Top Line: Is the NHLPA hurting player salaries?; more must-reads

Is the NHLPA bad for player salaries?, who makes what in the NHL, more news links.

An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:

• Tony Gallagher says that Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will make decent bank with their new extensions, but in comparing their deals to what players earned a decade ago he also suggests that the NHLPA may have outlived its usefulness. It's an interesting point. Of course, not having a union to negotiate a CBA would come at the expense of players at the low end of the pay scale.

• Forget the future, says David Haugh. Blackhawks fans should revel in the glorious present.

• Any time a mega-contract is signed, it's fair to wonder where a player stacks up earnings-wise against his NHL buddies. Here's a handy graphic that spells out who's making what, both on and off the ice.

• Questions about his durability don't undermine the value of Cory Schneider's new $42 million deal with the Devils.

• Here's a look at how Schneider's new contract stacks up against those of other top goalies. Spoiler alert: he's doing pretty well.

• Tomas Hertl says that the soreness in his surgically repaired knee is nothing to worry about. He'll have to forgive Sharks fans if they're unconvinced by his assurances.

• The NHLPA has announced the dates for this year's salary arbitration hearings. Vladimir Sobotka of the Blues and Cody Franson of the Maple Leafs are up first on July 21.

• Can playing alongside Ryan Getzlaf help a former 50-goal scorer revive his career? That is the hope of Dany Heatley, the down-on-his-luck sniper who signed with the Ducks on Wednesday night.

• After assessing the potential of several summer signings, Justin Bourne says that the Avalanche have gotten a whole lot worse. After perusing the list of Colorado's transactions, it's hard to disagree.

• The name of injured forward Marc Savard still comes up every time that the Bruins' salary-cap crunch is discussed, but the former sniper isn't sitting at home collecting a check. An avid golfer, Savard is taking a swing this week at a Canadian PGA Tour event. Good on 'im. Here's hoping he goes on to lead the best post-hockey life possible.

• Former Jets great Dale Hawerchuk loved playing in Winnipeg. And he can't imagine why Evander Kane would feel any differently.

• The great Kathryn Tappen is movin' on up. The longtime anchor at the NHL Network is taking her talents to the NBC Sports Network.

• Describing it as “a routine break, nothing special,” the agent for Tom Wilson said that the Capitals forward underwent surgery for a broken leg and would be sidelined until training camp. Details on what led to the injury are sketchy ... which is kind of sketchy in and of itself.

• No, Toronto didn't find the solution to its myriad problems in free agency this summer. But the Leafs didn't overspend on aging talent, either. And that's a win in Brendan Shanahan's book.

• Mike Weaver couldn't spend his summer with Canadiens teammate Max Pacioretty. So he's vacationing with a poster of MaxPac instead.

• It might be a long season in Calgary, but the play of top prospects Sam Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau at the team's development camp this week suggests that better days might not be that far off for the Flames.

• The presence of Thatcher Demko, Cole Cassels and others has Jason Botchford thinking that the Canucks have never had this much talent at their development camp.

• And finally, don't miss this piece on McKenzie Stewart. The towering defenseman is a long-shot to make the Vancouver roster, but the story of what he's been through just to get to this point makes him someone for whom every fan should root.