Michael Nylander News

General managers will be busy making phone calls. Player agents will be busy answering them. Hockey fans across North America, meantime, will be busy hitting refresh on their Web browsers.

And it all begins at noon today when the NHL's annual free agent signing frenzy opens for business. This year's class is not considered a strong one, but a handful of the game's biggest names are expected to be available -- for the right price.

Forwards Marian Hossa, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Mike Cammalleri and Marian Gaborik, among others, could change teams. Defensemen Mike Komisarek, Mattias Ohlund and Francois Beauchemin, to name a few, could change tax brackets. And goaltenders Nikolai Khabibulin and Manny Fernandez could change another franchise's fortunes.

On the first day of free agency, the Washington Capitals inked veteran winger Mike Knuble to a two-year, $5.6 million contract... by Dave Nichols 6 reads July 02, 2009 On the first day of free agency, the Washington Capitals inked veteran winger Mike Knuble to a two-year, $5.6 million contract.

Seeking some toughness in a goal scorer and perhaps some North American flavor, the Washington Capitals got it all in Mike Knuble, who signed a two-year contract worth $2.8 million per season Wednesday, according to TSN.

Just like any hard core hockey fan I love nothing more than to play the role of general manager.

Join the conversation here and on Twitter tonight as we follow the action at the NHL Draft in Montreal.

Two league executives who requested anonymity said they expect Washington Capitals general manager George McPhee to actively pursue trades during this weekend's NHL draft, when several elite players could be on the move.

In what would be the biggest sale ever of an N.H.L. team, George Gillett is expected to announce Saturday he is selling his 80.1 percent ownership of the Montreal Canadiens, along with the Bell Centre and the Gillett Entertainment Group to three Molson brothers, Geoff, Andrew and Justin.

LAS VEGAS, June 18 -- With free agency set to begin in two weeks, Sergei Fedorov's future with the Washington Capitals remains unsettled.

Fedorov, who was in Las Vegas to present the Hart Trophy at the NHL Awards Show, reiterated his desire to return for another season in Washington but acknowledged that he doesn't know where he will end up.

The 39-year-old center declined to go into details about his negotiations with the Capitals, but did say that his recent trip to Russia was not made with the intention of trying to secure a deal with a team in the Kontinental Hockey League as previously believed.

Yahoo Sports' Dmitry Chesnokov, writing for both Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog and Sovetsky Sport, conducted an interview with NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly.

Continuity helped the Washington Capitals develop as a team and they reached Game Seven in the second round, the first time the franchise has advanced beyond the first round since losing in the Stanley Cup Final in 1997-1998. Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Caps may do this summer, in an effort to get over the next hurdle to become a Stanley ...

The NHL's GMs and team presidents congregated Tuesday before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, but it wasn't a day heavy with news.

The Washington Capitals are close to a Stanley Cup. Real close. After falling in seven games to Pittsburgh, the best team in the Eastern Conference , the Caps are just a few changes away from the promised land.

Last summer, George McPhee did what he could to keep his Washington Capitals team from the previous season together.

Fedorov becomes an unrestricted free agent in July and may have to take a pay cut from the $4 million he made this season, but he isn't thinking about retirement.

Gonchar did not participate in the morning skate prior to Game 6 of the second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Washington Capitals ; he was injured Friday early in Game 4 by a knee-on-knee collision with Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin.

When the Washington Capitals host the Pittsburgh Penguins in Wednesday's Game Seven , it'll be one of the most talked-about elimination games in the last decade of hockey.

Now that Evgeni Malkin has shown how dominant he can be after his Game 3 virtuoso, the Capitals have to figure out a way to slow him down.

On Tuesday at Penguins practice, the topic was illegal screens being set by the Washington Capitals to free up Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.

The Washington Capitals face the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Four of their best-of-seven Second Round Stanley Cup playoff series... by Dave Nichols 20 reads The Washington Capitals face the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Four of their best-of-seven Second Round Stanley Cup playoff series.

The Penguins thought Matt Cooke was picked by a Capitals player during a power play that led to a crucial Washington goal in Game 2. Needless to say, Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau had a different take on it.