Trending Topics is a new column that looks at the week in hockey according to Twitter. If you don't know about Twitter, get with the times old man.

They say that the sign of a good compromise is that both sides go away unhappy, and that was the case with Blake Wheeler's(notes) arbitration hearing with the Bruins.

Wheeler was awarded $2.2 million, as first reported by ESPN Boston's Jimmy Murphy. CSNNE's Joe Haggerty talked to agent Matt Keator, who said, "Decision came in range we expected. There were no winners or losers in this case. Blake is excited for camp and ready to go."

Of course, the fact that both sides view the contract as more or less reasonable when compared to the rest of the NHL is, in a word, silly.

I think Wheeler is a perfectly good hockey player, not great or even that much above average, but good. And the fact that he's getting $2.2 million from an arbitrator rather than his team or another that slid him an offer sheet tells you that's roughly market value for comparable players. The Bruins will take that number for sure.

But think about that. He's getting $2.2 million. A raise of about 150 percent over the base salary of the two-year deal he signed when he came into the league. And for what? He was sensational his rookie year, don't get me wrong. But he declined in goals (by 14 percent) and assists (by 17 percent) last season, with no change in power-play goals despite an extra minute on the man advantage per game, and two extra minutes of ice time. And he's a ghost in the playoffs to the tune of 1-5-6, minus-6 in 21 career games.

Yet that's market value. Because Clarke MacArthur(notes) pulled $2.4 million from an arbitrator. Thrashers general manager Rick Dudley, who likely choked on his ice water when he heard that number, wisely said MacArthur could take that money, and his sub-Wheeler point totals, and see if he could find someone to pay him it.

Know who's kicking himself right now? Matt Moulson(notes). Guy plays one full season, picks up 30 goals (only nine fewer than Wheeler had in two years), and settles for another year at $2.45 million. That doesn't seem fair, does it? Especially when Tomas Fleischmann(notes) picked up a year at $2.6 million for fewer goals (though more assists and a proven track record of increasing his production every year he's been in the league).

Of course, in their case, they reached an agreement with their teams before the arbitrator had a chance to hear the case, which is probably good news for their clubs.

Here are two guys who got a lot of time with legitimately excellent players and benefited hugely. Fleischmann got about 30 percent of his ice time with one of Alex Ovechkin(notes), Nick Backstrom or Alex Semin, and 8-22-30 of his points came when one of those three factored into the scoring.

Moulson got 12 of his goals and 11 of his assists with either Kyle Okposo(notes) or John Tavares(notes) in on the scoring, which makes sense since he was on the ice with at least one of them 73 percent of the time.

Not that that kind of thing seems to matter.

So in a couple months, when you're sitting there wondering why your team is paying a guy with 11 goals through 50 games, or a guy who doesn't seem to do much except stand in at the top of the crease and shovel in highlight-reel passes, $2.something million, you've got your answer.

The arbitrators are out of their minds.

The last of the Douchegate fallout I promise 

Yes, Max Talbot(notes) called Alex Ovechkin a douche and everyone got a good laugh over it. Except the Capitals.

Perhaps in response to this treacherous barb, they went out and traded for St. Louis tough guy D.J. King(notes), who does his best work when he's punching dudes in the face. Of course, King wasn't aware of the insult at the time of the trade, but when told about it by the Washington Post's Tarik ElBashir (who is unfortunately now off the Caps beat), he had this to say:

"Wow. I guess that's not going to be happening too much longer, I guess."

It's gonna be awesome when King punches someone square in the kisser for mouthing off to Ovie.

Yet more NHLers on Twitter

Yes, more current and future NHL players are joining Twitter every week. This week saw the addition of Mike Rupp (@Rupper17), who considers this week's episode of Big Brother to have been "amateur hour," and American Hero/Dallas Stars draft pick Jack Campbell (@JCampbell921).

On Sami Salo's(notes) Floorball injury

This week I got an interesting email from one Kelly Twomey, who provided me with a cautionary tale about taking Twitter rumors seriously. Said K-Dawg, "[O]ur own Greg Wyshynski was recently guilty of that."

