The Flyers want to sign free-agent goalie Evgeni Nabokov, but he'll likely have to take a reduced salary. Nabokov made $6 million from the Sharks last season. The Edmonton Journal writes that Nabokov isn't likely to return to Russia. "He's married to a North American girl. No way that's going to happen," said Darryl Sutter, the former Sharks general manager.

The Penguins acquired Dan Hamhuis from the Flyers recently, but they still want to re-sign Sergei Gonchar. Pittsburgh is looking at a top-five defensive unit that includes Hamhuis, Gonchar, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski. "That would be the way we would go with our team, with the strength on defense," general manager Ray Shero said Saturday. "We would go with the guys we have up front and give some needed opportunity to some younger players." Gonchar and Hamhuis are eligible to become unrestricted free agents if the Penguins do not sign them by Thursday.

The Blackhawks extended a qualifying offer to restricted free-agent winger Andrew Ladd, according to a source, a day before Monday's deadline, as reported by ESPN.com.

The Sharks have signed Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski to four-year contracts. Marleau will earn $6.9 milion per season while Pavelski is making $4 million per season.

Sam McCaig of Yahoo! Sports released a list of the top 50 players in free agency this summer. Below is McCaig's top-25. 1. Ilya Kovalchuk 2. Patrick Marleau 3. Anton Volchenkov 4. Tomas Plekanec 5. Evgeni Nabokov 6. Scott Niedermayer 7. Sergei Gonchar 8. Chris Mason 9. Paul Martin 10. Matthew Lombardi 11. Teemu Selanne 12. Alexander Frolov 13. Pavel Kubina 14. Dan Hamhuis 15. Maxim Afinogenov 16. Willie Mitchell 17. Zbynek Michaelk 18. Todd Bertuzzi 19. Toni Lydman 20. Henrik Tallinder 21. Marek Svatos 22. Marty Turco 23. Antero Niittymaki 24. Illi Jokinen 25. Alexi Ponikarovsky

The Flyers offered Peter Forsberg a contract in March, but he rejected them, according to a report by TSN. "Yeah, it's true," Forsberg told Expressen. "But I felt that I wasn't in good enough shape to go." He has not completely ruled out a return to the NHL, but he is not ready to discuss his future just yet. "It's way too early to start speculating about teams when I still don't even know if I can come back and play hockey again," Forsberg told Expressen.

The Blackhawks might trade Patrick Sharp, who is drawing interest from teams. Chicago has salary cap issues and will need to swing some deals in order to clear space. Sharp is owed $3.9 million over the remaining two years on his deal. "It's going to be a tough couple weeks if players do leave," Sharp said. "We've just got to enjoy right now and celebrate as much as we can." The Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets are said to have interest in Sharp should the Blackhawks look to move him. "Sharp is a guy any team would love to have," a league executive said during the Stanley Cup Finals. "He might not be an elite player, but he's just a notch below. There are no flaws in his game."

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren paid goalie Michael Leighton just $142,000 this season. After Leighton helped lead Philadelphia all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, his price will undoubtedly go up. "I think we've got to be careful there in how we view him," Holmgren said Friday. Brian Boucher, who is signed for next season, started the postseason as the team's No. 1 goalie, but an injury cost him time. "You can't argue with his record and numbers when he had an opportunity to play," Holmgren said of Leighton. Leighton has said that he'd like to remain with the Flyers. "I enjoyed my time here, I enjoyed the guys and the organization," he said. "It's kind of up to the team. I've still got to meet with Homer and talk it over."

The Flyers could allow goalie Michael Leighton to leave the team as a free agent despite his success during the postseason. Philadelphia is two games away from winning the Stanley Cup and trails Chicago 3-2 after Sunday night's Game 5. Leighton has no contract after this season and the Toronto Sun writes that the Flyers may not be ready to commit to him. There will be a number of free agent options this summer, including Marty Turco of Dallas, Evgeni Nabakov of San Jose and Chris Mason of St. Louis.