NHL Morning Papers (Independence Day Edition): Phil Kessel to Toronto deal is off the table, Mats Sundin to make decision by end of the month and did Leafs tamper with Sedin twins

Free Agnecy

• Seems like Mark Recchi will be packing it in after this upcoming season, writes Fluto Shinzawa.
• Did the Blackhawks mishandle the team’s qualifying offers to specific young players?
• The Wings were not surprised that they were not able to re-sign Mikael Samuelsson to a new contract.
• “Obviously (the money) was the key, I shouldn’t lie,’ said Samuelsson about his new three-year deal with Vancouver.
• Sounds like the Canucks have been eyeing Mikael Samuelsson for a while now.
• Shane Hnidy and Martin Havlat are excited to be reunited in Minnesota.
• The Wild remains intersted in Saku Koivu, but is he interested in them?
• On Friday, the Rangers penned Tyler Arnason to a two-way contract.
• The Coyotes have signed recent acquisition Shaun Heshka to a one-year contract.
• Staying in Phoenix, the Coyotes are very excited to have the useful Vern Fiddler on board.
• Ruslan Fedotenko demonstrated that he really cares about winning, by taking a paycut to remain with the Penguins.
• Big Ryane Clowe has signed a four-year extension with the San Jose Sharks.
• Another Mats Sundin waiting game is coming, but don’t expect this time around to be as long and drawn out.
• There is a petition floating around Montreal that is calling for the re-signing of Saku Koivu and Alexei Kovalev.

Ryan Smyth Trade

• “The way he plays is the way I want the Kings to play,” said Kings GM Dean Lombardi about the Ryan Smyth acquisition.
• With the acquisition of Smyth, the Kings’ top-six looks good.
• Adrian Dater says the fact that Colorado was looking to trade Ryan Smyth was not a surprise.

Rick Nash Extension

• Here is all you need to know about Rick Nash’s accomplishements.
• Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch says Nash is worth all that he signed for.
• Not only did Nash sign a long-term extension, but he structured the deal so it helps the Blue Jackets too.
• Too bad Toronto fans, no Rick Nash for you.

Dany Heatley Situation

• Former Thrashers defenseman, and teammate of Dany Heatley, Garnett Exelby thinks that Dany Heatley is handcuffing the Senators organizaiton.
• “Right now, I don’t think anything is happening at all,” said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk about a possible Dany Heatley trade.
• Ron Hextall details why the Kings are not interested in Dany Heatley’s services.
• It sounds like Oilers GM Steve Tambellini still thinks his team has a chance to acquire Heatley.

Everything Else

• Apparently the Kessel-to-Toronto deal is no longer on the table, explains Steve Buffery.
• Did the Leafs tamper with the Sedin twins?
• Randy Youngman of the Orange County Register says the Chris Pronger trade was a good one.
• Teemu Selanne says this upcoming season will be his last in the NHL.
• The Penguins not only signed Fedotenko but also made a small front office move, as well.  As a result, the Penguins need to hire an assistant coach.