It seems Kelly made an absent-minded (and by his own admission rather poor) testicle joke, and our dear Greg took it to be serious.

"Who knows though," writes Twomey, "maybe Wysh was double-timing me and posted it so I would be further ridiculed. His genius cannot be overstated."

True. That's why he gets to go on vacation in August, while Leahy and the rest of us refresh Twitter for the Niemi arbitration numbers, which are sure to be insane and therefore hilarious.

If you've got something for Trending Topics, holla at Lambert on Twitter or via email. He'll even credit you so you get a thousand followers in one day and you'll become the most popular person on the Internet! You can also visit his blog if you're so inclined.

It was supposed to be the season where Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic pushed his game to the next level, but instead saw his point totals drop drastically as he succumbed to multiple injuries.

During the 2008-09 season, his second in the NHL, Lucic posted 17 goals for 42 points and really benefited from playing with Marc Savard and Phil Kessel. It really was the perfect line with a bulking power forward, a playmaker and a sniper.

It was clear that the Bruins felt better going forward with Lucic after they dealt Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lucic signed a three-year extension at $4 million per season before the 2008-09 campaign.

It wasn’t exactly the season Looch was looking for; he broke his finger on Oct. 16 and did not return to the lineup until Nov. 19. Only four games later the tides once again turned on him and he injured his left leg causing him to miss an additional 18 games.

In 50 games this season Milan scored nine goals for 20 points.

I believe that, if he is still with the team come opening night, you will see Savard centering a line with Lucic and newcomer Nathan Horton. This is a line that will create some magic if the chemistry is there. Both Lucic and Horton are big bodies that can put the puck in the net and having a guy like Savvy dishing them the puck it could mean big goals for the Bruins.

Without a doubt Lucic will be looking to prove the critics that say he is over paid, judging by his numbers and playoff production is true. However, he was injured and really did show signs that he was coming around near the end of the season and into the playoffs.

The improvement of his snap and wrist shot was evident, as he got more comfortable coming back from his injuries. I can see Looch getting plenty of time on the power play planted in front of the net and getting back to his ways of battling in the corner.

Look for more of this. (Sorry Mikey, get healthy bud!)

Heading in to his fourth season in the NHL, you can expect a hungrier and fiercer Milan Lucic. Playing with the likes of David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Savvy and maybe even Tyler Seguin you can expect his assist numbers to balloon.

It should be an interesting season for Milan Lucic and the Boston Bruins.

Projection: 25 goals, 40 assists, 65 points

Brandon Macdonald
NHLHS Boston Bruins Correspondent
bmacdonald@nhlhotstove.com
Twitter @bMacdonald8

Alex Ovechkin(notes) received his fifth consecutive Kharlamov Trophy in Moscow on Friday afternoon. The Kharlamov Trophy is similar to the Ted Lindsay Award. It is awarded to the best Russian NHL player chosen by his peers. The past winners included Sergei Fedorov(notes) and Ilya Kovalchuk(notes).

It is a tradition for NHL players to bring the Stanley Cup to their hometown. Evgeni Malkin(notes) brought the Cup to his hometown of Magnitogorsk last year. Ovechkin doesn't have a Cup yet, but he has a lot of individual trophies he won in the NHL. He brought all of them to the ceremony.  It was quite a treat for everyone in attendance to see these awards as none have ever been presented to the public in Russia.

When presented with the Kharlamov Trophy Ovechkin said (via Sovetsky Sport):

"It is very nice to receive this award. Maybe deservedly or not, but I am receiving it, and it is nice that Russian guys in the NHL voted for me. I am happy that it is the fifth time I am receiving this trophy, and I will work hard to do it again next season too."

In addition to the Kharlamov Trophy itself, Ovechkin was presented with a karaoke machine. Why? Apparently, Ovechkin is now a singer too! This summer Ovechkin took to a studio to record a song he dedicated to a girl. A serenade, sort of. Ovechkin downplayed this fact and said we shouldn't expect an album from him. Maybe it's for the better. But Ovechkin's connection with the music industry in Russia now includes a song titled "Ovechkin is forever with us" by a Russian band El Paso.

