Latest Pens Rumblings: Niskanen, team trying to hammer out deal this weekend; Suter to be patient on July 1 & Parise Latest

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the agent for defenseman Matt Niskanen have intensified talks in the past 48 hours, after re-engaging in talks for the first time in two weeks on Thursday. According to those close to the situation, both sides are moving closer to a deal but just aren't there yet. Talks will continue on Saturday and I'm told the Penguins, Niskanen are looking to hammer out a deal before Sunday as both sides have expressed interest in trying to work something out before July 1. The two sides are believed to have the same idea of what each party wants on the term of the contract (2 years), but still have some differences on the amount of money per season that need to be worked out when talks resume on Saturday. Pittsburgh came out of their scouting meetings earlier this month believing that Niskanen is ready to move into a top-2 pairing role, which also played a part in the team being comfortable to move Zbynek Michalek with no NHL assets coming the other way. Look for a deal to get as early as tomorrow.

Word out of Ryan Suter's camp is that the franchise defenseman intends to be very patient on July 1 and by very patient, Suter's camp believes it's a big longshot that Suter will sign on July 1 and the process could easily drag out past July 2nd. Whether it's Nashville or elsewhere, Suter is looking to sign with a team that he expects to play at for the rest of his career. Therefore, he's going to be patient and Suter planning to be patient can be looked at as beneficial to the Penguins.