Free Agency Frenzy Livecap: OMG it's 7/1!!!

5:46 PM EST: And the news on Parise...no decision until tomorrow according to McKenzie.  Apparently he's narrowed his list to a few and will sleep on the decision.  Wonderful.  Guess I might as well shut this blog off for the night, no motivation to update whether Jason Garrison may or may not go anywhere.  Unless Devil FA's start signing and give an indication Zach isn't on our short list, nothing big should happen tonight.  Apparently Suter will also be sleeping on his decision.  So this'll be decided when I'm at work, yay.

CONFIRMED (5:42 PM EST): Ducks sign former Cane defenseman Bryan Allen to a three-year deal at $3.5 million per.

5:30 PM EST: And yes, Marty, Salvador and Moose are all sitting around waiting, with no real rumors about any of them other than the media trying to play up the Marty to Chicago angle.  Latest NHL Tonight rumor on Zach is a supposed 12 year, $100 million offer by the Flyers.  Zoinks...and the Flyers aren't exactly a team that need forwards.

5:27 PM EST: A couple of minor signings down the pike, PK forward Jay McClement to the Leafs for two years, $3 million and former Nucks defensman Sami Salo to Tampa for two years, $3.75 million.  Again, a lot for a 35+ guy who's injury prone.

5:26 PM EST: James Mirtle ‏@mirtle

One source on the lack of frenzy right now: "The market is frozen until Parise and Suter sign."

Wonderful...the suspense is building.

5:22 PM EST: Rumor looks false for now, if Suter has made a decision he hasn't told agent Neil Sheehy yet.

5:13 PM EST: Rumor from Nick Kypreos is that Suter is going to Detroit.  Nothing confirmed yet, but it wouldn't be a big shock either.

5:01 PM EST: Haha Craig Button: 'There's nothing free about free agency'.

5 PM EST: And NHL Tonight is coming on now, we'll see if anything new breaks.  Not much going on unless you count Sheldon Brookbank signing in Chicago or the ancient Adrian Aucoin in Columbus lol.

CONFIRMED (4:12 PM EST): Isles gain goons, lose P.A. Parenteau to Colorado for four years, $16 million.  More stupid money but that's free agency.

CONFIRMED (4:04 PM EST): lol ex-Devil Eric Boulton goes to the Isles. Boulton and Carkner on the Island, Haley and Asham at MSG.  Serious goon action next year.

4:01 PM EST: And for what it's worth, the Rangers sign former Isles tough guy Michael Haley.

CONFIRMED (4 PM EST): Alexei Ponikarovsky to Winnipeg, one year, $1.8 million deal.  Wow, I'm surprised he didn't get a multi-year deal or wait for something better.  Not terribly surprised we didn't match that with other things on the agenda though.

3:39 PM EST: OT, but doesn't look like the Euro Championship is going to be much of a match.  Back to obsessing over every little rumor and a media that absolutely positively cannot wait for Parise to go to Pittsburgh.  You can already feel it, it's like the NHL and the media's wet dream.

CONFIRMED (3:38 PM EST): Prust goes for four years, $10 million to Montreal, zoinks.  Guess he got his asking price, then some.  I'll probably be joining Derek in FA rehab before this day is over.

3:31 PM EST: And the Prust domino falls, to Montreal according to Spector's Hockey.

3:15 PM EST: Might be slow updating the next couple hours unless something major happens.  Need to get up and about lol.

CONFIRMED (3:14 PM EST): Rangers retain Kris Newbery, lose Chad Ochocinco to Rangers West (Phoenix organization)
CONFIRMED (3:13 PM EST): Dustin Penner is back with the Kings on a one-year $3 million deal.
CONFIRMED (3:13 PM EST): A blockbuster trade...Nick Foglino (OTT) traded for Marc Methot (CBJ)

3:00 PM EST: Well now the TSN show is ending.  I'll probably turn the radio on, maybe I'll watch some of the Euro Championship too, not expecting a resolution to anything big in the next couple hours.  Apparently there's a 13-year $100+ million offer out there for Suter, yikes.  And that the Flyers have offered ten-year deals to both Suter and Parise.  Here goes Holmgren again, playing NHL12 GM.

CONFIRMED (2:47 PM EST): Panthers sign Filip Kuba for two years, $8 million, no doubt a Jason Garrison replacement.

CONFIRMED (2:38 PM EST): Rangers sign Asham for two years, $2 million.

2:36 PM EST: And now supposedly the Rangers sign Aaron Asham lol...evidently he's completed his tour of Atlantic Division teams.  Brandon Prust's replacement perhaps?

2:33 PM EST: Carkner got $1.5 million per season on his deal, zoinks that's a bit pricey for a goon but the Isles always are looking to hit the salary floor after all.  Then again so are the Devils right now.

2:14 PM EST: And from the sounds of it, the reason teams aren't meeting with Zach is that there are supposedly twenty plus teams interested, and they wouldn't be able to accomodate everyone anyway according to Kulka's Korner.  Hoo boy.  What kinda world is this when Zach Parise gets 20+ offers and Ilya Kovalchuk gets two just two years ago? 

CONFIRMED (2:13 PM EST): Isles sign goon defenseman Matt Carkner to a three-year deal, little more than an hour after the Avalanche thought they had wrapped him up and posted the signing on Twitter.

2:09 PM EST: So it sounds like no team's meeting with Zach today after all, he may be taking offers but at least the dog and pony show has left the building.  Hopefully his agents aren't brainwashing him to take the highest offer and the NHL isn't brainwashing him to run to Pittsburgh.

2:05 PM EST: Gasbag of the day award - Rich Chere@Ledger_NJDevils
Can't understand why Devils fans are so nervous today.  The entire fourth line has already been re-signed.