What did Ovechkin think of Max Talbot's(notes) comments earlier this week?

Ovechkin couldn't avoid the obvious topics too. Much has been said about Talbot's comments about Alex Ovechkin in the last few days. Ovechkin said he read them and added "there is nothing to reply. A person can say all he wants. The ice will show everything." Ovechkin said he was simply ignoring Talbot. Then someone asked when Ovechkin had a street fight the last time. "Actually, I am not allowed to fight. At all. I can't fight. Usually others do it for me."

Ovechkin also commented on the contract his friend Ilya Kovalchuk signed with the New Jersey Devils that was rejected by the NHL. He said: "There is no point offering advice in these situations. Ilya is a grown up, he has agents. But I am sure everything will be alright. Kovalchuk signed a good contract. I don't know what the league suspected there. I only wish Ilya good luck and for his contract to come into force." Ovechkin added: "You can secure your future with a long term deal. You can calmly prepare for the season without worrying too much. You don't have to jump out of your pants in your contract year."

The Capitals weren't active this postseason, to say the least. Ovechkin offered his opinion on the changes that happened to the team. "Actually the changes weren't that big. Theodore, Morrison left. It's a shame, of course, but young players showed themselves well. As for the goaltending, in the upcoming season we will reply on [Semyon] Varlamov and [Michal] Neuvirth. We'll see what comes of it."

Last season wasn't the best in Alex Ovechkin's career — an embarrassing loss to Canada at the Olympics, another loss in the final of the World Championship to the Czech Republic, an early exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Ovechkin himself never really said what changed in his game after the Olympics, when everyone noticed that his game had changed. Ovechkin's father, Mikhail, answered that question for Alex:

"The NHL suspension was the most difficult thing for Alex to get over. This is because he was suspended for nothing! Son missed 10 games and then was overtaken in the scoring race at the end of the season by a single goal. And what if he had played in those games? Why do you think NHL players gave the best player award [Ted Lindsay Award] to Alex? They are not fools and understand what is what ... If it wasn't for that disqualification he would have won the scoring title...

"And it is not about the money penalties! Alex had his wings trimmed, the ones that boost the league's image. It was overblown as if he broke his opponent's collarbone ... And he sated playing in two weeks. We all had a feeling that he wasn't treated like a man. There was some sort of pretence in all of it. For similar hits players got two minutes. And there was a show trial for [my] son." added Mikhail Ovechkin.

Alex Ovechkin is already practicing in Moscow for the upcoming NHL season and will shortly join Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikita Filatov(notes) and Nikolai Zherdev(notes) who will all be getting ready together. He will also continue his tradition of taking on-ice practices with Dynamo.

The Calgary Flames are reporting that Ian White has signed a one-year contract that will see the former Toronto Maple Leaf make close to $3 million.

Originally taken in the sixth round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, White spent portions of five seasons with the Maple Leafs before being dealt to the Calgary Flames on January 31, 2010 as part of the deal that sent Dion Phaneuf to Toronto.

White, 26, scored four goals and registered 12 points through 27 games with the Flames last season. Adding that to his nine goals and 26 points with the Leafs last season, and White emerged with a career high 13 goals and 38 points through 83 games in 2009-10.

White’s 38 points was 12 points better than his previous career high of 26 points, something he accomplished twice (2006-07, 2008-09) as a member of the Leafs.

According to capgeek.com the addition of White’s contract now puts the Flames in the unenviable position of being $2,349,995 over the $59.4 million salary cap.

As such, the Flames will have to trim some fat off their roster, which may lead them to trade the likes of defensemen Cory Sarich ($3.6 million) or Steve Staios ($2.7 million) or a combination of players for prospects or draft choices.

While most agree that White’s contract is very much in line with what he brings to the Flames, one wonders if the signing was the most intelligent thing for the Flames to do—especially in light of the team now being over the cap.

The Flames have limited flexibility when it comes to trades as 10 players have some sort of no-movement/no-trade clauses, including seven forwards (Jarome Iginla, Daymond Langkow, Matt Stajan, Rene Bourque, Olli Jokinen, Alex Tanguay) and two defensemen (Jay Bouwmeeter, Robin Regehr) and, of course, goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff.

