Each day leading up to free agency on July 1, TSN.ca breaks down the latest news and rumours around the NHL.

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Pouncing on Wingers?

According to Harvey Fialkov of the Florida Sun Sentinel, Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said he will strike fast when free agency opens on Saturday.

Fialkov says to therefore expect the Panthers to possibly sign two wingers in the first half hour of free agency.

Tallon previously stated the team will look to add forwards and not defencemen on the open market. The team currently has only eight forwards under contract for next season, with Thomas Vanek, Jaromir Jagr and Michael Sgarbossa all set to hit the open market on Saturday. Per Fialkov, Tallon said he may be able to wait until September or later to bring back Jagr.

The team sent both Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights as a part of trade in the expansion draft last week.

The Panthers, according to CapFriendly, will enter free agency with just over $20 million in cap space. The team has two restricted free agents on defence in Alex Petrovic and Mark Pysyk.

Alexander Radulov, Justin Williams, Patrick Marleau, Jagr, Vanek and Radim Vrbata are the only wingers ranked in the top 20 of TSN's Top UFAs List.

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The Calgary Flames are looking to keep one of their own one day ahead of free agency.

According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, the Flames are working hard to get a deal done with defenceman Michael Stone. LeBrun called it a fluid situation but added he wouldn't be surprised if the deal gets completed.

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger added a few teams are monitoring the situation, including the Winnipeg Jets.

Stone joined the Flames last season at the Trade Deadline from Arizona. In 64 games combined between the Coyotes and Flames last season, Stone had three goals and 12 assists.

New Home?

Trevor Daley has spent the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins and won two Stanley Cups along the way, however, he appears to be set to find a new home on Saturday.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Daley has narrowed his list down to two or three teams ahead of free agency and the Penguins aren't among them.

Daley was traded to the Penguins from the Chicago Blackhawks in December 2015 in exchange for Rob Scuderi. He broke his ankle in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final in 2016 but was the first to receive the Stanley Cup when the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks as the captain's choice by Sidney Crosby.

The 33-year-old had five goals and 14 assists for the Penguins this season. He had one goal and added four assists in 21 playoff games as the Penguins repeated as Cup champions.

He's coming off a six-year, $19.8 million contract signed in Dec. 2010 with the Dallas Stars.

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Final Confirmation

Steve Mason had been expected to part ways with the Philadelphia Flyers this summer and his agent made the news official on Thursday.

Mason's agent told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Mason will indeed play elsewhere next season as a return to the Flyers has been ruled out.

Mason has already been linked to the Winnipeg Jets in free agency and is coming off a 26-21-8 record this season.

The 29-year-old posted a 2.66 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage with three shutouts on the year.

The Oakville, ON. native is coming off a three-year, $12.3 million contract.

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Still In The Game

Scott Hartnell was bought out by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, but the 35-year-old told the Columbus Dispatch he has no plans to retire.

Hartnell was set to carry a $4.75 million cap hit next season and the Blue Jackets made the move to free up space ahead of free agency.

He scored 13 goals and added 24 assists in 78 games last season, his third with the Blue Jackets.

Hartnell will now look to find his fourth NHL team to call home on Saturday.

“I think it was mutually beneficial for us to part ways,” Hartnell told the Columbus Dispatch. “They’re going in a different way, they’re going younger, and they have some young studs coming up. They wanted to go that direction.

“I can’t say a bad thing about Columbus. It’s probably a city I’ll come back to after hockey. It’s such good living. People are great. I made some really good friends outside of hockey, too.”

He topped the 20-goal mark in three consecutive seasons before falling short this year.

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One Day More

With free agency just one day away, here's a recap of TSN Hockey's Top 10 UFAs this summer.

1. Kevin Shattenkirk

2. Alexander Radulov

3. Karl Alzner

4. Justin Williams

5. Nick Bonino

6. Joe Thornton

7. Michael Stone

8. Patrick Marleau

9. Martin Hanzal

10. Sam Gagner