NHL Rumors: Latest Trade and Free-Agent Buzz in Early Free Agency

Thanks to an exciting draft and some blockbuster trades, the NBA has commanded much of the sporting world's attention in early July. However, basketball isn't the only major sport kicking off its free-agency period this week.

The 2017 edition of the NHL's free agency began on July 1, and we've already had plenty of market action.

The Nashville Predators re-signed Scott Hartnell, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Justin Williams and the Los Angeles Kings grabbed Mike Cammalleri. We've had quite a bit of trade action as well—and things are only beginning to heat up.

We're here to examine the latest offseason buzz. We'll dig into some of the more interesting storylines and the rumors as free agency rolls on.

Devils Acquire Johansson

The New Jersey Devils didn't have the best of seasons this past year, winning just 28 games and finishing eighth in the Metropolitan Division. The team is looking become a contender again after not making the playoffs the last five seasons.

Adding talent should be a priority, and the Devils did exactly that by trading for forward Marcus Johansson. He was acquired from the Washington Capitals on Sunday for two draft picks. 

The Capitals will receive the Florida Panthers' second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and the Toronto Maple Leafs' third-round pick in 2018. The Devils, meanwhile, will receive a boost to their offense. Johansson produced a career-high 24 goals last season.

While New Jersey general manager Ray Shero is hoping to add some defensive talent, he's happy about the arrival of Johansson.

Per NHL.com, Shero said:

"In terms of adding a guy like Marcus up front for us, I'd love to get a defenseman somewhere, but so does everybody, and I want to strengthen another part of our team if possible, and adding Marcus on the left side with Taylor [Hall], there's a lot of different options. Certainly skill, speed, really what we talked about since I was hired in terms of the type of team, and build from there, so it's a big day for us."

The Capitals, who did make the playoffs this past season, will be able to add some young pieces in the future. They will also save some money, as Johansson will carry a cap hit of over $4.5 million in each of the next two seasons.

Blue Jackets Looking to Acquire Duchene

The Columbus Blue Jackets are looking to get in on the trade action and are interested in acquiring Colorado Avalanche forward Matt Duchene.

TSN's Darren Dreger reported before the start of free agency that both the Blue Jackets and Nashville Predators had made offers to the Avalanche for Duchene.

According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and Colorado general manager Joe Sakic spent a great deal of time on Saturday trying to work out a deal.

"As of late Saturday, the Blue Jackets had not pried center Matt Duchene off the Avalanche roster, but it wasn't for a lack of trying," Portzline wrote.

"Talks between Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and Avs GM Joe Sakic drifted well into the evening, even as events earlier in the day seemed to set the stage for the long-anticipated deal."

The holdup is likely due to the fact the Blue Jackets aren't the only team interested in trading for Duchene. According to TSN (h/t Portzline), the Predators and Blue Jackets are "duking it out" for Duchene.

If Columbus and Nashville are in a bidding war, Colorado is likely to take its time to ensure maximum value in return.

Per Portzline, the Blue Jackets could include defenseman Ryan Murray as part of a potential deal.

Vegas Is Being Active

The NHL's newest team, the Vegas Golden Knights, has also been a player in early July. This comes contrary to what general manager George McPhee stated just a few days ago.

"Not very," McPhee said when asked how active the team will be in free agency, per Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "It's probably going to be quiet for us."

The Golden Knights traded defenseman Alexei Emelin to the Predators and have signed six free agents, according to NHL.com.

The players Las Vegas has added are goalie Maxime Lagace, defenseman Brad Hunt, defenseman Chris Casto and forwards Stefan Matteau, T.J. Tynan and Paul Thompson.

That's a substantial haul for a team that wasn't going to be very active. The team also added Nashville's third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Emelin.

There's no telling what the Golden Knights are going to actually look like once they make their on-ice debut next season. The roster is obviously a fluid one, and players are still getting to know each other. The team wrapped up its first player development camp over the weekend.

"I hope they had a great week," McPhee said, per Associated Press sports writer W.G. Ramirez. "I hope they learned something while they were here, hope they got to know future teammates, hope that for the rest of the summer they do what we've instructed them to do."