Top Line: NHL uniform changes for 2014-15; more must-reads

When it comes to NHL uniform changes for 2014–15, yellow is the new black. Also: the Blackhawks have woes, Ryan Malone's cocaine puzzlement and more of today's must-read hockey stories.

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

• Forget orange. In the NHL, yellow is the new black. The Kings will don yellow third jerseys this season and the Penguins might, too. Icethetics has a look at those developments and other uniform changes planned for 2014–15.

•  In his exhaustive Red Wings round-up, George Malik looks at Danny DeKeyser's contract situation, the disappointing progress of a highly-rated prospect and one sure sign that we're closing in on the new season.

• Tuukka Rask writes off Boston's disappointing playoff performance as part of the learning curve and says he's ready for bigger and better things in 2014–15.

Off-season report: Blackhawks ready for another Stanley Cup run

​• They may be leading Stanley Cup contenders, but the Blackhawks have their share of problems, too. Cap concerns and center depth top this list created as part of the NHL's 30 in 30 series.

• Tyler Seguin says that he believes there's no ceiling on what the Stars can accomplish after a summer that saw the team add Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. He also explains what he was thinking when he agreed to let another golfer use his groin to tee off.

• Sorry, Flyers fans. GM Ron Hextall agrees with you that his defense is lacking, but says that big trades for Shea Weber or Zach Bogosian aren't happening.

• Trading Joe Thornton just for the sake of change never made sense to Rory Boylen, but he's on board with the idea of the Sharks stripping Thornton of the C—even if only for cosmetic reasons.

• RFA Ryan Ellis and the Predators remain far apart in contract talks, but that doesn't seem to be concerning Nashville GM David Poile. While there's still plenty of time to make a deal, Ellis' spot on the salary scale might be tough to nail down. Like Torey Krug in Boston, Ellis is a point producer on the power play, but his size limits him to third-pair duty at even strength. You can imagine which aspect each side is playing up in negotiations, so the gap between Ellis and the Preds might be tougher to bridge than Poile suggests.

• According to discovery documents obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, Ryan Malone told police he had been wearing the same pair of jeans for three days when he was arrested for DUI on April 11, and the former Lightning winger also claimed to be shocked when cops found 1.3 grams of cocaine in his pocket.

New York Islanders, Florida Panthers ownership follies continue

​• A lawsuit filed this week by a potential buyer makes it clear that Charles Wang has overstayed has welcome and needs to sell the Islanders. It's hard to understand why he's held on to the money-losing club for close to a decade and a half. Time to let someone else figure out how to make it work, or at least, to lose less money.

• Did eight diagnosed concussions lead to the suicide of Ethan Williams? The family of the 16-year-old junior hockey prospect wonders if the depression that dogged him was related to the head trauma he suffered while playing the game.

• KISS and the Maple Leafs: two legendary groups whose best days are decades in the past.

• Toronto hasn't had the chance to use its Stanley Cup ring budget for some time, so the team is spending a few bucks to honor the championship seasons of their past. Class move by an team that, all joking aside, has done a great job of honoring the men who led the franchise to its greatest glories.

• Jonathan Willis writes that analytics even have a way of predicting Hall of Fame worthiness and notes that Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe's chances don't look good. Man, is there anything advanced stats can't do?

• Speaking of the Oilers, star winger Jordan Eberle says his own health and the addition of a couple of big forwards to the roster have him itching to get the season started. Probably feels nice to know that he'll have the same coach two years in a row, too.

• Sure, the NHL has statues of its greatest heroes in front of rinks around the league, but those are no match for the KHL's amazing topiary goalie.