Mika Zibanejad had plans to move this summer - within Ottawa.

The newest member of the New York Rangers moved into a new house during his final days as a Senator, writes NHL's Dan Rosen. Zibanejad was traded on July 18 in a move that saw Derick Brassard head to the Canadian capital.

Zibanejad, only 23, met with the New York media for the first time Friday, and is looking forward to "an exciting start, a new chapter in my career."

A former first-round pick, sixth overall in 2011, the Swede set career highs across the board last season with 21 goals and 51 points. The trade made the Rangers younger, as Brassard will turn 29 before next season begins, so New York is hoping the best is yet to come for their newest man up the middle.

It took a while for Zibanejad to get over the shock of the trade, Rosen writes, and his housing situation weighed heavily on him. The trade was "nothing I counted on, obviously," he said.

His new teammates have helped with the transition, though, and Zibanejad continues to hunt for an apartment. He's looking forward to playing under the lights at Madison Square Garden - his new friends tell him being a Ranger in New York is as good as it gets.

"It's a change from Ottawa," he said. "It's a little bit busier, but I like that."

Playing with a talented group of forwards up front, a 60-point season from Zibanejad wouldn't be a surprise. He's going to be counted on to replace Brassard's 58 points, and will likely have more responsibilities on the penalty kill, something he welcomes.

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July 1 seems like an eternity ago, doesn't it?

In case you forgot, plenty of new faces will be in new places come October, and while some of the contracts doled out at the beginning of the free agent frenzy were a tad perplexing, a select few met the needs for both the players and teams involved.

Here are three signings that should prove to be a success.

Kyle Okposo - Buffalo Sabres

Sabres general manager Tim Murray wanted Steven Stamkos - bad - but inking Okposo to an affordable seven-year, $42-million contract was a fair consolation.

Okposo will join a growing, but supremely talented core of forwards in Buffalo, and will add scoring punch to an offense that ranked 25th league-wide in goals for with 199 last season.

At 28 years old, Okposo still has prime years ahead of him, and there's no reason to believe he can't produce a fourth consecutive 50-plus point season, even if he isn't riding shotgun with John Tavares anymore.

Alexander Radulov - Montreal Canadiens

While character issues have tarnished Radulov's reputation, the reward highly outweighs the risk for Marc Bergevin and the Canadiens.

A one-year, $5.75-million contract fits easily into Montreal's books, and Radulov claims to have changed his ways, saying he's matured since his incident in Nashville.

Adding the 30-year-old addresses the Habs' need for goals, which just so happens to be Radulov's modus operandi. In three of his past four seasons in the KHL, Radulov has finished among the top two in scoring.

Brian Campbell - Chicago Blackhawks

Campbell wanted a reunion with Chicago, so he and general manager Stan Bowman made it happen.

The 37-year-old signed a one-year, $1.5-million contract to return to the Blackhawks, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2010.

Bringing in Campbell immediately fills a hole in Chicago's top four, a void created when Johnny Oduya left for the Dallas Stars last offseason.

The Blackhawks lone downfall last season was a lack of defensive depth, and in Campbell, they get reliability, familiarity, and production at a discounted rate.

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed this year's fifth overall pick, Olli Juolevi, to a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Friday.

"Olli is a talented all-around defenceman with high hockey sense who will be a big part of our organization’s future," Canucks general manager Jim Benning said. "He’s had an outstanding year, winning the Memorial Cup and World Junior gold. We look forward to seeing him continue his development and compete at the NHL level during training camp in September."

Although he's officially locked up, Vancouver previously stated they plan to keep him in the OHL with the London Knights next season.

Juolevi was the first defenseman plucked off the board at the draft, after a campaign in which he registered 42 points in 57 games.

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As the Toronto Maple Leafs approach year two of the Mike Babcock era, one of the ongoing questions surrounding the club entering next season is the status of prospect Mitch Marner.

