The first day of the NHL free agency period is usually filled with a flurry of signings and acquisitions around the league. There were 424 acquisitions made as of 7 p.m. E.T. on the first day of July throughout the NHL, but it was a trade that snatched the headlines on one of the biggest days of the offseason.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made the biggest splash of the day when they acquired right wing Phil Kessel, along with Tyler Biggs and Tim Erixson from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling, Scott Harrington and draft picks.