Steelers Free Agency Grades: Patrick Queen a Home Run Signing

LB Patrick Queen | Grade: A | 3 years, $41 Million [hide] [/hide] Buzz: [hide]No organization loves linebackers like the Pittsburgh Steelers especially when comes to not only valuing outside linebackers but also inside backers. Pittsburgh secured the signing of the top inside linebacker on the market in Patrick Queen and what to love about Queen is that he’s only 24 years old. And the Steelers made the signing on their terms with how it’s structured, essentially a one-year deal, though, the team envisions Queen roaming the middle of the field for years to come. Queen posted a 25.5 pressure rate in 2023, good for sixth among linebackers and his explosiveness with quick pressures is off the charts. A huge

Latest Pens Buzz: Organization went into Sens game still thinking playoffs? Support for Sullivan waning & More Buzz

An overtime loss to the lowly Ottawa Senators Tuesday night saw the Penguins playoff chances actually make a jump going from 5% to 7% according to Latest Money Puck Odds. Losers of four straight and seven of eight, Pittsburgh’s odds at the #1 pick are currently about the same as playoff odds which gives this organization a good dose of reality. However, this is not comedy in that the Penguins power brokers in the organization actually went into this week believing if they could run up some wins against the lowly Senators and Sharks and beat a team in front of them in Detroit Sunday night, there was a chance to build up some momentum to play some meaningful hockey

Steelers send Diontae Johnson to Carolina after ‘soft target request’

Diontae Johnson [hide] after giving the Steelers a soft trade request around the combine after the team approached the veteran wide receiver about a possible extension, is officially out the door. The Steelers this evening have agreed to trade Johnson and a 2024 Seventh-Round Pick in exchange for 29 year-old cornerback Donte Jackson and a 2024 Sixth-Round Pick.[/hide] [hide]Following the release of Patrick Peterson, the Steelers believe Jackson can play a prominent role in the secondary and the details are in the team taking on his contract. Jackson is due a $4 million roster bonus on Friday and Pittsburgh takes on around a $15.8 million cap hit with the trade. Jackson started all 16 games for the Panthers in 2023,

Rumors: Ottawa approached Pittsburgh in February about an Erik Karlsson Return

Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas has stated he is all-in on Erik Karlsson for the future repeatedly lumping Karlsson in with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and behind the scenes pushing for the team to market Karlsson with those four and better in the future. It wasn’t an accident Karlsson was on the cover of the Team Yearbook given out a few weeks ago. A Dubas bluff? Don’t think so but [hide] the Ottawa Senators seeking a PR win, had a conversation with the Penguins last month about Karlsson and have put it out there to Pittsburgh this is something we’re willing to do in the summer and rival teams believe Ottawa is willing to move significant futures to

Latest Pens Buzz: Crosby Camp aware of Summer Aggressive Plan/Targeted List of players

Following Penguins 4-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers Sunday Afternoon, Pittsburgh has not lost six of seven games and outscored 15-1 over their last three games. Watching Penguins in person closely it’s a different perspective than on TV. The caliber of teams on the ice Sunday was night and day. Edmonton is who the Penguins used to be six, seven years ago. Everyone knew that coming in. What’s striking is just how mentally the Penguins in a span of 7-10 days have become a hockey club that just knows they can’t win and yesterday’s game it didn’t matter if the Penguins put up 70 shots on goal. It just felt watching the teams body language, no matter what they were

Steelers make great impression on Russell Wilson

Wilson has great meeting with Steelers: Free Agent Quarterback Russell Wilson met with the Pittsburgh Steelers brass on Friday for over four hours and the team gave Wilson a lot to ponder over the next couple days. Pittsburgh put on a full-court press this week to secure a verbal commitment from Wilson who can officially sign with any team after Monday. Wilson informed the Steelers he planned to meet with the [hide] Las Vegas Raiders before making a decision. [/hide] ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ More Cost Cutting Moves: The Steelers on Friday officially released wide receiver Allen Robinson and defensive back Patrick Peterson. Pittsburgh saves $10 million against the cap with the release of Robinson. Peterson a future Hall-of-Famer, signed a 2 year,

Day After: Understanding why Penguins feel Hurricanes offer checked every box they sought in Guentzel Return

From locally to some National publications the Penguins are getting crushed for what they got back for Jake Guentzel. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas on Friday was aware of all the noise and the frustration from even his own roster for deciding to punt on the season in moving Guentzel and not improving the roster over the last four to six weeks. “I don’t expect people to agree with it,” said Dubas of moving Guentzel. “He’s a very popular player in the room in the community. “I think in this position you have to make these decisions knowing that they’re not going to be popular to anybody and that’s part of the job. It can be lonely, and lot of people

Latest Penguins Deadline Scuttlebutt

A depressed team, a depressed fan base? Penguins have quite the PR nightmare moving forward. There’s no denying it’s a spoiled fan base but it’s a somber mood surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins following a 6-0 loss to the Washington Capitals Thursday night on home ice, where a Capitals team in a similar situation actually plays with energy and life in their veins. A minority is going to buy-into the Penguins return for Jake Guentzel but as a whole Kyle Dubas and the organization have a monumental challenge. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ~ Latest Scuttlebutt ~ Penguins GM Kyle Dubas has made it a priority to be in a way overboard respectful of players Full No Trade and No Movement Clauses. He’s a believer

Trade Buzz: Examining the Penguins widely regarded underwhelming return for Jake Guentzel

PIT Receives: forwards Michael Bunting, Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Cruz Lucius and 2024 2nd round Pick (Conditional) and 2024 Fifth Round PickĀ (Conditional) CAR Receives: Forward Jake Guentzel, Defenseman Ty Smith ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Trade Grades: Hurricanes – A | Penguins C- Hurricanes Acquire Jake Guentzel with little risk: The Carolina Hurricanes have been criticized in past seasons of not being willing to take a risk in moving significant assets for a top rental player. They went out Thursday night in acquiring the top forward on the market in Jake Guentzel. But in doing so, they still acquired Guentzel by sticking with their beliefs of not dealing significant assets for a rental. “Jake is an elite goal scorer and playmaker who has produced

Penguins, Hurricanes reach agreement on Jake Guentzel Trade

— The Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes pushed forward in talks Thursday evening and have reached an agreement on a deal that will send Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes. Players involved are in the process of being notified over the next hour by their respective teams and a trade call is expected later tonight. A draft pick condition is among little things being finalized before the trade call tonight. …… Among the names moving in the deal: [hide] 28-year forward Michael Bunting is the notable piece at the NHL-level coming to Pittsburgh. While Pittsburgh sought some sort of futures package in any Guentzel deal, Pittsburgh also prioritized the ability to land a top-9 forward with term in talks for