How the Flames get under the cap is anyone’s guess.

One thing is for sure: While I can’t really disagree with the White signing, it sure as heck complicates things going forward for the Flames—something this team doesn’t need.

Until next time,

Peace!

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

• Ryan Kennedy's plan for the Boston Bruins to get under the salary cap? Either put Tyler Seguin(notes) in juniors after nine games or trade Marc Savard(notes). [The Hockey News]

• Brendan Witt(notes) will soon have more time to fight SUV's after the New York Islanders placed the veteran defenseman on unconditional waivers with a buyout likely to come. [Islanders Point Blank]

• The San Jose Sharks re-signed Jason Demers(notes) to a two-year deal worth $2.5 million. [TSN]

• And it looks like Devin Setoguchi(notes) will sign on for one year with the Sharks very shortly, according to Craig Custance. [Sporting News]

• Peter Regin(notes) joined the long list of players who avoided arbitration and signed a two-year deal worth $2 million with the Ottawa Senators. [SilverSeven Sens]

• Down Goes Brown and other NHLPA grievances in the wake of the Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) contract situation: "Hey, you know what would be completely awesome? If we all stopped hitting each other in the groin with slapshots! (Grievance suggested by Sami Salo(notes).)" [DGB]

• Some bit of news on the Kovalchuk front: According to The Record's Tom Gulitti, a system arbitrator has been agreed upon and a date and location have been set for Kovalchuk's grievance hearing. [Fire & Ice]

• Brendan Shanahan(notes) talks about the NHL's upcoming research and development camp [NHL.com]

• Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Greene(notes) underwent shoulder surgery recently and is expected to be out for three months. [LA Times]

• A fantastic remembrance of John Kordic and his impact on fighting in the NHL. [Butterflies & Black Aces]

• Via Risto Parkarinen, here's a random photo of Hakan Loob doing a split at age 50:

• Best of luck to Capitals beat writer Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post who's leaving his post after five years. [Washington Post]

• Really cool story about a guy who installed the old boards from UMass-Lowell into his backyard rink. [Backyard-Hockey]

• Who has the toughest set of back-to-back games this season?[On the Forecheck]

• A call for the Boston Bruins to honor former TV/radio announcer Fred Cusick in a very special way. [Days of Y'Orr]

• If the Chicago Blackhawks walk away from the Antti Niemi(notes) arbitration decision, would Flyers fans want Paul Holmgren to pursue him? [BroadStreet Hockey]

• New Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik wants current team radio analyst Phil Esposito to have an increased role for the club. [Lightning Strikes]

• One man's list of the 10 best goaltenders in the NHL. [Hockey Primetime]

• Curtis Zupke offers three reasons to look forward to and three reasons to be scared about the upcoming Anaheim Ducks season. [Orange County Register]

• Finally, here's Brett Hull's appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman" featuring his fantastic mullet:

This is a free agent frenzy?

In the free agent class of 2007, 27 contracts were negotiated and announced on the first day of free agency on July 1. Names like Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Danny Briere, Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, and many, many others went on the first day to huge contracts not only in terms of years, but in overall value.

On the second day, another 20 names were crossed off the list, and when the first week was over, another 57 were signed, sealed, and delivered, most to monster contracts.

This season, although the number of players signed through the first week have actually been higher, the dollar amount of the contracts handed out have been a mere fraction of what they were then even factoring in Kovalchuk's monster would be deal.

We all know the salary cap has played a major role in curtailing the amount of money thrown around, but the reasons go a little beyond simply the cap itself.

Would Ilya Kovalchuk remained unsigned for as long as he was this year if he were a free agent in 2007?

Keep in mind that there was a salary cap in 2007 also. One that was much lower than it is today at around 59 million now to 40 million then.

So what are the other reasons for the huge step down in money commitment?

Could it be the talent available?

Could it be that General Managers are no longer willing to throw big money at players that are coming from other organizations?

Could it be that the big money teams that typically have the cash to throw around are at or near the salary cap?

Let us examine.

2010 has been no banner year when it comes to free agents. I would not be the first writer to say the class of 2010 is a weak one.

