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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Mark Spector says Vancouver fans should be thrilled to be rid of Ryan Kesler, no matter what they got in return. This scathing assessment of his character and diminishing abilities should make anyone feeling like the Canucks got the short end of the deal feel much better. Great take from this veteran scribe.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Jason Botchford says Kesler got what he wanted in the deal. The Canucks? Not so much.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Even with Kesler off the market, the Ottawa Senators found Jason Spezza to be a tough sell. Clearly, they wanted to have a deal done by last night -- one that would have included a first rounder in return -- but that's not the only way to cut ties with their captain. There's still plenty of time to make something happen before next season, but it sounds like the Ottawa front office needs to reassess its expectations of what he'll bring in return.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Garth Snow dropped a bomb on live TV in defense of his second first-round pick, Josh Ho-Sang.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 There weren't many surprises, but there were plenty of fascinating storylines that unfolded over the course of Friday night's first round. Mike Johnston breaks out the fun facts.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Someone's ox was going to be gored by the NHL's decision to change the draft lottery rules. Turns out it was the Buffalo Sabres.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Mike Zeisberger lists Nashville and Anaheim as the big winners Friday night.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 In Ryan Kennedy's eyes, the theme of the night was that skill wins out.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Jim Rutherford said a desire to change the mix of the team was behind his decision to trade James Neal to the Predators.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 In Nashville, the deal was hailed as proof the Preds are serious about becoming more offensive minded&amp;nbsp;... even if Neal comes with strings attached.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Dejan Kovacevic makes the case that this deal might be exactly what both teams needed.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Jim Matheson has the national view of the deal, and so that even in a league where goal scoring is coveted, no one should be surprised that the Pens cut ties with Neal.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 Pittsburgh might be looking at one of Toronto's free agents to help fill in for Neal.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 The Arizona Coyotes (still hard to type that) say behavioral problems, not cap issues were the behind the buyout of Mike Ribeiro's contract. Anyone who has been around the center won't be shocked to hear there were problems, but it is surprising to hear the Coyotes be so open about it. There's always someone who thinks they can squeeze something out of a talented player, but this could mark the end of Ribeiro's NHL career.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 No such drama behind San Jose's decision to buy out Martin Havlat. He was just lousy value for the money.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u2022 At least one person actually believes Ondrej Pavelec can be a star. Fortunately for the beleaguered Winnipeg goalie it's his coach, Paul Maurice.\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/nhl/2014/06/28/top-line-ryan-kesler-garth-snow-james-neal>