Matt Martin, the Toronto Maple Leafs lone signing from the first day of free agency, is excited to begin the next chapter of his career.

The bulldozing winger said Toronto's management team is part of what drew him to the team.

"I was able to talk to Lou and Mike on the phone and kind of get a good feel for the direction they're heading," Martin told Dean Blundell of Sportsnet 590 The Fan, transcribed by Chris Nichols of Today's Slapshot. "The management and coaching staff is arguably the best in the league. I'm just excited for the opportunity to play under those guys."

Martin is coming off two-consecutive playoff appearances with the New York Islanders, and although his new team finished 30th in the league, he doesn't think it will take long for Toronto to climb up the ranks.

"I think they're going in the right direction. They're a young team that just got a very good player in Auston Matthews and going through a bit of a rebuild, but with Lou Lamoriello, Brendan Shanahan and Mike Babcock, I can't see that rebuild going too long. I think it's going to be a quick turnaround. They have a lot of great people. A lot of brains behind the bench and the management, and I can't see the Leafs struggling for long."

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Despite some heavy lifting, Steve Yzerman still has some serious work to do.

The Tampa Bay Lightning general manager drew rave reviews for re-signing franchise players in Steven Stamkos and defenseman Victor Hedman to long-term contract extensions on July 1.

At the same time, winger Nikita Kucherov has grown into a star in his own right, and remains without a new contract as a restricted free agent a few days after the opening of the NHL's free-agent signing period.

"We'll do our best to get (it) done as quickly as possible," Yzerman told Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times on July 1. "It's a process, hopefully sooner than later. I'm confident in that at some point, we'll be able to reach an agreement."

The 23-year-old carried a cap hit of $894,166 over the past three seasons, and is due a large raise after averaging 29 goals and 65 points over the past two seasons.

Kucherov is clearly the type of player Yzerman values.

"He's an outstanding player, good in all aspects of the game," Yzerman said. Offensively, defensively, he's a scorer, he's a playmaker, really good defensively, a hard worker. He's still relatively young, three years of pro hockey, he's becoming a leader on our team. Really a go-to-guy for us. He can play in a lot of situations, do a lot of things on the ice.

"Nikita is going to continue to develop. He's determined to be an elite hockey player and a complete hockey player."

Kucherov's early career numbers mirror those posted by 21-year-old Filip Forsberg, who recently signed a six-year, $36-million extension with the Nashville Predators.

According to General Fanager, the Lightning have close to $13 million in available cap space, but with Alex Killorn, Vladislav Namestnikov and Nikita Nesterov also in need of new deals as fellow RFAs.

On top of that, a reconciliation between the club and Jonathan Drouin means he'll need a new contract in 2017, with a career season likely on deck.

In beating the Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals en route to a Stanley Cup championship, the Pittsburgh Penguins proved you need depth to succeed in today's NHL.

Having Stamkos and Hedman at the top is fine, but Yzerman needs to lock up the supporting cast, with Kucherov serving as the brightest Bolt of the bunch.

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Auston Matthews has arrived.

The Toronto Maple Leafs No. 1 pick took the ice for the opening day of the team's development camp Monday, and as expected, all eyes were on him.

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Can Joffrey Lupul see himself playing for the NHL's Las Vegas expansion franchise?

The question was posed to him by Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, with Lupul offering a refreshingly honest response.

"Me? Vegas? I don’t think that’s a good fit for either of us."

Enough said.

For the time being, the 32-year-old winger remains under contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs through to the end of 2017-18 at a salary-cap hit $5.25 million, although general manager Lou Lamoriello seems somewhat non-committal about Lupul's status with the club.

Lupul scored 11 goals in 46 games for Toronto last season.

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Home is where the heart is.

Presented with the opportunity to sign with the Montreal Canadiens, forward David Perron ultimately decided to return to the St. Louis Blues as an unrestricted free agent, agreeing to a two-year, $7.5-million contract.

However, it wasn't the easiest decision to make.

"It would have been a dream to play (in Montreal), but St. Louis is really a place that’s close to my heart," Perron told Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I really missed playing in the city and I wanted to get another shot and hopefully make the best of it this time."

Perron was drafted 26th overall by the Blues in 2007, and was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in 2013 amid reports he didn't fit with head coach Ken Hitchcock's system and in the locker room.

Hitchcock liked what he saw out of Perron during his brief time with the Anaheim Ducks, and pushed general manager Doug Armstrong to bring the forward back.

"I saw a guy that was a really good player there for Anaheim, very effective," Hitchcock said. "He was one of the guys getting a lot of scoring chances in that series against Nashville. I said, 'Whoever gets this guy on the next go, he’s going to get a real good player.'"

The coach's endorsement was not lost on Perron, and helped tip the scales in St. Louis' favor.

"I think what I was really happy about is how much (Hitchcock) pushed to get me. With all the rumors that were out there, it just kind of proves that everyone was wrong, and I’m happy about that."

Perron, 28, is averaging 20 goals for every 82 games played over the course of his career.

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The Edmonton Oilers have dipped back into the free-agent waters, signing fringe forward Taylor Beck to a one-year contract, the club announced Sunday.

Beck was traded twice in two months last summer after making 62 starts the season prior for the Nashville Predators, who drafted him in the third round in 2009.

He appeared in two NHL games last season after landing with the New York Islanders by way of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and scored 33 points in 46 games with their American Hockey League affiliate in Bridgeport.

The 25-year-old has 11 goals and 23 points in 87 career NHL games across five pro seasons.

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