Penguins GM Ray Shero and Steve Bartlett the agent for Tyler Kennedy met yesterday in St. Paul and some optimism is brewing that the two sides are going to hammer out a deal at somepoint, sources indicate.

“Talks are on-going” and there is a “good faith effort by both parties” {to get a deal done}, a person directly involved in the talks told me this morning.
The Penguins yesterday did not shop Kennedy’s rights and were said to be not be involved in any trade talks regarding Kennedy.
The Penguins feel things are shaping up where the leverage is starting to move into their direction.
Sources say there is some concern from Kennedy’s camp about going to arbitration and the Penguins walking away from the award, as finding lucrative jobs in August is no sure thing.
Last year Atlanta’s Clark MacArthur was awarded a 1 year – $2.4 million deal. The Thrashers walked away and MacArthur ended up signing for only $1.1 million with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Meanwhile, on the Penguins end, GM Ray Shero remains confident in getting something done which is why there hasn’t been any panic to move Kennedy.
The Penguins are expecting to make an qualifying offer to retain Kennedy’s rights but as of early this morning they have yet to do so.