I’ll be liveblogging TSN’s Free Agent Frenzy show, which will be simulcast on NHL.com, and I’ll be poking thru the rumors surrounding the draft.

Right now, the big report is that Manny Fernandez will be dealt to Boston the minute the clock strikes 12 Noon and the cap moves to $50 million.

See you at 11:00 AM tomorrow!

Well done and well deserved Scotty!

Neil Best told me that NBC is talking to former Islanders Coach/GM/Coach Again/Coach for a short time/GM Mike Milbury about filling Brett Hull’s arrogant ass in the NBC studio chair with Clement and Ferraro. Would be a good move for NBC if they could do it.

Here are the rest of the locals Day 2 Draft Picks:

New Jersey

NY Rangers

NY Islanders

I’ll tell you something folks. You saved this blog tonight.

I was very unsure whether this blog would stick around through next season. I just didn’t feel like we had enough writers who could sustain it on a daily basis. It’s been very spotty since the Conf. Finals started, and it’s mostly my fault. This draft liveblog was really a last resort to see how much interest we could draw.

And frankly folks, you saved it. We’re well over a 1,000 hits, double our previous record in one day. The site has never been busier. You have made us a hockey destination.

Since I have your attention, here are my plans for the future:

-I will be liveblogging Free agent signing Sunday from 11:30 Am - 3PM on Sunday, July 1. Hopefully you’ll all join me for that.

-I will be updating free agent news daily from July 1 - July 8.

-After that, I am vacationing. Not just from blogging, but from all my commitments to columns and whatnots. I do not plan to return until I’ve moved into the dorms at college, August 28th will re-set.

-As for the staff, this is a big one!

-I will be back. Derek and Rob have an open invitation to return in their curret capacities. I have a feeling Derek might want to scale back to a couple days a week, and Rob is only around once a week. So this is an open call, ANYONE WHO IS A RANGERS or ISLANDERS fan willing to blog on each team at least once a day during the regular season, please E-Mail me at SMLepore@comcast.net. All we require is a sample blog and writing skills. If you’d like to be a part of liveblogs like this, you’ll be included if you join the Battle of New York team.

- I am also looking for a weekly Devils columnist. Someone who’s interested in writing a weekly roundup of all things red & black, a la Rob’s column. Again, e-mail at SMLepore@comcast.net if interested.

-With that, I give you the first 30 picks of the NHL draft:

1 - Patrick Kane - Chicago Blackhawks - RW
2 - James Van Riemsdyk -Philadelphia Flyers - LW
3 - Kyle Turris - Phoenix Coyotes - C
4 - Thomas Hickey - Los Angeles Kings - D
5 - Karl Alzner - Washington Capitals - D
6 - Sam Gagner - Edmonton Oilers - C
7 - Jakob Voracek - Columbus Blue Jackets - C
8 - Zach Hamill - Boston Bruins - C
9 - Logan Couture - San Jose Sharks - C
10 - Keaton Ellerby - Florida Panthers - D
11 - Brandon Sutter - Carolina Hurricanes - C
12 - Ryan McDonagh - Montreal Canadiens - D
13 - Lars Eller - St. Louis Blues - LW
14 - Kevin Shattenkirk - Colorado Avalanche - D
15 - Alex Plante - Edmonton Oilers - D
16 - Colton Gillies - Minnesota Wild - C
17 - Alexei Cherepanov - New York Rangers - RW
18 - Ian Cole - St. Louis Blues - D
19 - Logan MacMillan - Anaheim Ducks - C
20 - Angelo Esposito - Pittsburgh Penguins - C
21 - Riley Nash - Edmonton Oilers - C
22 - Max Pacioretty - Montreal Canadiens - LW
23 - Jonathan Blum - Nashville Predators - D
24 - Mikael Backlund - Calgary Flames - D
25 - Patrick White - Vancouver Canucks - C
26 - David Perron - St. Louis Blues - LW
27 - Brendan Smith - Detroit Red Wings - D
28 - Nick Petrecki - San Jose Sharks - D
29 - Jim O’Brien - Ottawa Senators - C
30 - Nick Ross - Phoenix Coyotes - D

Have a great night!

