Have the Nashville Predators made a front-office hire? Will the New York Islanders get their new arena? Will the legal mess in Phoenix ever get resolved? It may be early August, but there's plenty going on around the NHL; check out these stories and more after the jump...

Derek Perez trades Tech for Hockey - Bright Side Of News
Have the Predators hired "a new front man to handle the media"? It appears so, but the team has yet to confirm. From this personal interview with Perez, the former Director of Public Relations for nVidia (the video card company), he lists Wayne Gretzky as one of the top people he admires, so that's a good start. This article from Techgage says that Perez will be the team's new Director of Marketing.

Twitter / Steve Sullivan: I should reword my last la ...
Sully steps in and confirms that the @BarryTrotz Twitter account is a fake. It's always fun to see one of the Preds following and contributing to the conversation that hockey fans are having online.

Around the NHL

For Islanders and their fans, Tuesday's critical moment for future - Puck Daddy
It's a big day on Long Island, as a public hearing is held regarding the proposed Lighthouse Project, which would give the Islanders a new arena along with related other developments. If the Islanders can pull this off, it would be a huge shot in the arm to the entire league, much like the Chicago Blackhawks have been over the last two seasons.

ZHERDEV LIKELY TO LEAVE RANGERS - New York Post
Larry Brooks lays out the reasons why the New York Rangers are likely to walk away from Nikolai Zherdev's $3.9 million salary arbitration award. Despite what some of the rumor-mongers are spreading, don't expect Nashville to make a big push for him.

Teppo Numminen Officially Retires - Die By The Blade
It looks like a website in Finland is reporting the retirement of Buffalo's Teppo Numminen, one of the most consistent blueliners of the last 15 years.

Ranger Pundit: Yippee Kiya! Rangers Firewagon Hockey
Is John Tortorella bent on transforming the Rangers into a run-and-gun type of team, rather than the defensively oriented, offensively limited teams during the Tom Renney regime? He certainly gave Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis all the ice time they could handle during his time in Tampa.

Judge postpones auction for Coyotes - National Post
The latest legal development in Phoenix has seen the auction for the Coyotes has been postponed until September. Meanwhile, the various contending parties are trying to get each other disqualified from the process.

Something Smells in Glendale - Phoenix News
No, this isn't a critique of Wayne Gretzky's coaching ability; it's a fascinating article which suggests that the City Manager of Glendale, Arizona has in fact been steering the Coyotes into the hands of Jerry Reinsdorf for several months, well before current owner Jerry Moyes even started the sale process (found via Puck Daddy).

The top goaltender of the 2000s - The Copper & Blue
A running debate has been going on for a few weeks now about the relative merits of various goaltenders. SB Nation's Edmonton Oilers blog takes a hearty swing at it...

Somewhere in Philadelphia... - Barry Melrose Rocks
BMR comes up with an interesting theory as to where last year's Nashville Predators marketing slogan came from.

Ottawa rumor mill reports Senators turned down Sharks offer... - Sharkspage
PJ Swenson walks through the details of a supposed trade offer by San Jose to obtain Ottawa Senators malcontent Dany Heatley. Frankly, if I was in Bryan Murray's shoes, I don't know if I'd accept the rumored deal either.

Chatterbox: Social Media in Hockey | USA Hockey Magazine
The monthly magazine for USA Hockey takes a look at the social media revolution sweeping its way through the hockey world, particularly focusing on Twitter. Feel free to follow me at @Forechecker, and you can keep with USA Hockey Magazine at @USAHMagazine.

Video: Ovechkin on sex before games, Russian vs. U.S. women - Puck Daddy
Greg Wyshynski shares a dubbed version of a Russian television interview that tells you everything you ever didn't want to know about Alex Ovechkin.