• The look on Taylor Hall’s face describes what the last month and a half have been like for him after he was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the New Jersey Devils. [NHL]

• Working with/for your friend is never easy. Just ask Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy. “I’m not going to say it was a blowup,” [Sakic] said. “It caught us off guard, but this was something he was feeling and contemplating for himself the past few weeks. It’s not a blowup. I respect him. He didn’t have a lot of fun last year and the last month or so, he came to this decision on his own. There’s nothing but the utmost respect for somebody who comes to that decision and tells you before you get going in the season.” [Denver Post]

• A source reports Vincent Trochek of the Florida Panthers has been notified he’s an alternate for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey. [Sun-Sentinel]

• After tinkering with his lineup this offseason, Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion is confident he’s got a playoff team. [Ottawa Sun]

• Karl Alzner had offseason sports hernia surgery. The Washington Capitals iron man with 458 games played in a row is back to skating. [Washington Post]

• Jimmy Vesey becomes an unrestricted free agent tomorrow. Might the New Jersey Devils be a dark horse no one is expecting? [Pucks & Pitchforks]

• If the Boston Bruins don’t land Massachusetts native Vesey, it’s another black spot on the organization. [Boston Sports Desk]

• On the latest Yahoo Grandstanding podcast, Wysh talks to Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, and Lipinski tells the story (14:45 mark) about the time she had ice cream with Wayne Gretzky during the 1998 Nagano Games. [Yahoo!]

• Nikita Kucherov remains unsigned by the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s not time to worry … yet. [Raw Charge]

• The Chicago Blackhawks have a depth problem. No seriously, they do. [Today’s Slapshot]

• RFA Ryan Strome turned down the New York Islanders qualifying offer on June 15. With training camp weeks away, he has yet to sign his new contract. Is this cause for alarm? [Lighthouse Hockey]

• If Quebec iced a World Cup of Hockey team, here’s what it would look like – jersey and all. The roster is pretty impressive. [NHL Numbers]

• Under Todd McLellan, the Edmonton Oilers have seen marginal improvements in their ‘rebuild by sundial.’ [Edmonton Journal]

• At No. 19 in the NHL’s list of top defenseman is John Carlson of the Washington Capitals. Does he deserve to be among the top 20? [RMNB]

• Playing in New York City has its upsides and its downs. The higher the star power, the more intense the scrutiny the player is under and the impact it has on his play. [Blue Seat Blogs]•

• “… more than a dozen girls who tried, along with their parents, to start a second women’s hockey organization in the city last year. They say the Thunder Bay Women’s Hockey Association (TBWHA) is freezing them out, but the provincial governing body says the talent pool in the city is too small to support two organizations.” [CBC]

• The NWHL has released their upcoming season schedule with an expanded number of games and a longer season. [NWHL]

• Despite central scouting raising his projected draft ranking, for a second straight year Brayden Burke of Lethbridge was passed over in the NHL draft. He talks about the snubs and using them as motivation. [Buzzing the Net]

• The story of how one man brought together a ragtag group of players to create an unlikely hockey team in Tunisia. [AFP]

• The ‘forgotten greatness’ of air hockey. [The New Yorker]

• Fantasy hockey: Top 10 players with obscenely-high shot percentages. [Dobber]

• Finally, watch Tyler Toffoli, Kyle Clifford, Brayden McNabb, Trevor Lewis and Kevin Gravel deliver the ceremonial first pitch on Kings Night at Dodger Stadium. [NHL]