Saturday Caps Clips

Your savory Saturday brunch links:

• Where to begin? Oh, right.  Yesterday was the first day of the 2011 free agent season.
• Busy day?  Busy day. [Ted's Take]
• Overviews. [NHL.com (Masisak), WaPo (Carrera), WashTimes (Whyno), CSN Washington (O'Halloran), NBC Washington]
• Analysis. [Peerless, Puck Daddy, KoL, CapsNewsNetwork, USA Today (Allen)]
• Here's what the Caps' brass had to say. [CBS Washington (audio, transcript), SB Nation DC (and again)]
  
• The biggest news of the day was the somewhat unexpected and swift resolution of the the logjam in the Capitals' crease, as goaltender Semyon Varlamov was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for Colorado's 2012 first round draft pick and the Caps' choice of the Avs' 2012 2nd round pick (from Boston) or 2013 2nd round pick. [JR, Dump'n'Chase, CI (Carrera), CW (Whyno)]
  • Sure, Varly got his starting gig... [Goalie Guild]
  • ...and he got paid. Plus a pretty new sweater... [CapGeek, FoxNews]
  • ...but did Avs GM Peter Sherman get fleeced? [Puck Daddy, PHT, HotH, USA Today (Allen)]
  • #fancystats! [E$PN Insider (Greenberg), TSN (Cullen)]
  • Sayonara, Semyon... [Clydeorama, Stack the Pads, Alex Ovetjkin]
  • ...does this leave a spot on the Caps for Tomas Voukoun ? [ESPN (Burnside)]
  • AvsNation: Cautiously optimistic... [Jerseys and Hockey Love]
  • ...and Varlamov bids farewell to the Caps organization and fans. [CI (Carrera)]
• Once the goalie drama was over, it was time for the signings. 
  
  • Meet the new guys:
    • Roman Hamrlik (Defenseman, MTL) [JR, CW (Whyno)]
      
    • Joel Ward (Forward, NSH) [JR, CW (Whyno), The Tennessean, Kurtenblog]
  • What it meant to sign those two players. [Puck Daddy, PHT, CI (Carrera) (and again), Ed Frankovic]
    
  • Welcome home to an old friend:
    • Jeff Halpern (Centerman, MTL) [JR, Dump'n'Chase, CW (Whyno), Ed Frankovic, Half Smokes]
  • Halpern's signing also meant saying goodbye to old friend Boyd Gordon... [CI (Carrera), CW (Whyno)]
    • ...who gave a brief interview to his new team... [coyotes.nhl.com]
    • ...but the "Hockey Diaries" crew will miss him.  And his sock tape. [mediachameleon]
  • And welcome back Sean Collins. [WashCaps, CapGeek]
• The Hershey Bears announced their signings of defenseman Paul Baier and forwards (2011 Calder playoffs standout) Ryan Potulny and Matthew Ford. [Hershey Bears (and again)]
• The South Carolina Stingrays announced their "Qualifying Offers" list. [Into The Boards]
• Finally, and fittingly, we wish George McPhee a very happy 53rd birthday.