Sure the lockout is over, but now with the salary cap in place, we’re still force to wade through numbers. Painful numbers.

• Kevin Paul Dupont looks at the Bruins and how the unexpected free agency of Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov has already put them in cap trouble. Dupont also points out what a lot of people are noticing — that NHL contracts are already getting big and disproportionate to the talent.
• Over in Philadelphia, Tim Panaccio has a detailed breakdown of how the Flyers landed each of their marquee free agents (login info.). GM Bobby Clarke’s secret? Come out of the gate with your checkbook blazing while the rest of the league is waiting to see who’ll set the market. Obviously, Clarke blew the market open.
• Down in Nashville, Predators coach Barry Trotz is trying to figure out how to deploy new employee Paul Kariya. I’d suggest pairing him with someone gritty, just to keep him safe. But if the NHL really does crack down on obstruction, Kariya to Nashville might go down as one of the smarter signings of the season. If the NHL doesn’t crack down on obstruction, the Predators might feel a little ripped off.
• Ziggy Palffy to the Penguins? I haven’t crunched the numbers, but I feel like the Penguins have got to be over the cap by now. Is it me, or are they signing everyone?
• Even though everyone knew the Hawks were going to sign Nikolai Khabibulin, I still found it very shocking. I can’t remember the last time the Hawks signed anyone of note. It seems that since they left Bobby Hull leave, talent only leaves Chicago. It rarely comes to stay.
• Finally, TheMirl.com has a look at this season’s crop of NHL rookies.