This being said, it is now July 30th and to see some of the players that are still available is simply mind boggling.

Some notable forwards are: Lee Stempniak, Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Maxim Afinogenov, Bill Guerin, Brendan Morrison, Raffi Torres, John Madden, Mike Modano, and Glen Metropolit.

Granted this is 2010 and not 2000, so Selanne, Kariya, and Modano do not have nearly as much clout as they used to but any one of them could help a team.

Stempniak and Torres are still very young, and personally, I would love to see the Islanders sign one or both of them.

Morrison has had injuries derail his career at times but is a gifted playmaker.

On goaltenders and defense we have Kim Johnsson, Mike Mottau, Andy Sutton, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Marty Turco, Jose Theodore, Ray Emery, and Aaron Ward.

Any one of these players can help a team considerably, including former MVP of the league Theodore who had an amazing 30-7-7 record last year with the Capitals.

Turco may be past his prime, but he is still a very solid netminder.

Looking at some of the names up there makes me wonder why after over four weeks of free agency they still remain unsigned.

Let us examine.

1. The salary cap puts the usual big spenders on the sidelines. This is not a rumor or a speculation; it is a fact.

The Rangers, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, and Philadelphia are the usual big spenders come free agent time.

They are all for the most part dormant in July, and it is because they simply cannot spend any more money due to the cap.

Maybe if the Maple Leafs weren't throwing around 16 million dollars to Jeff Finger, they could have made a run at Kovalchuk and bring a face to their franchise.

With the big money teams out of the picture, it lets the middle level teams have real shots at signing the big names. Would the New Jersey Devils, despite their sparkling new arena, have a ghost of a chance of landing a guy like Kovalchuk if he could run to the millions of one of the big boys?

It's like taking the Yankees and Red Sox out of the picture in baseball.

2. This year's free agent class is sub par. There are lot of people who would disagree with this. Most of the top defensemen have been snapped up already, some going for what some would say Jeff Finger money.

The forwards and goaltenders seem to be the ones lingering here. There are three bonafide number one goaltenders out there. One of them is a former MVP, and the other has won the Stanley Cup.

There is talent there, so I do not believe that talent is the main issue.

3. Free agency is not the way to build a franchise. If the league's current top teams have taught us anything, it's that signing that flashy 40 goal scorer should be the final piece to the puzzle of building your team and not the starting point.

In the past, big market teams have thrown obscene amounts of money at what are perceived to be the "top free agents" of any given year, and it took hours, not weeks, to complete multi year, multi million dollar mega deals.

Now it takes a proven, young 40 goal scorer three weeks to sign a contract after July 1?

That is something that was unheard of as recent as two years ago.

Needless to say, the landscape has drastically changed.

The top dogs will always get their money. That free agent who is perceived to be the top guy, the corner-stone type player.

Gone are the days of multi year mega contracts to second and third tier players like Scott Gomez, Jason Blake, and Chris Drury just to name a few.

In are the days of one year deals to players who would normally be getting this type deal.

Where else would a guy lead his team in goals and get only a one year deal? (Matt Moulson)

How about a guy who gets 58 points and 20 goals and only gets a one year deal (Vinny Prospal)?

The landscape has changed, people. So many teams have abandoned the free agent fix and now favor building through youth. Especially now that 18 year olds making an impact for $375,000 per season over paying a free agent millions more for the same output.

Free agency will always be prevalent, but it seems in order to cash in big time, you have to actually BE big time.

It has turned into a way to tweak your team, and teams have finally figured out it has never been a successful tool in the NHL to build a winning franchise.

Please post your thoughts below.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

San Jose hasn't just established itself as the West Coast epicenter of Jersey Fouls; San Jose Sharks fans may also exhibit the most creativity in their crimes against hockey fashion.

(We still marvel at the Sharks fan with the numbers from "Lost," for example.)

From Puck Buddy Gary C., on "Nokurblokov":

Here's a stupid sweater from a pre-Shelley-trade Sharks game. I'm talking about that great Russian ruffian, Jody Shelley(notes).

Indeed he is. But this appears to be part of some larger trend at Sharks games of silly Russian-inspired puns ... if the jersey on the right from reader Tom is an indication.