CONFIRMED (1:58 PM EST): Islanders sign Brad Boyes to a one year, $1 million deal.  Nice bargain buy for them.


1:53 PM EST: According to Katie Strang, it seems like Alexei Ponikarovsky is moving on.  Oh well, I figured some team might overpay him.  We have bigger fish to fry today anyway.  In other news, Bryce Salvador has at least ten suitors but is waiting on the Devils.  I heart Sal.

1:49 PM EST: All this premature doom-and-gloom talk about the Devils on TSN makes me want to shut the program off and listen to online radio.  But I suspect it would be just the same nonsense there anyway.

CONFIRMED (1:45 PM EST): Biggest fish off the board yet, Ray Whitney to Dallas for two years, $9 million ($5 million of it in a signing bonus).  There goes one of the best possible Plan B's for Zach.

1:40 PM EST: And I'm not updating every little minor signing either, just ones with moderate interest and local interest for the most part. 

1:39 PM EST: Commercial break, admittedly I've stopped paying attention to the show much as things have slowed up but apparently the hosts were ripping Alex Semin big-time, with Crawford going so far as to say guys like him wind up 'in the island of the misfit toys' (re: Columbus) lol.

1:35 PM EST: Well now the Wings' delegation has decided not to meet with Zach.  Is a resolution coming sooner rather than later after all?

CONFIRMED (1:28 PM EST): And Minnesota's spending spree starts with...Zenon Konopka, the big, physical center who can win faceoffs (and do little else) to a two-year deal.

1:25 PM EST: Well supposedly Brodeur's agent has heard from the Hawks, Leafs, Sharks and Panthers.  Not a huge shock.  And the lobbying for Parise is already at comical levels with Sidney Crosby and ex-Devil Paul Martin leading the Pens' delegtion, Wings' ownership scheduled to meet with Zach at 3:30 PM and John MacLean - yes that John MacLean! - lobbying on Carolina's behalf!  Maybe I should have stayed out all day.

CONFIRMED (1:14 PM EST): Canes also bring back defenseman Joe Corvo for one year, $2 million and goalie Justin Peters for two years, one one-way year at $550k.
CONFIRMED (1:14 PM EST): Rangers re-up with defenseman Stu Bickel one a one-way, two-year $750k deal.

CONFIRMED (12:51 PM EST): Former Ranger John Mitchell heads to Colorado on a two-year deal at $1.1 million per.

12:44 PM EST: And the first Twitter war is underway, with the Kings taking a dig at the Wild Parise and Suter tweet by saying they plan to offer contracts to free agents too.

CONFIRMED (12:38 PM EST): And just when I post that, the Wings ink Jonas Gustavsson to a two-year, $1.5 million per deal, though Dreger says paperwork still needs to be filed.  Didn't really see that one coming, but they needed a backup goalie and there aren't that many out there.

12:37 PM EST: Second commercial...on the lighter side of things, the Flyers have brought back Michael Leighton.  Can always count on them for goalie humor.  Don't think any FA's have actually changed teams yet.

12:31 PM EST: And to nobody's surprise, the Wild have submitted offers to Zach and Suter.  Who would have thought the Wild would become the pre-lockout Rangers playing checkbook hockey?

12:24 PM EST: First oh good grief rumor...apparently the Winnipeg Jets are in on the bidding for Zach, according to Dreger.  Wouldn't that be goofy considering Ilya Kovalchuk bolted when the Thrashers were on the verge of moving?

12:16 PM EST: First commercial, no Armageddon yet.  TSN analysts include Pierre, Marc Crawford and Ray Ferraro.

12:11 PM EST: First Pierre McGuire sighting on TSN...boo!  Reporters' panel includes McKenzie, Dreger and LeBrun.  And already they're annoying me with fanning the Brodeur to Chicago speculation (the one contender that could use him).

CONFIRMED (12:05 PM EST): RDS reporting the Lightning sign Benoit Pouliot to a one year, $1.8 million deal.  So it begins.

12:01 PM EST: Huge chuckle at Filip Kuba being the tenth best available FA on the TSN program...shows just how thin the crop is this year.  Of course Parise and Martin Brodeur are first and third, whoopee.

High noon: And we're off and running!

11:52 AM EST: All's quiet on the FA front with eight minutes left.  Might as well brush and wash up before the gong show known as NHL FA begins.

CONFIRMED (11:25 AM EST): Edmonton re-ups with Ryan Smith at 2 years, $2.25 million per via Darren Dreger.

CONFIRMED (11:19 AM EST): Carolina tweeting that Jordan Staal will sign a long-term deal there, 10 years and 60 million total per Bob McKenzie.

Analysis: Guess he signed the exact same deal he turned down in Pittsburgh, only the Pens didn't have his brother and more playing time available.

11:15 AM EST: Obviously a livecap entails numerous updates throughout the day, but the only confirmed signings will be re-signings until 12 PM.

CONFIRMED (11:14 AM EST): Scott Clemmensen will re-sign with the Panthers for 2 years, and $1.2 million per, according to Devils beat writer Tom Gulutti.

11:13 AM EST: Twitter trade deadline link that I'll be following throughout today, as well as the NHL Network FA show, and perhaps online radio if the NHLN show goes off the air at 3 PM like the Cablevision timer says it will.

11:05 AM EST: I might as well start here with already the first bad news of the day after word came down that Zach Parise is officially going to free agency, after a last-ditch attempt by Lou Lamoriello to sign him last night and a public timeframe of 10 AM this morning to decide to forego FA (that turned into 11 AM).  Well isn't this just a great way to start the day.