. (Watch live coverage via nhl.com/Sportsnet over here.)

Will the Islanders be active? Mildly, probably. Expect a goalie. Don't expect the moon (though honestly, outside of Paul Stastny, I can't tell who the "shoot the moon" candidates are this summer).

• I think it's worth noting, to temper annual hopes: Truly rewarding cap-space-for-player trades are rare. [LHH]
• Arthur Staple talks to Garth Snow before July 1 opens. [Newsday]
• Referenced in that piece: The lottery ticket approach to goaltending: How to exploit an uncertain market - SBNation.com
• Here is the 1993-94 Jamie McLennan jersey. Man, suddenly that is so long ago. [3rd String Goalie]
• Islanders Draft Party reactions: [7th Woman | Isles Official]

Around the World

• The top NHL free agents, not in slideshow form. [SB Nation]
• Looks like Ryan Johansen doesn't want a bridge deal, and the Blue Jackets do. We've seen this kind of standoff before; usually the player loses. Blue Jackets management was good at pulling off bridge deals when they were in St. Louis.
• The Devils had an easier itime with Adam Larsson, entering a one-year deal. [NHL]
• By Corsi, who are the key defensemen for each team in the East? [Sporting News]
  
• Hoppy's broken family situation continues: P.A. Parenteau has been traded for -- guffaw -- the ghost of Daniel Briere. Beat writer insight followed by hilarious analysis: "Parenteau wasn’t Roy’s kind of player. I won’t put words in his mouth, but the sense I got was that he just felt Parenteau was a little too one-way of a player, perhaps not intense enough too" ... and then this: "First off, Briere may be slowing down some, or a lot depending on whom you ask, but the guy is a battler." [Denver Post]
• Comparing Carl Gunnarsson with Roman Polak. [PPP]
  

Dejan Kovacevic, as best I can tell from my unfortunate encounters with his work over the years, is one of those blowhard generalist sports columnists who is paid to bloviate on multiple sports, none of them well. So yes, this exchange made me laugh:

.@Dejan_Kovacevic actually... More recently than Pittsburgh if you want to focus on accuracy... Not that you worry about that in your job.

— AntSanPhilly (@AntSanPhilly) June 27, 2014

Well anyway, enough media rips. Enjoy the free agent frenzy. Consider this your open thread. And remember to source your rumors/trades if you're sharing them.