July 1st... Christmas time for most NHL players and fans as teams around the league retool and reload for next season.

No team has made more noise in the past 24 hours than the Montreal Canadiens. A day after picking up center Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers in a trade, the Canadiens added free agents, center Michael Cammalleri (5 years $30 million), defenceman Hal Gill (2 years $4.5million), forward Jaroslav Spacek (3 years $11.5 million) and forward Brian Gionta (5 years $25 million). No Hab fan can really be disappointed (except maybe in the Spacek pickup, but we'll see) in what GM Bob Gainey did today. Cammalleri will probably command the first line duty as center for the Canadiens, and this guy has been a solid performer, posting 39 goals and 43 assists last season with the Flames. Re-uniting Brian Gionta with Scott Gomez suddenly makes yesterdays unusual trade with the Rangers make a whole lot more sense. Gionta and Gomez were a great tandem together in New Jersey several years ago, and Gainey is banking on the pair to find that magic again. Solid marks to the Gainey and the Habs.

The New York Rangers, blessed with cap room after moving Scott Gomez yesterday, gave Glen Sather the green-light to start spending money wildly again. The Rangers picked up enforcer Donald Brashear (2 years $2.8 million... way too much money in my opinion) and forward Marion Gaborik (5 years $37.5 million). The Gaborik signing could either be a gem or the move that finally runs Sather out of New York depending on whether or not he can stay healthy... which has been a big problem for him the past few seasons. The Brashear signing most likely means the end of Blair Betts' days in New York since the last time the two saw one another, the former was wiping the latter's orbital bone off of his elbow.

The Vancouver Canucks re-signed the Sedin twins just prior to the noon free agency period this morning to identical 5 year deals worth $30.5 million. The Canucks are rumored to be working on long-term extension for their captain and goaltender Roberto Luongo as well.

The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up free agent defenceman Mike Komisarek for 5 years, $22.5 million, and former Rangers tough guy Colton Orr, for 4 years, $4 million.

The Washington Capitals acquired forward Mike Knuble for 2 years, $5.6 million.

The Chicago Blackhawks made another free agent splash picking up free agent forward Marian Hossa for 12 years, $62.8 million. Hossa opted to cash in this year rather than bet the farm on a one year deal with a contender like he did with Detroit last year... however, the Chicago Blackhawks are not far from being a contender themselves after making it to the Western Conference Finals last year.






The Edmonton Oilers who lost goaltender Dwayne Roloson to the New York Islanders (2 years $5 million) acted quickly and signed backstop Nikolai Khabibulin to a 4 year, $15 million deal. The Oilers are also currently working on trying to convince Ottawa Senators winger Dany Heatley to waive his no-trade clause and join their club. The Oilers have agreed with the Senators on a trade to move Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner, and Ladislav Smid to Ottawa for Heatley, but the deal fell through when he refused to accept. Heatley is now faced with the very real possibility that the Oilers may be he last chance to get out of Ottawa as the pool of suitors has all but dried up.

Busy day today and it is certainly not over. There should be plenty of more action over the next few days, and throughout the remainder of the summer. To keep up with all of the movement around the NHL, check out the free agent tracker TSN.ca has set up.

Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh