Tomorrow – Matt Bugg will Blog live the other rounds of the NHL Draft! Be sure to join us!

Pronger's arrival in Philly will hurt Coburn and Carle, but is sure helps Whitney and Wisniewski. Also – this is HUGE for Lupul owners. No longer buried, he should flourish back in ANA.

Pronger traded to Philly for Lupul, Sbisa and two firsts, according to Dreger's Tweet. 

I thought the cap would go down a million, but the NHL and the PA announced that the cap will actually go up $100K next season, during this recession. This will make a lot of teams sigh in relief.

Stu's got a great grasp of the buzz at the Draft in his blog on the main page. I'll just jump on to discuss any trades. Maybe Pronger to Philly soon…

Darren Dreger is reporting that Niedermayer will indeed come back next season. If the Ducks re-sign him, you may wanna consider dealing Whitney/Wisniewski

I have a quick 90-minute poll up – who do YOU think?

Darren Dreger's new hunch: the Isles will take Matt Duchene.

Just sticking a comment I made below up here in the ramblings for all to see, in case anyone is interested. "All things being equal, a young future 40-goal scoring forward vs. a 60-point two-way defenseman in his prime is a pretty even swap. However, Kessel needs to be signed and he'll want more than Kaberle. The Bruins also have several fantastic forwards in the system who could replace Kessel within a year. It would pretty much boost the Bruins defense without costing them anything (since Kessel is replaceable). The Leafs know this, so they will charge more. But it will be a good deal for both sides (the Leafs have a lot of defensemen in the pipe and need more scoring up front). Adding Kaberle, and considering Sobotka, Colborne, etc are in the pipeline – watch out!"

TSN has changed their story to one that makes more sense. Phil Kessel and a draft pick for Kaberle. And apparently, the Leafs are canvassing the league for better offers, else they'll just take this one. Stralman could really capitalize on this opportunity, even though Burke doesn't seem to be a big fan of his. Kaberle and Chara would man the point on the PP – and Wideman would be left out in the cold.

Great news – Bugg's previous commitment is now cancelled, so he will be around for tonight's Draft. Not only will you have Stu Blogging live, but Bugg will jump in the ramblings to give his two cents. I'll be around to break down any trades.

Elliott Friedman is tweeting that Martin St. Louis will not waive his no-trade clause. Just in case you thought it was far too silent on that front.

Chris Botta, formerly an exec with the Islanders and a fellow HBWA award winner for his Blog on the Islanders, seems very convinced that the Isles will actually grab Tavares. So now I've heard convincing arguments about both JT and VH. Time to just admit – I really have no clue. The smart move, I do know, is Tavares. Just for the marketing alone.

Kessel for Kaberle talks, and update can be found here . Basically, the 7th overall pick was not involved. That makes more sense.

Indications are that the Isles will actually take Hedman. If Tavares slips to Tampa Bay, look for a huge trade to go down. Frankly, I think the Isles should go with JT, but the theory is if you are equally high on a foward and a D, always take the D.

Exactly. As a commenter below has stated, Kaberle in Boston will kill Wideman's fantasy value.

Martin Havlat's agent has stated (via Twitter) that he did NOT get a one-year contract offer from the Hawks.

Later today – Stu McDonald jumps on to Blog live on the draft, giving you his immediate impression fantasy-wise.

It sounds like Ryane Clowe, J-Bo, Lecavalier, Kaberle and Kessel are the big names floating around.

Further to my quick ramble this morning at the end of yesterday's ramblings, I think Kessel for Kaberle straight up is fairly even, but adding seventh overall would be folly. Schroeder will be available with that pick and you would essentially be getting the same player there, except a few years younger. And there are better players than he available at that spot.

Any deals done today will get a full fantasy breakdown article on the main page, beneath Stu's Draft Blog.

Sergei Zubov's Dallas home – up for sale. Talks must not be going well. See his house HERE . 

The Daily Herald is reporting that Martin Havlat has been offered a one-year deal by the Hawks. Naturally, he wants more. Naturally, the Hawks look at his shoulder and his recent concussions and are saying "uh uh".

Brad Tapper has retired from hockey. He was a strong Atlanta prospect, even scoring 10 goals in 35 games in 2003 as a promising 25-year-old. He couldn't stick though, and played his career out in Germany.

Grant Stevenson has signed to play in the Swiss League next campaign.