Evander Kane has signed an ELC with Atlanta. Do I think he will make the team? No, I think he is a year away. But I do believe he will get a nine-game tryout.

The Kings also signed Justin Azevedo to his first two-way deal. Prior to this, he was on an AHL deal. It shows that the Kings see promise in him.

Info on the Kings’ latest signings and their development camp found in this interview with Ron Hextall from just hours ago…

Purcell’s contract was a one-way deal worth a reported $600K.

Matt Hunwick has signed a two-year extension with the Bruins. No details released. He makes a good dark horse, but his healthy scratches make me not overly trust him…

The Kings have signed Teddy Purcell to a one-year deal. I’m trying to find out if it is one-way or two-way.

The Habs have signed Curtis Sanford to a two-way deal. If Price starts off strong, the team can now trade Halak and bring up a capable No.2.

The Flames have signed Dawes to a two-year deal. He is a risky pick for 45 points and is a candidate for a top-six role. Or press-box watcher. It will depend on him.

The Sabres announced they have agreed to terms with defenseman Andrej Sekera on a multi-year contract and reached an arbitration settlement on a one-year deal with forward Clarke MacArthur. Both players should increase last year’s totals this year, but not by too much – a handful of points.

I believe that Dany Heatley will be traded before the season begins. It may take until the end of September, but I believe he will be moved. The Sens are currently over the cap, so something has to give. With that assumption in mind, Ryan Shannon will still be in Ottawa’s top six. However, he is a little fragile and I don’t think you should count on more than 65 games from him. Given 65 games, 40 points is my expectation. Some may feel I’m going a little high with him, but it is what it is. You can’t deny how well he played and produced for Cory Clouston in Ottawa and you could tell he was a favorite of Clouston’s from Binghamton. So 40 points in 65 games for Shannon and more if he can stay healthy.

It sounds as though Traktor (KHL) coach Andrei Nazarov would let Evgeni Dadonov go to the Panthers for $1 million or so in compensation. He also told russianprospects.com that “One year ago we let go Vyacheslav Voinov  (Los Angeles Kings) who’s now stuck in the AHL and stopped progressing.” I found that kind of funny, considering Voinov has made huge strides and I have him penciled in the guide to make the Kings this year.

Here is an interesting interview with Rangers’ prospect Evgeni Grachev, courtesy of Hockey’s Future.

Talks with Phil Kessel are going nowhere. Other teams are probably reluctant to come in with an offer sheet of more than $5 million per season, and it would be pointless to come in lower. At $5 million, the Bruins would match and accept being temporarily over the cap, and all they would be doing is making an enemy of the Bruins. To go $6 million or higher, you paying a lot for an unproven player. Expect this to drag into September and possibly October.

A quick note on Darren Helm (a player mentioned in the comments below the ramblings yesterday and as you know I plan to respond to those as the slow news season continues). Helm is now a Red Wing full time. That said, as impressive as he was in the postseason, he will be nothing more than an elite checker. Now, and in the future. Think Kris Draper, but add about 10 points a season. So where Drapes peaked at around 45 points, Helm will peak at around 55. Where Drapes usually got 35-40 points a season, Helm will get 45-50.