Round and round the NHL trade chatter goes, where it stops, not even Elliotte Friedman, Frank Seravalli, or Pierre LeBrun knows. It sounds like Mitch Marner has taken himself off the trade block but is weighing public perception as he does so. The Carolina Hurricanes could trade Martin Necas by Saturday. The New Jersey Devils are reportedly willing to pony up their 10th overall pick for a goalie, and we looked at some of the more important emotional Pittsburgh Penguins stories that we glossed over in the wake of strings of dark losses.
After we published a couple of articles Wednesday morning and did the Penguins live chat at noon (thanks for showing up!), Pittsburgh Hockey Now had a meeting with a sharp cookie who was the chief digital officer of several of the world’s most notable newspapers. It didn’t take long for us to realize he was a perfect fit for us, and I closed the deal without hesitation. The reason I share this info with you is that PHN readers might notice some minor changes to the websites, but we’re going to increase our offerings to you. One of the small things will be a daily newsletter for the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates coverage called The Bridge (subject to change if we think of something better). You can join our email list here.
Some of those annoying ads that you all hate (that go away when you subscribe!) but pay our bills will change. Our new business associate is a world-class expert in several areas, so you’ll see our work more often on national sites, too. I think we hit a grand slam, and the sky is the limit to what we can do.
You’ve gotten us this far. Let’s see how far we can go.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Something had been nagging at me for a while. I saved the files and videos on my desktop because they seemed important. Still, everyone rushed past the stories in the wake of mounting regular season losses, preferring negative team coverage. There were some emotional stories that were overlooked in Penguins coverage.
It extended an hour. I didn’t get as much into the Dubas hate in Toronto as I wanted, and a few of you threw me some curveballs. We dove into potential free agent fits and RFA contracts, as well as where a few Penguins prospects stand. It was a solid Penguins Live Chat.
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Paul Skenes vs. Shohei Ohtani. Power vs. Power. The Pirates again beat the Dodgers, and again, the starting pitcher got the press, but the bats showed up, too. More on Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Steelers Now: Antonio Brown. Simply mention or write his name, and it still draws attention. He’s like a human car wreck, sideshow, and movie star. Former Steelers GM Kevin Colbert says Brown belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
I suppose if being troubled was a disqualifier, Halls of Fame would have a lot fewer entrants.
NHL Trade Talk, News, National Hockey Now
Daily Faceoff: Seravalli reports that we could see a Martin Necas trade any moment now. He opined it could be before Saturday as Carolina tries to clear space for the Draft and offseason. Necas isn’t a household name, but he sure would help a lot of teams, so here we go.
Sportsnet: I think Sportsnet hit the Mitch Marner coverage out of the park. There’s more going on than meets the eye. It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs forward is taking himself off the NHL trade block by using his no-trade clause. This means it’s “Stay, play, and go UFA,” but he’s also weighing public perception too.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Reports indicate New Jersey’s 10th overall pick is in play. That’s a big deal, and it could help them land the top-shelf goalie that GM Tom Fitzgerald has been stalking. So, which goalie is worth the pick in a Devils trade?
Florida Hockey Now: It took years, nay decades. The Florida hockey club with rats in the locker room, an arena far away from the major city, sparse fan attendance, and little media coverage is finally on top of the hockey world. Hello, Florida Panthers.
TSN: Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi. They’re the headliners of the Toronto free agent class, and GM Brad Treliving is trying, or at least not closing the door, to bringing them back.
Montreal Hockey Now: Believe it or not, the Montreal Canadiens are in a bit of a cap crunch. They have less cap space than the Penguins and a few talented RFAs to sign. That could force another Canadiens trade.
Detroit Hockey Now+: PHN+ subscribers can read the article. Oddsmakers put the Penguins on the list of favorites to sign pending UFA defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, but as our colleagues in Detroit write, the Detroit Red Wings would like to keep him. Here’s the inside track on the Red Wings’ free agent.
Utah Hockey Now: 34,000 season-ticket deposits. 34,000?! The arena will only hold 10,000 this season before upgrades kick in and the arena expands. But fans are flocking to get their tickets for Utah hockey.