10:30 PM NHL.com will stream the NHL Draft’s Rounds 2-7 will be on NHL.com, as TSN’s coverage is done.

10:25 PM I’m shocked VERSUS is still on.

10:24 PM Long commercial break.

10:19 PM Big headline today is how Cherepanov and Esposity fell to great teams.

10:16 PM Just a thank you to everyone who read the liveblog tonight. Thanks to my contributors, Mike Chen and Lyle Richardson. I’ll be working on Day 2 from 10-12 PM tomorrow, see if we can’t get Derek in after that. This has been a lot of fun and I will certainly do it again. I’ll liveblog any action till 11PM, when I’ll post a full recap.

10:15 PM Phoenix at the podium. Nick Ross, who worships Scott Stevens and Chuck Lidell.

10:12 PM Coyotes on the clock.

10:10 PM Jimmy O’Brien from the University of Minnesota. Fast-tracked his way to Minnesota. Youngest player in the NCAA. Ottawa will have to choose between defense and forward.

10:10 PM Ottawa to the podium.

10:09 PM Looks like VERSUS hasn’t dumped out yet. Shocker.

10:06 PM Ottawa is next.

10:05 PM Washington TRADES their pick to San Jose, and they take Nick Petrecki of Omaha of USHL. I had him higher. Bobby Orr is his agent.

10:02 PM Washington is up next with the pick they received in the Dianus Zubrus trade.

9:59 PM INSIDER’s PERSPECTIVE:

I’m just surprised that Esposito and Cherepanov went as low as they did. I understand the Russian transfer agreement ( rather, the lack of one) was an issue but like Pierre Mcguire I expected him to go in the top ten. At least it worked out for Esposito going to Pittsburgh where he’ll fit in well. I wasn’t surprised that the Habs passed over Esposito for Ryan McDonagh, since the Canadiens lack defensive depth in their system. I was also a little surprised that Hickey went as high as he did, otherwise, not too many other surprises.

I think the lack of trade activity during the first round gave it an anti-climatic feel, especially after all the movement that occured in the 24 hours leading up to it.

9:58 PM Steve picks another one right! Smith’s girlfriend has a gap in her teeth.

9:57 PM Stevie Y Picks Brendan Smith!

9:55 PM David “White Skates” Perron. That’s a great influence on a young hockey player (Womp womp waaaaaaamp).

9:54 PM Detroit is on the clock.

9:53 PM David Perron, whom many had going higher, goes at #24.

9:51 PM NOW The Blues are up. They have #26.

9:48 PM Patrick White. A little off the board, USHL’s Tri-City (Gomer!) #46 on the TSN list. #60 by THN, #23 by THN and NHL Central Scouting.

9:48 PM VanCity to the podium.

9:47 PM Vancouver is up next.

9:45 PM St. Louis has 2 of the next 4 picks.

9:45 PM Backlund had injury troubles last year, but is 100% healed.

9:44 PM Coming back from a short break, Mikael Backlund is headed to the Calgary Flames. I had him going much higher, this is a steal for Iron Mike and Calgary

9:38 PM Calgary is up.

9:37 PM Nashville selects Jonathan Blum.

9:35 PM Nashville to the podium. This is an interesting pick.

9:33 PM Nashville’s next.

9:32 PM Max Pacioretty from Connecticut, of the USHL (Sioux City). Headed to UMich.

9:30 PM The Canadiens are next at #22.

9:27 PM Riley Nash of the BCHL (Kyle Turris’ League). Edmonton obviously wanted him. He’ll be the 2nd of 3 Tier 2 Jr. Players taken.

9:26 PM Edmonton heads to the podium.

9:25 PM Edmonton is up.

9:24 PM TRADE! Oilers and PHX look to be involved. Phoenix trades #21 for #30 and #36 (Rd. 2)

9:19 PM Angelo Esposito to the Pens!

9:15 PM Pens to the podium.

9:14 PM Pens are up. Do they dare take Esposito?

9:12 PM Logan McMillan. PEI kid (Woo spector!) son of former NHLer Bobby McMillan, nephew of former NHLer Billy McMillan.

9:12 PM Now, Anaheim is up.

9:09 PM 3rd US NTDP player in the first 18.

9:08 PM St. Louis goes off the board with Ian Cole from the US NTDP. Interesting pick. A proud day for USA Hockey.

9:07 PM Backlund, Esposito, Petrecki and Perron are the Top 4 available.

9:06 PM STL is up again.

9:06 PM I like this Chere..Trade! CGY trades #18 to STL for #24 and #70 (Rd.3)

9:02 PM Cherepanov finally. His favorite player is some guy who wears #68. An absoulte steal if he heads to the NHL next year. Oh, an absolute score for the Rags. Will try to get some thoughts from Derek before the night is over.

9:02 PM Alexei Cherepanov!

9:01 PM Rangers at the Podium.

9:00 PM and the Rangers are on the clock. Still nothing big yet.

8:57 PM Colton Gillies to Minnesota. Clarke Gillies’ nephew. I will be re-starting for the next post.

8:57 PM Minnesota to the podium.

8:56 PM INSIDER’s PERSPECTIVE

Mike Chen, Battle of California

Sometimes, the Sharks make trades up to zero in on someone whom theythink will have even the tiniest chance of being taken by someoneelse. Logan Coutre (who, by the way, has an awesome porn name) waspenned anywhere from 10-15 in most of the draft stuff I saw, so forSan Jose to grab him at 9 means that Wilson & Co. really, really,ridiculously wanted him. The forward depth of the organization’sprospects is drying up, pretty much because players like Bernier,Michalek, and Pavelski have already made the big club.

Courtre’s a character and grit guy with skill, which is big with theSharks’ staff. I don’t know if the comparison to Jonathan Cheechoo isaccurate, but I can see parallels in their personality that must havefit the scouting staff’s liking. I’m assuming the first thing they’llbe doing is sending him to power skating school.

If Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are signed to multi-yearextensions, Courtre won’t get an opportunity to get serious scoringplaying time for the next few years. That’s fine for now cause he’llneed time to develop, but Courtre will have to seriously turn someheads or experiment with wing if he hopes to crack the Sharks lineupover the next 3-4 years.

8:55 PM They’re saying this is where it ends for Esposito or Cherepanov…Possibly Colton Gillies.

8:54 PM Minnesota is up.

8:53 PM Trade the #16 to Minnesota for picks #19 and 42.

8:53 PM TRADE!

8:52 PM Anaheim is up.

8:50 PM Plante out of Calgary of the WHL.

8:50 PM Alex Plante, and Lepore calls it!

8:50 PM Edmonton to the podium.

8:49 PM This is the pick EDM got from the Isles.

8:48 PM A MINOR TRADE. Pens deal Chris Thorbrun to ATL for a 3rd rounder.

8:47 PM Another cliffhanger.

8:46 PM Edmonton is up next. Let’s see if Lou goes to work here. Hey, I’m just saying.

8:45 PM KEVIN SHATTENKIRK. Another American kid. From New Rochelle, New York.

8:45 PM Avs to the Podium.

8:43 PM Avs are on the clock.

8:41 PM Lars Eller. I thought this would be Mikael Backlund. But the Danish kid gets in at #13 to St. Louis. Should be interesting.

8:40 PM Blues to the podium.

8:37 PM St. Louis is on the board again. We’ll be getting Mike Chen’s take on the Sharks pick shortly…

8:35 PM RYAN MCDONAGH to HABS. Mr. Hockey in Minnesota, Esposito and Cherepanov fall past #12. Doug McLean calls him the sleeper of the draft. His uncle is Super Bowl winning QB Steve Walsh.

8:30 PM BRANDON SUTTER. Very interesting. The 9th Sutter to the NHL.

8:29 PM Carolina to the podium.

8:28 PM Carolina is on the clock. This could be Espo.

8:24 PM Keaton Ellerby. Interestinly, I had him going #7 to the CBJ.

8:23 PM After a quick break, we’re back and the Cats are at the podium.

8:17 PM Logan Couture. Of the Ottawa 67’s. Out of the OHL. A character pick.

8:15 PM San Jose heading to the podium. Could this be Cherepanov?

8:14 PM A TRADE!!! St. Louis Trades the #9 to San Jose for the #13 and their 2nd this year and their 3rd next year. San Jose’s on the clock.

