I suppose there must be some people out there that just want know where the likes of Zach Parise, Ryan Suter et al. will eventually sign, but myself, I'm in no rush to enter the hockey-free news days of the summer. I also have no problem with players being careful since, hey, it's a big decision. Take your time, boys.

To kick off discussion today, I'll offer an interesting quote from Brian Burke, as transcribed by Cam Charron at The Leafs Nation. This is Burke talking about the Leafs' D:

That's a lower priority, we think that we have an internal, if we want to add a body there, we think we have an internal upgrade. We signed Mike Kostka today and we think he's a guy that's gotten better every year since he turned pro, two Ontario kids, both he and Jay, and this is a guy that just about killed us in the playoffs with Norfolk. This is a local-area kid, a Hamilton boy I believe, and he's gotten better every year but we think that between [Korbinian] Holzer possibly might make the jump, we think Jesse Blacker might make the jump but we'll have to see. That 7th D might be a guy we actually have.

Hope you had an awesome long weekend.

Leafs Links:

Tyler Biggs Interview
Henny has a few words with Biggs at the Leafs Development Camp. Other good stuff from Morgan Rielly and footage of Burke.

Leaf fans: beware what we wish for
Michael Langlois can recall being burned a few times.

Dissenting thoughts: Toronto's Top 4 is set
Cam Charron ponders what Burke said about his 'D' being more or less set.

Longevity and Offensive Defensemen: Morgan Rielly
Over at Blue Chip Prospects, Curt S has a thought or two.

Mats Sundin: Hockey Hall of Famer
Over at Battle of Ontario, The Muppet bites his thumb at Sens fans who thought Sundin wouldn't get in. (I've got to disagree with the assertion that Sundin is the best player to have come out of Sweden though - gotta think that's Nik Lidstrom.)

Other Hockey Links:

Jets, Jokinen agree to two-year, $9 million contract
Ever look at a team that has brought in a tonne of players in free agency and think "it's weird seeing all these individuals on one team"?

Sabres trade centre Derek Roy to Stars
Dallas sends Steve Ott and defenceman Adam Pardy the other way. Story from the CP at the Globe.

Canadiens sign goaltender Carey Price to six-year, $39M deal
Sorry high school girls offer sheet-hungry teams, he's off the market. From Eric Duhatschek at the Globe.

What you missed on July 1st: A Backhand Shelf and Pro Hockey Talk collabo
A good summary of what went down. From Justin Bourne.

Gary Bettman dials back the suspension Brendan Shanahan gave Raffi Torres
What a joke. Story from Justin Bourne.

Why the NHL’s unrestricted free agency process needs to be fixed
More from Justin Bourne at BHS.

Check out the players traded on draft day in their new digs, NHL 13 style
Justin Bourne has a few NHL 13 screen caps, including one of JvR.

From The Branches