Circumstances, NHL Readiness has Zonnon getting light consideration for surprise roster spot

If you read any prospects ranking articles this summer that didn’t have 2025 1st round pick Bill Zonnon as Pittsburgh’s #1 or #2 forward prospect, don’t put much stock into them. How Pittsburgh’s system is viewed by rival clubs is what matters and there’s one common theme in Zonnon being regarded around the league as Pittsburgh’s top prospect heading into the season. Teams always overrate their own system and one thing you learn about your system is through higher-end trade talks. When Pittsburgh pursued Robert To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Does Zonnon have star potential? Many scouts say no from an offensive production standpoint, but if you could build an all-around young player that Pittsburgh lacked in the Flyers series, Zonnon is it. The combination of size, speed, tenacity, all around ability in all three zones has him on a very fast track for NHL action. Enough so he’s giving the coaching staff a Ben Kindel type feel where Zonnon due to injuries and the tragic death of Andrei Kuzmenko’s father, Zonnon enters the final weekend under ‘light’ consideration to start the season in Pittsburgh, per sources.

“He’s got speed, he’s got the ability to make plays. I think he’s got the ability to impact the game offensiely and through his work and tenacity, to impact it defensively,” head coach Dan Muse said.

Roster Buzz

Avery Hayes after a pretty solid camp was reassigned to Wilkes Barre Friday and the likes of Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke are also expected to follow him on Sunday after Saturday’s preseason game. Hayes perfect role with this team is one of an emergency where he can slide in anywhere and give the group energy and I think the Penguins see that. Who are these fringe players head coach Dan Muse was talking about were better than Hayes in camp? Filip Hallander’s standout camp was also among the reasons even with injuries Hayes didn’t make it to the final weekend and Muse was pretty blunt where in their eyes, others have performed better, though, that’s up for debate from some observers. “He’s a good young player,” Muse said of Hayes. “I think there are guys thsat right now are ahead. You’ve got to get it down to numbers and other guys that have played better, or we feel like, right now are going to be a better fit.” Despite Muse’s comments, did Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen have better camps than Hayes? No, they didn’t. Obviously other factors go into this than others just purely beating you out.

Internally the Penguins in their decision making process are said to have went camp with a chart of certain depth players going head-to-head from a grading, fit perspective.

Notable ones per sources on where they stand heading into the weekend:

Elmer Soderblom > Justin Brazeau (day-to-day) | Soderblom has been a beast in camp and continues a nice trajectory after working his way into the lineup down the stretch last season. Size, speed, wall play has supplanted Brazeau who fell out of the lineup come playoff time and Pittsburgh bluntly believed his production was a fluke last season. Still, the front office wanted to give Brazeau an opportunity to hold off others. It remains to be seen what happens with Brazeau early in the season who is currently injured.

Filip Hallander > Avery Hayes | Strictly on-ice performance, Hayes camp appeared much closer to where he should have made to the final weekend, though, the Penguins saw a different view. Hallander has had the type of camp he needed to have to reinstall a comfort level from the coaching staff. A strong all-around game and Pittsburgh has more trusts with him on the penalty kill and defensive alignments.

Hendrix Lapierre > Tristan Broz | Buzz in camp is Broz has outperformed Lapierre and the Lapierre addition has always been one that stood out as a situation that would block To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Ville Koivunen > Rest of the Fringe Field | Koivunen has not had a good camp any means. Over the summer Pittsburgh pushed him to improve his lower body strength, change some aspects of protecting the puck down the low. The results with the little things just haven’t seen improvement, he’s getting knocked off the puck too easily, and his 1-on-1 individual ability just isn’t translating from the AHL in skilled practice setting drills where his type of talent should be standing out. However, he’s going to get To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Illya Solovnov > Owen Pickering/Ryan Graves | Owen Pickering was not making this team out of camp no matter how good he looked and he’s been very impressive. The front office blocked him with their summer depth moves and they’re not keeping Pickering to be the #7 defenseman. The competition for the 7th spot was essentially Solovnov vs Graves if you wanted to call it a competition by default due to the Graves contract. A second coaching now that thinks Graves is closer to an ECHL level player than a legitimate NHL defenseman. Among the craziest miscalculations was the Graves signing in 2023. [/hide]

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Preseason games do not carry the type of weight fans may think they do. The majority of NHL teams put a much more significant weight in the evaluation process on practice sessions than watered down preseason games. Tonight, though, was going be an exception for a few. Buzz on Ville Koivunen heading into Tuesday Night’s 7-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings is that he was behind the eight-ball among others pushing for final roster spots and an upper body injury keeping him out that game has only heightened that. Koivunen is day-to-day, joining Blake Lizotte (week-to-week), Ben Kindel (day-to-day) and Justin Brazeau (day-to-day) on the injury list, with Ben Kindel obviously the most important player to watch with that group.

~Whispers in the organization…………..

Among the bottom group, multiple team sources have raved about several others through the first five-to-six days of camp. In the bottom-6, the biggest praise has been towards To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Soderblom has been one of the highest performing practice players throughout camp, sources say, and it carried over to Monday’s 4-1 win over a ‘C’ Buffalo Sabres group. It is very hard to see a scenario where Soderblom isn’t on the roster, let alone not among the top group of 12 forwards. A coaching staff that loves size and wall play, Soderblom has been a beast in the cycle game, per sources, and his skating ability is just head and shoulders above what a Justin Brazeau, who despite a 16 goal season, can bring to the table. Brazeau is a key player from last year’s roster who fell out of the top-12 come playoff time and is fighting for his life for a clear roster spot, though, injuries could abide him some more time.