8:11 PM New Boston jerseys. Next up is St. Louis, San Jose looks to be involved in something.

8:09 PM Zach Hamill! Ryan the temp goes at #8.

8:08 PM Cam Neely at the podium

8:05 PM Boston is up. I think they might get Esposito.

8:04 PM Jakub Voracek is the first Euro to go into the draft.

8:03 PM Jakub Voracek!

8:01 PM Or not, CBJ is on the podium.

8:00 PM Apparently Bettman is going to announce something.

7:55 PM Columbus is on the clock.

7:54 PM Edmonton take Sam Gagner, son of Dave, out of London of the OHL.

7:53 PM Oilers are headed to the podium.

7:50 PM Edmonton is on the clock. This will be interesting.

7:49 PM It’s Alzner! Karl Alzner of the WHL at #5.

7:48 PM Washington is on the podium. Wyshynski says Alzner.

7:46 PM Pittsburgh may be dealing with ATL. This will be a curious pick for the Caps.

7:42 PM I had Hickey going at #22. Washington’s on the clock. New Jersey alert.

7:41 PM WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA? Thomas Hickey, a defenseman from Seattle of the WHL. 5′11”, 182 lbs. at D. The first shocker of the draft. 6 teams had him as a 2nd rounder.

7:40 PM Kings to the podium.

7:36 PM Turris is headed to America, to play at the U. of Wisconsin. The worry is that he’s not dominant vs. Top Tier players.

7:35 PM Kyle Turris to PHX!

7:34 PM Gretzky at the podium to standing ovations.

7:32 PM Coyotes are looking to start from scratch.

7:30 PM The Coyotes are on the clock. Holmgren says JvR reminds him of John LeClair.

7:29 PM This is the first time ever that Americans have gone 1-2.

7:28 PM Americans go 1-2 as the Flyers take JvR outta the National Team Dev. Program. Many compare him to Rick Nash, but Doug MacLean questions that. Some say he may be the most NHL ready player.

7:27 PM JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK!

7:26 PM Philly’s at the podium.

7:23 PM Kane reminds many of Pavel Datsyuk, the worries are about his size. I say, with Brian Gionta scoring bunches of goals, it’s not a worry.

7:21 PM Pat Kane it is! Patrick Kane of London of the OHL. This is the 1st time that two consecutive Americans will be drafted at #1.

7:20 PM Here we go, Chicago at the podium….

7:19 PM Booos for the Hawks

7:16 PM Booooooooooo! Bettman steps to the podium.

7:15 PM Apparently Craig Leipold has advised that the NHL not approve the sale of the Preds to Jim Ballsillie. Everyone on the team, however, can get the hell out.

7:14 PM Apparently it’s curious that Bettman han’t addressed the crowd yet, there’s no clock or anything. A deal perhaps?

7:13 PM Eric McErlain reports that Nationwide Arena is full.

7:11 PM Habs are talking with CBJ, ANA and SJ.

7:08PM Dennis Bernstein says the Hawks should hold on to the 1st pick.

7:05 PM Montreal and Anaheim are looking to make a deal according to TFP.

7:04 PM Eric Duatscheck says it may be almost done.

7:00 PM HERE WE GO!

6:57 PM The Latest from Greg Wyshynski at the NHL Fanhouse (NHL.AOLSPORTSBLOG.com)

“Latest rumor on the floor is Phoenix trading for the top pick and selecting Kyle Turris (C, Burnaby, BCHL), in exchange for a position player (Derrek Morris?) and the No. 3 pick. This could open the door for the Philadelphia Flyers to potentially take Patrick Kane (RW, London, OHL) or James vanRiemsdyk (D, US U-18, USDP).
Ah, but the latest? That the deal has fallen through, and Chicago will take Kane. Stay tuned…”

Ah, the fun of rumors.

6:55 PM New rumor is that the roster player is Boynton headed to CHI. However, some are denying that it is happening.

6:51 PM Once again, EDMONTON and PHILADELPHIA are interested in Gomez for a trade and sign. The report is that the Devils are not returning the Flyers calls, but are seriously talking with the Oilers.