The 19-year-old was selected fourth overall by Toronto in 2015, and has outgrown the junior level, scoring 242 points over his last 120 regular-season games with the OHL's London Knights.

While he's still eligible to play for the Knights, Marner's contract prohibits playing in the AHL, so it's either Toronto or London next season, and Babcock believes the big club is a viable option.

"I sure think he has a good chance," Babcock told TSN's Brent Wallace.

One of the knocks on Marner is his size. He's listed as 5-foot-11, 164 pounds, but Babcock doesn't view it as a problem, as long as he's getting stronger.

"Mitch has been working with our guys and really training hard. He's eating right and doing everything he can to get stronger, to say Mitch has to put on a bunch of weight, to me, is ridiculous," Babcock said.

The Maple Leafs' coach is keeping an eye on Marner at the World Junior Summer Showcase this week, and he likes what he sees.

"I thought he was magical yesterday in practice," Babcock said. "I really like his attention to detail without the puck, how he knocks down pucks, how he knows where the puck's going. The puck always comes to him."

Marner will have another chance to impress Leafs brass when camp opens in September.

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It's been over a month since Bill Foley was awarded an NHL franchise, and it's going to be a while until the Las Vegas team's name and logo is revealed.

The number of options has been reduced from 18 to four, the owner said, and the goal is to have it all settled prior to the start of the 2016-17 season.

"We're making progress," Foley told Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We're in a pretty good position now and we're meeting next week with the NHL and Adidas to look at logos and designs. We'll have a little more clarity in the next 30 days."

Some variation of "Knights" remains in play, but Foley admitted there's a conflict with that exact name.

"The London Knights (OHL) own the name in Canada and to acquire the name from London is not economically feasible," Foley said. "In the U.S., 'Knights' are fine. But we can't use it in Canada."

The four names will also be kept a secret until the official unveiling.

"We want to make it a special event for everyone," Foley said. "I know everyone is anxious about the name. But we want to get it right."

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The Winnipeg Jets are gearing up to host the 2016 Heritage Classic.

A large crowd was on hand at the city's famous Portage and Main downtown intersection as the Jets and Edmonton Oilers unveiled the rosters and jerseys for the alumni and regular-season games to be played outdoors on Oct. 22 and 23, respectively, at Investors Group Field.

The Oilers alumni roster was announced by Kevin Lowe, who will suit up for the game, and includes a host of Hall of Fame players and other notables.

• Dave Semenko, Wayne Gretzky (Captain), Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr, Jari Kurri, Kelly Buchberger, Randy Gregg, Charlie Huddy, Ken Linseman, B.J. MacDonald, Craig MacTavish, Marty McSorley, Bill Ranford, Dwayne Roloson, Craig Simpson, Ryan Smyth, Esa Tikkanen

The Jets roster is replete with legends from the original incarnation of the franchise.

• Thomas Steen, Dave Babych, Laurie Boschman, Mike Eagles, Dave Ellett, Bob Essensa, Mike Ford, Kris King, Jim Kyte, Morris Lukowich, Moe Mantha, Mario Marois, Andrew McBain, Brian Mullen, Teppo Numminen, Teemu Selanne, Darrin Shannon, Doug Smail, Tim Watters, Ron Wilson

The Oilers will rock an old-school orange jersey for both games.

And the Jets will don a true throwback of their own.

"Hockey fans welcome every opportunity to see their favorite NHL teams face off outdoors," said Brian Jennings, NHL CMO and executive vice president. "This year's Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic will offer Jets, Oilers and all hockey fans a great mix of nostalgia with the alumni game and an amazing showcase of today's top talent in the NHL Heritage Classic."

The Heritage Classic is one of four outdoor games on the 2016-17 NHL schedule.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are going cuckoo over the Stanley Cup.

Defenseman Kris Letang let his son eat cereal out of the storied trophy Friday, mirroring a recent Cullen family meal.

No word on what the cereal was, but when you eat it out of the Cup, it's sure to be extra grrreat.

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