From Tom:

This is just wrong on so many levels... is it a commentary on Nabokov's work ethic?

Well, that's the KHL's problem now. Meanwhile, we're left wondering if these Sharks jerseys are the work of many fans or one fan; and whether that one fan is, in fact, Yakov Smirnoff.

Coming Up: Yet another baffling Sharks Foul; font issues in Tampa; Sidney Crosby(notes) mocked; a Blackhawks fan on the cheap; how not to wear your sweater; and two pass-or-fails based on the movies.

And here ... we ... go.

Puck Buddy Roman T. sends in this DIY Chicago Blackhawks effort from the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

When the game got going, clips were used to hold banner he and his buddy had...Cardboard nameplate ended up underneath the seat.

If your message of support for the home team looks like a 'kick me' sign, it's a Foul.

Nice work from Puck Buddy Ben L. here, noticing that the Mattias Ohlund(notes) jersey on the left has what appears to be a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey font; whatever it is, it's not what Ohlund wore last season.

This Foul from 'emmamia' reinforces what we said at the top: San Jose is just bizonkers for the J-Fouls.

Honestly, we have no idea what this Foul is about. Honestly, we're not about to speculate, because Mr. Balbas looks like someone who could Nokurblokov.

And another from "emmamia," as Sharks fans have moved on from Russian puns to honoring the 50 states or the great show "Hawaii Five-O." Tragically, this fan was beaten to a pulp later in the evening by someone wearing a "Guam 51" jersey.

From Tom L. at a Pittsburgh Penguins game at the New York Rangers last season.  This Fails on several levels; but mostly because this snarky young man has created a jersey that can easily be read as "I Suck Crosby." Which, we're guessing, wasn't the intent.

Puck Buddy Jonathan R. sends in this Foul from a Red Deer Rebels game during the WHL playoffs:

Sgt. Zeek likes to tuck in his jersey when he's out with his buddies. Possible pocket-pool going on as well.

Moral of the story: No matter what your rank is, for the love of Wrangler please do not tuck your sweater in your jeans. Ever.

All right, now a couple of Pass or Fails for your approval or disapproval.

First is the Cam Neely "Sea Bass" Boston Bruins sweater captured by Eric P. We've seen these before, and we're thinking about making an exception to the No Nickname Rule because of the unique pop-culture aspect of this particular nickname.

So, Pass or Fail on the Sea Bass Jersey?

Finally ...

Puck Buddy Tim H. states his case:

Wondering what your stance is on movie-inspired hockey sweaters.

Here's the thing - last weekend I stood up with my best friend as he got married. We grew up on the Mighty Ducks movies, especially the first one. As a groomsman's gift, he got me a jersey from the movie, with my name embroidered on the back and everything.

It's pretty rad. He bought one for himself, too. If we wear these to an NHL game, will we see ourselves on the next edition of Jersey Fouls? Should we keep these for our rec league and pond hockey?

Pass or Fail: You can get your name on the back of a sweater for a team that never existed and have it not be a Foul.

And if it's a Pass, well get ready to see Wyshynski and Leahy Monroeville Zombies jerseys ...

It's a one-year, $2,999,995 million deal for the 26-year-old White. Next summer he'll reach unrestricted free-agency status, but in the meantime the deal puts Calgary over the salary cap by $2,349,995, so Darryl Sutter and Jay Feaster still have plenty of work to do before October.

The Calgary Herald's Vicki Hall points out that Calgary's current cap number includes the $3 million salary for Ales Kotalik(notes) who's been waived, but not for the $1,237,833 for Mikael Backlund(notes). Kotalik and his salary look bound for either Abbotsford of the American Hockey League or a European assignment.

In other arbitration news, as expected, the Boston Bruins signed Blake Wheeler(notes) to his one-year, $2.2 million award announced Thursday night. The deal puts the Bruins over the cap by $2,187,771 with first-round draft pick Tyler Seguin(notes) still to be signed.

Time to fire up those Marc Savard(notes), Tim Thomas(notes) and Michael Ryder(notes) trade rumors again?