6:42 PM This draft special is very depressing I must say. Anyway, here are the rules for our rumors. All rumor sites, TSN, TFP, HockeyBuzz, will be used and taken with a grain of salt. Right now HB is reporting that Phoenix has Traded a roster player for the #1 pick from Chicago. Phoenix will take Turris, Philly will take van Riemsdyk and Chi-Town at #3 would take Kane.

6:30 PM Here we go folks, the NHL Draft is 30 minutes away. Right now, VERSUS is airing an all access special on the St. Louis Blues which I saw on the Blues website. Boy it mustg suck to be a Blues scout, based on this. Right now, there is a lot of news flowing around, and it’ll be interesting to see where the night takes us. The big thing were following right now is the Washington Caps jersey unveiling. Even though you’ve all already seen it on a billion different blogs.

Leave questions for myself and Patricia (Who will suit up shortly for the blogging) in the comments section and one of us will try and respond.

We’ll be getting going in a few minutes.

Florida Panthers have grabbed Tomas Vokoun from Nashville for a 1st rounder and a couple more picks.

Chicago’s 1st has two serious offers from the West, as per TFP.

We’ll be liveblogging from 6:30 on.

Here’s the mock draft I did for SFM, note that it was complete prior to the Sharks/Leafs trade:

I’ll probably end up wrong with the #1, as I’ve been told CHI’s starting leaning toward Kane, but we will see.

Pittsburgh has signed Mark Recchi (2 mill) and Gary Roberts (2.5 Mill)

1. Chicago - Kyle Turris (BCHL)
2. Philadelphia - James van Riemsdyk (USNTDP)
3. Phoenix - Patrick Kane, C (OHL)
4. Los Angeles - Karl Alzner, D (WHL)
5. Washington - Sam Gagner, C (OHL)
6. Edmonton - Jakub Voracek, RW (WHL)
7. Columbus - Keaton Ellerby, D (WHL)
8. Boston - Angelo Esposito, C (QMJHL)
9. St. Louis - Alexei Cherepanov, RW (Russia)
10. Florida - Zach Hamill, C (WHL)
11. Minnesota - Ryan McDonagh, D (Minn. HS)
12. Montreal - Logan Couture, C (OHL)
13. San Jose - Mikael Backlund, C (Sweden)
14. Colorado - Kevin Shatenkirk, D (USNTDP)
15. Edmonton - Alex Plante, D (WHL)
16. Anaheim - Nick Petrecki, D (USHL)
17. NY Rangers - Maxim Mayorov, RW (Russia)
18. Calgary - Brandon Sutter, RW (WHL)
19. Minnesota - Colton Gillies, LW (WHL)
20. Pittsburgh - Max Pacioretty, LW (USHL)
21. Phoenix - David Perron, LW (QMJHL)
22. Montreal - Thomas Hickey, D (WHL)
23. Nashville - Tommy Cross, D (CT HS)
24. St. Louis - Jon Blum, D (WHL)
25. Vancouver - Brett McLean, LW (OHL)
26. St. Louis - Oscar Moller, C (WHL)
27. Detroit - Nick Ross, D (WHL)
28. Washington - Akim Aliu, RW (OHL)
29. Ottawa - Brandon Smith, D (QJPHL)
30. Edmonton - Dana Tyrell, C (WHL)

SJ Gets: Toronto’s 1st (#13) and 2nd Round picks this year and a 4th rounder next year.

TOR Gets: Vesa Toskala (G) and Mark Bell (C)

BoNY Exclusive: Insider’s Perspective
Mike Chen, Battle of California:

I'm not sure how this will play out since Wilson'sbasically said he sees it as a 1-10 type thing before a huge dropoff.They may package that #1 for something else or move up, so I'll waitfor it to happen before contributing my thoughts on the deal.

The more I think about it, though, the more I like it. It frees upenough cap space to have some flexibility with free agents, Bell was ahealthy scratch/4th liner at this point with emotional problems fromhis DUI, and they got a lot of commodities to try and create a deal.Just gotta hope Wilson turns it into something further.

——————————————————————–

Other Rumors: Reportedly Edmonton is speaking to Gomez about either a sign and trade or his exclusive negotiang rights. Philadelphia was rumored to be involved but has said that they haven’t asked about it. Fernandez and Bryzgalov talks are heating up.

Expect Atlanta to make a move today.