Latest Pens Buzz
*Rumblings, Musings, Opinions
TIOPS HEADLINES
- Rival Teams bracing for Letang to be in play?
- Sale Talks impacted negotiations with key Penguins’ Reps believe
- A Lost Season for 71? Execs wonder if Malkin will make it past the Olympics?
- Penguins moving on from DeSmith?
Even prior to the Penguins pending sale news getting out, there’s been emerging chatter in league circles for a few weeks now that the Kris Letang camp believes more so than ever that Letang will be playing elsewhere next season and that teams have viewed Letang [hide] as the main chip that helps restock the Penguins system if the Penguins don’t look like a contender come February.
— A top contender via trade with with eyes on Kris Letang is the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
MORE BUZZ
— One high ranking source directly involved in contract talks with Penguins GM Ron Hextall described talks for the past couple months as “extremely strange” but the breaking news this week of the Penguins pending sale now adds up.
Sources say something changed on Hextall’s end where in late July Hextall initially went from ‘we want to see if we can get something done’ to weeks and now months later of never once discussing numbers with this specific prominent Penguin entering the last year of their contract. A positive first couple discussions turned into talks coming to a halt out of nowhere or as the source described as talks becoming ‘vague’ in nature. What happened here is substantive negotiations with two prospective buyers started to take hold around Mid-August and accelerated in October. A desire of the current ownership group to resign Malkin and Letang was stopped in its tracks due to sale talks progressing.
— While clubs feel Kris Letang could potentially become available, they don’t envision the same thing playing out with Evgeni Malkin. The Olympics are very important to Malkin and if the Penguins are out of contention, a more likely outcome would be Malkin shutting it down for the season and getting right for next season as he’s believed to need another cleanup procedure that would have turned in his recovery into around nine months instead of 5-6 months. Some executives wonder if he’ll make it past the Olympics.
— Worst kept secret around the league over the last week is Pittsburgh scouring the market for an upgrade at the backup goaltender spot. The team feels Casey DeSmith has been better than his numbers but they’re eyeing opportunities to make a change.[/hide]
If the Penguins can make a shrewd move or two, they can compete. I would really love to acquire Brendan Gallagher from Montreal he has grit, he has a net front presence, and he gets those playoff goals. I can imagine him with Crosby and Guentzel he will drive the play, retrieve pucks, and open up space for # 59 and # 87.
New ownership more things are possible.
Agreed…power play awful… 5 on 5 terrific and the team 2 goals in 4 games much better…
That will change when selfish comes back # 71 always does!!
He circles, he is moody, and he is laziness
Seems like McCann is doing just fine in Seattle, especially on the PP. He was thriving on the Pens PP which now looks like garbage. I still miss Tanev. Gobble Gobble my fellow posters.
Hawks couldnt even score vs the canucks
I wonder because of who they won
Can you tell us donut boy
Bandwagon Sam(e).. Montreal, Vegas, now the Hawks.
Dont worry your Pittsburgh bandwagon days are numbered
I have been on the bandwagon since the late 80’s. Have the tattoo to prove it. I am good, unlike some people.
I’m kind of looking forward to the upcoming seasons. To get 3 cups from any core is awesome, but it’ll be interesting to see the route they take to rebuild. We also have our first rounders for the upcoming years and vet assets we can move to acquire picks/prospects. That paired with a new ownership group and GM will at least be intriguing.
There is huge dark days coming upon penguins team
But having Burke in this team he will build this team faster then
If we had GMJR or Shero
This happens to every franchise, in every sport who have generational players. I do not believe in Burke, he does not have the best track record. But, if his hands are not tied like JR’s were, who knows.
Burke did a good job with ducks and canucks.
Leafs he did okay. But media really killed the players motivation.
The Ducks, yes. The Canucks never lived up the their potential. The Leafs are always doomed.
Leafs is a cursed team
They couldn’t make the playoffs for the longest time now. That they can finally make the playoffs they can’t make to the second round
The sedin twins how he pulled it off to draft them
A 2 – 0 win at Toronto is pretty cool. Back to back shutouts in Montreal and in Toronto solid. This also the same team that lost 6-3 at Ottawa a team that has 9 points and the team that blew a 4-2 lead with 6 minutes left at home recently to the devils losing in a shootout..
With new ownership I am hoping they give Hextall and Burke some freedom to make some moves… Unlike Mario who kaboshed alot of possible moves…
Malkin back in 2 weeks his annual vacation is almost done
Mario now doesn’t have as much influence so Malkin may get moved………and possibly Letang too !!!
As long as we get something good in return….
Letang wants to go to the habs apparently
Yeah, Montreal is the very definition of Contender. Lol.