NHL Draft, Eichel Trade Watch and Free Agency

As we turn our backs on the draft and our attention to free agency, here are your Links, News & Notes for Monday, July 26th.

• As noted by the always plugged-in Elliotte Friedman, this is a big week around the league but in particular for the Buffalo Sabres. Free agency opens up and as the offseason really gets underway, there’s an important decision to make in Buffalo, likely leading to the trade of their captain and star centre, Jack Eichel.
• The Arizona Coyotes made headlines on day two of the draft by selecting Josh Doan, son of former Coyotes captain and current Chief Hockey Development Officer, Shane Doan. The Coyotes joined the likes of the Devils, Blackhawks and Avalanche by adding players with family ties to their pipelines over the last week.
• Luke Fox has put together a comprehensive list of some of the top Restricted Free Agents with updates on each, if updates exist, as it relates to their contract negotiations.
• Similarly, a list of the top 12 UFAs with latest rumours and reports.
• The Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes made quite the splash, moving Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the Canucks in exchange for quite the haul.
• In the world of buyouts, the Vancouver Canucks are moving on from Jake Virtanen. The New York Rangers also finally completed their chapter with Tony DeAngelo with a buyout of their own.
• Niklas Hjalmarsson has announced his retirement after 14 seasons, most of which were played with the Chicago Blackhawks until he was sent to Arizona a few seasons ago. The three-time Stanley Cup Champion retires well decorated with plenty to be proud of.
• The Blue Jackets and Flyers made a one-for-one trade, flipping Cam Atkinson and Jakob Voracek. Voracek has been in Philadelphia since 2011, after starting his career with Columbus, the team that drafted him.
• The Cost Per Pointcast is back for another episode, with Ary as guest. Trevor and Ary cover their thoughts on this past weekend for the Senators while also diving into the important topic of Logan Mailloux. /