Friday's news: Draft day dealings?

The 2010 NHL Entry Draft takes place tonight in Los Angeles (coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. Central on Versus), but the big story could turn out to be the wheeling and dealing by general managers ahead of the free agency season, which opens July 1. In recent days we've seen Chicago dump salary, Nashville send its captain to New Jersey, and St. Louis acquire a new #1 goaltender.

Remember, the Nashville Predators are hosting a Draft Party at the Athletic Club in the Embassy Suites Cool Springs, with Pete Weber, Tom Callahan, Gnash, and more.

Based on everything we're hearing, there could be another blockbuster or two going down later today. Follow after the jump for a look at those possibilities, and a preview of what the Nashville Predators plan on doing tonight...

Predators News

Preds On The Glass: Welcome to L.A. and the 2010 NHL Entry Draft
Buddy and his entourage had quite an adventure just making it to the Draft in L.A., and almost bumped into a vampire and a werewolf along the way.

Predators look to add picks and take advantage of deep draft - Nashville City Paper
Don't be surprised if the Preds trade down in the first round, in an attempt to obtain another mid- to late-round pick.

The section303.com Mock NHL Draft… | Section 303
The title says it all, don't you think?

Predators Draft Table - The Tennessean
A nice info-box by the paper showing who's who at the draft table this evening, with 19 folks in all representing the Preds.

Also, check out this interview with Nashville's Chief Amateur Scout, Jeff Kealty. For reference, you can also read the interview I conducted with him last summer heading into the 2009 draft:

Around the NHL

SB Nation At The 2010 NHL Draft: 2 Days, 14 Writers, 210 Draft Picks - SBNation.com
Bloggers from a variety of SB Nation hockey sites are providing wall-to-wall coverage of the NHL Draft in Los Angeles, and this thread shows you where you can find their work.

Where Do Players Come From? Examining NHL Draft Patterns From 1995 To 2005 - SBNation.com
No, there's not an NHL Stork... these prospects come from a variety of leagues, and Derek Zona breaks it all down.

Jack Campbell Meets the Press - Bird Watchers Anonymous
The Falconer has the scoop on the consensus pick as the top goalie in tonight's draft.

NHL Draft Day 1: Major Storylines - Western College Hockey Blog
Here are seven major themes to watch for this evening, including whether or not undersized players with offensive ability are able to jump past the bigger prospects.

Burke gets ready to begin Kaberle auction - The Globe and Mail
The trade action this week seems to rival only the Trade Deadline, and Toronto's Tomas Kaberle could be on the move.

Big Blues Blog – More on Halak, the Draft, and Free Agency | Hockey Independent
This is going to be a momentous offseason in St. Louis, and the Jaroslav Halak trade is just the start of it. With Keith Tkachuk retired and plenty of cap space available, the Blahs will boast a bunch of fresh faces this fall.

2010 NHL free agency: Tim Thomas' agent given green light to talk to other teams - ESPN
Could Mike Ribeiro be on his way to a Central Division rival?

Draft Nuggets (Puck-Rakers Blog)
It sounds like Columbus is interested in moving down in the draft...

Flyers Talks With Hamhuis Hit Snag? Goalie Talks? | Hockey Independent
Philly is starting to get a bit apprehensive about the fact that Dan Hamhuis hasn't signed a new contract yet. If he doesn't sign with the Flyers and goes elsewhere as a free agent, the Preds will send Philadelphia a 7th-round pick as part of the Ryan Parent deal.

Hit To The Head Rule Approved - KuklasKorner
Effective this fall, a blind-side hit to the head will result in a five minute major and a game misconduct. The new rule was ratified by the Board of Governors and is now known as an "Illegal Check to the Head".

What's in that Kelowna water? - The Province
The Kelowna Rockets have developed into an academy for future NHL defensemen, including Duncan Keith, Tyler Myers, and of course Shea Weber.

Marleau and Pavelski re-sign with San Jose - Fear The Fin
They're happy in Shark Land to see two major forwards locked up.

Dudley makes his mark as Thrashers tab Ramsay for head coach - Puck Daddy
Sean Leahy looks at the new man behind the bench in Atlanta.

The Bolts Beat Podcast, with Mike Corcoran and Jon Jordan | Hockey Independent
Tampa blogger Jon Jordan, having recently left HockeyBuzz, launches a new podcast covering the Lightning.