I'm constantly shocked by the free agents the Devils are allegedly interested in: Alexei Yashin? I almost hope the Devils land Yashin and Sheldon Souray. I'd love to see those two — together, of course — try and execute Devils' hockey.
I guess the one upside would be they would each have someone to talk to when they're planted in the offensive zone, not playing any kind of defense.
Sadly, for me anyway, Yashin is threatening to play in Russia if teams keep making offers that take his massive Islander payout into consideration. Yup. No discounts for you, NHL!
Also, kudos to the always-excellent Mike Heika for writing what so many people are thinking: the NHL just doesn't have enough talent to merit an expansion (login info.).

Wow. Bill Guerin goes straight to the head of the line and is the new captain of the Isles.
It's kind of a weird move since he's only on a two-year contract and I can't believe he'll be on the Island past that.
Also, I'm not quite sure why they made it a surprise to Guerin. That's kind of awkward for him, don't you think? He can't really say no in front of everyone. I think a cake would have been a much nicer surprise.
Also, Mike York is a Coyote. I have no idea how long they'll be there, but the comments on the Arizona Republic site talking about how cheap the team is (scroll down) are pretty funny.
I don't actually think York is a horrible choice. He has the ability to be a strong two-way forward — he just hasn't demonstrated the ability in quite some time. If I were the Coyotes, I'd also take a look at Eric Lindros. Mike York played some great hockey when he was on a line with Lindros and Theo Fleury in New York. Maybe they can recapture some of the magic in Arizona. I mean, given how both York and Lindros played last season, it's a pretty huge if, but it's interesting to consider. Plus, it can be done on the cheap, which the Coyotes love.

OK. First, I'm going to apologize. I have to dip into ESPN Insider content, just because E.J. Hradek's had some nice stuff yesterday. Like when he asked what exactly is wrong with Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe and his massive offer to Buffalo's Thomas Vanek and his low-balling of team heart-and-soul Ryan Smyth:

In Friday's case, the Sabres weren't in a salary cap bind. After losing Daniel Briere and Chris Drury to unrestricted free agency earlier in the week, the Sabres weren't ready to let another player go. And, they told the Oilers they planned on matching the offer. Basically, there was no chance the Oilers would get Vanek. That makes you wonder: Why did Lowe do it? Maybe he wanted to make a statement to his fan-base. Or, perhaps, he's gone a little batty after coming to the realization that players aren't too interested in coming to Edmonton.

Larry Brooks brings up another interesting point: Why is small-market Edmonton over-inflating the market for guys averaging around 30 goals a year?
Edmonton isn't the only dysfunctional stop in the NHL, though. I'm not quite sure what's going on in Buffalo. Did they really not extend any kind of offer to Daniel Briere? And as Bucky Gleason suggests, why would anyone sign to play in Buffalo, given how they treat their players. Obviously, Matthew Barnaby, who loved playing in Buffalo and was treated like royalty there, is the exception to that question.
Also, how does Devils GM Lou Lamoriello think Sheldon "I Don't Play Any Kind of Defense Ever" Souray is a good fit for the team? They can't actually be pursuing him, can they? Is this the year the Devils move to a run-and-gun offense?
The Isles also might be interested, although late last week Hradek reported Souray might be holding out for the Rangers.
Also, some people want hockey to stay in Nashville.
Also, please don't judge us by our most hipster-laden examples. Thank you.