Just got in from the heat, some news tidbits:

Gagne-for-Quick rumor. Bit of a gamble by the Kings going with the untested (at the NHL level) Bernier. Gagne would be a huge upgrade on the left side, as they have nothing past Ryan Smyth.

Quick had a great season but was worn out by the time the playoffs rolled around. He’d be a nice upgrade both in the short and long term on Boucher/Leighton.

The Bruins are close to re-signing Mark Stuart. I see Hunwick as the odd man out on the back end.

Darren Dreger is speculating that Philadelphia may waive Gagne if he doesn’t waive his NTC. I doubt Gagne would last long on the wire (Edmonton would get the first crack at him and they’d love to add a legitimate top six forward).

Hopefully a fantasy-relevant signing or two comes down the pipeline tomorrow.

According to RDS, Simon Gagne has NOT waived his NTC.

Calgary has made a very smart move in hiring Jay Feaster as assistant GM. It sounded like Darryl Sutter had too many responsibilities last season (and this summer as well, judging from Calgary’s Juy 1st activity).

I am constanstly getting e-mails from poolies who are afraid of their competition reading about their ideas on the forum. One of my favourite parts (had this happen last night) is when I get e-mails from both sides of a trade asking for my opinion.

To all of you out there afraid of your competition stealing your ideas – too late!

Fantasy ramifications on a potential Zherdev signing in Philadelphia are significant. I’ll get to work on it once the signing is confirmed. Sounds like a one-year deal for less than $3 million.

Joe Colborne has shown up to Boston’s prospect camp in fantastic shape. He has a good shot at earning a spot in the top nine. Although he is a natural center, he has wisely been practicing/playing as a winger.

For those of you in the Vancouver area, I am going to be on the TEAM 1040 this Sunday to talk fantasy hockey! I'll update with the exact time when I find out.

The Lebda signing in Toronto makes sense, assuming it is a precursor to a move or two.

He is a solid 5/6 defenseman who can skate and move the puck (sometimes in the wrong direction, mind you). Toronto is deep on defense and Carl Gunnarsson keeps getting bumped down the depth chart, which is unfortunate.

Kaberle is definitely gone at some point before the 2010-11 season. However, Toronto would still be left with Beauchemin, Komisarek, Schenn, Phaneuf, Finger, Lebda, and Gunnarsson. Do they bury Finger in the AHL.

Detroit's top four are all locked up – Lidstrom, Kronwall, Rafalski, and Stuart. Jonathan Ericsson is signed through 2010-11 as well, but he is far from a sure thing.

Look for the Wings to bring in a cheap veteran like Salei/McKee and let Jakub Kindl and Brendan Smith also compete for a spot in camp.

Evgeni Nabokov – a good goalie playing behind a great team. I'm excited to see what Niittymaki can do, although he is in tough with San Jose's current defensive group.

After Boyle, Murray,  and Vlasic, the starting six consists of Demers, Huskins, and Wallin. Yikes.

Joe Corvo signing with the Hurricanes is great for Joe Corvo, but bad for McBain (less power play time), Babchuk (ditto) and Sanguenetti (roster spot).

I'll play devil's advocate with Dobber regarding Halak. His development over the past few years has been tremendous – dominant in the QMJHL, the ECHL, the AHL, and the NHL. He has been lauded for his commitment, work ethic, and technical proficiency. Great signing by the Blues at a very fair cap hit.

I think Halak is a superior goalie to Price in every facet of the game.

Contracts aren't rewarded to RFA's based on proven results anymore; it is all about the future and potential. Some GM's (Glen Sather) still haven't clued in this yet.

Prospect to get on your radar – Patrice Cormier. He is being pencilled in as the third line center in Atlanta. Could have a nice 30-40-point, 100+ PIM rookie campaign in 2010-11.

I really like Peter Regin as well. I could see him breaking out with a 60-point campaign. His only competition in Ottawa on the left side is Milan Michalek, who is close to completing his "buy four get one free" knee surgery special.

Regin is fast, surprisingly gritty, and extremely skilled.

Those of you holding out hope on Cal O'Reilly developing into a legitimate NHL player… the clock is ticking. He's the fifth center in Nashville right now. Hopefully there is a team out there willing to take a chance on him.

Mathieu Perreault is a solid young player, but to me it is foolish that a contending team is going to rely on a rookie to center the second line (I don't see Tomas Fleischmann working out as a full-time center). Having one starting in goal is bad enough…