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So, I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend, I know I did. Luckily, the NHL free agency action took a break as well to enjoy the multitude of barbeques and fireworks. However, now that it is Monday morning, everyone's back to work (well, everyone but the Americans, of course), and this includes the general managers and free agents.
Anyways, today's big story comes from a tweet from Jay Grossman, who is the player agent for Ilya Kovalchuk, that says the following: "Ilya Kovalchuk looking to make decision on his future today...." (By the way, for any doubters out there, LeBrun from ESPN confirmed it is actually Kovy's agent.) Stay tuned.....
Open thread now open. Will add updates throughout the day.
Update (4:44 PM): Going for stabilization on defence, Stevie Y and the Lightning sign Brett Clark to a 2-year, $3.2 million contract. A busy summer for the new Tampa GM indeed.
Update (2:05 PM): Reports are coming out right at this very moment that Bob Probert collapsed and died on his boat just a short while ago. The 45-year-old, who once played for the Red Wings and Blackhawks, was known for his fighting. RIP Bob.
Update (12:49 PM): Relax, everyone, the Kovy sweepstakes are still on. What the NY Post reported this morning (Devils offering $60M over 7 years) hasn't actually happened (yet.....). In fact, as Mirtle noticed and Puck Daddy posted, they even had to change the name of the article.
Update (12:00 PM): I hate to spark the heated discussions we have about Cody Hodgson, but the Province reported on Friday that he has been given permission by the Canucks to skip the prospects camp. He is currently training with other players such as Steven Stamkos in the Toronto area, and is expected to report to training camp at the end of summer. Edit: Turns out that Sean had already added this to the prospects camp post on Friday, and I hadn't noticed it until now. Sorry, Sean.
Update (11:04 AM): Oilers sign Taylor Hall to a 3-year entry-level contract.