As for Fillip Hallander, the Penguins have been thrilled with his progress from a blood clot. He’s been aggressive and fast on pucks and is viewed as the perfect 13th type forward for this roster that can come in and out of the lineup. And you can add Avery Hayes to this mix where he just continues to standout as a revolving top callup candidate type player in bouncing in and out of the lineup. Hallander in particular has been head and shoulders above a Rutger McGroarty, for example, who is having another camp where the Penguins are not seeing enough consistency and a next level ability.

On the blueline, there’s been no bigger standout than Owen Pickering. Among the top consistent performers since start of camp, rave reviews are mounting for Pickering who let’s call it like it is, he’s not a favorite of the front office staff, which often happens for previous regime picks. Despite the Penguins not dealing with a 19 year old rookie here, the Penguins are locked in on their top-6 on the blueline pending injuries and when Pickering is on the NHL roster, they want it to be a situation where he’s not overlooking his shoulder. There is also a desire among the front office to give Ilya Solovyov a more extended run on the roster.

MORE BUZZ

It will be just a matter of time during the regular season before Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust are working together as Pittsburgh’s Top line. However, there is a legit desire among the coaching staff to give a run at spacing the top three lines out.

Team sources say Crosby in particular studied Nick Robertson’s game To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Penguins players privately have marveled about Egor Chinakhov and there is a lot of 35-40 goal talk coming out of the Penguins room. If Pittsburgh is to keep up with the improving Eastern Conference, Chinakhov hitting that level has to happen………Any fantasy folks out there, Penguins coaches believe Rickard Rakell is going to have a monster year, that’s a major common theme coming out of the organization this week……..Yes, it’s training camp and ‘everybody is in the best shape of their life’ and it’s puff piece month, sources say coaches have also raved at how good To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Pittsburgh Penguins last week truly stunned their fan base with an 8 year, $32 million contract for 23 year old winger Ville Koivunen, which goes down as one of the longest contracts ever given out by the franchise.

Koivunen joins quite the Group:

The deal is still sending shockwaves days later. Although there were rumors among agents and executives that Pittsburgh and Koivunen were talking about a four to five year deal a few weeks ago, the maximum eight-year deal caught just about anyone off-guard; Stunned, shocked, you name it.

SURE FIRE NHL’er?

One reason for that is there’s not a universal feeling among NHL types that Koivunen is a sure-fire NHL’er long-term. Some scouts question his shot ever translating to an NHL caliber level, lack of separating foot speed is a concern for others, and a growing consensus outside of Pittsburgh on Koivunen is a feeling he’s going to need the perfect situation/role to succeed.

The Penguins, though, don’t have that view at all. When acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade, Koivunen was the key prospect Pittsburgh was fixated on, as a few teams, including Colorado and the New York Rangers believed their offers far succeeded Carolina’s on Guentzel. It was a matter of Pittsburgh being higher on Koivunen than the rest of the league and a little over two years later, they still have that view. Pittsburgh believes Koivunen can think the game like a star player that long-term will hide warts in his game and their advanced modeling continues to scream a German Titov style of player in his prime years, team sources say.

The Penguins privately all summer had sent out word of how they remained extremely high on Koivunen who struggled in finding a proper role with 2 goals and 7 assists in 39 NHL games last season. Yet, there was a lot of skeptics growing by the day and mainly because of the Penguins actions. Pittsburgh has made move-after-move that has essentially blocked Koivunen from having a guaranteed top-9 role, let alone a roster spot to start next season in the NHL with a clouded roster at the forward position. Spots for middle tier prospects like a Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz and others are also getting murky with higher-end prospects humming along who are going to be pushing for regular roles within the next year, most notably Bill Zonnon and Mikhail Ilyin who some teams regard as Pittsburgh’s best forward prospect.

$4 Million in Signing Bonuses

Another fascinating sidebar to the Koivunen surprising extension is Pittsburgh being a team that’s not giving out signing bonuses with ease. No Penguins 2026 UFA free agent signee received a signing bonus, nor did the likes of established forwards Tommy Novak, Egor Chinakhov, Connor Dewar or Blake Lizotte on their extensions, yet, Koivunen receives a $2 million signing bonus in Year One and a $2 million signing bonus in Year Two. This is a clear move to make him waiver proof if he starts the season in the minors. HAve the Penguins potentially started a precedent with young players that could backfire in negotiations? If anything, the signing bonus money has certainly got the attention of agents with young Penguins clients coming up. Among the two most notable being To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

As for the player and person, what an amazing moment last week for Ville with the contract. Life changing money and security. And now comes the pressure for the player and immediately with such an obstacle to make the team out of camp. Koivunen’s going to be a lightning rod for criticism from the fan base with the heavy expectations this eight-year term has brought. As for the risk/reward on the Penguins front: Some keep saying the Penguins have no risk, hence, can buy him out after two seasons and will only be on the hook for little over $8 million of the remaining 26 million+ salary if things implode and they buy him out after the 2027-2028 season. True, but you think they’re paying out $4 million in signing bonuses over the next two years to buy him out after two seasons. Highly doubtful. With the roster jam this season, Koivunen is likely looking at least a three-year window to prove himself in Pittsburgh and after year two, he becomes a .67% multiplier on any buyout. He’s going to see most of this money, no matter how things pan out in Pittsburgh or whether he emerges as a sure-fire NHL’er or not. [/hide]

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The Dallas Stars and star winger Jason Robertson on Tuesday avoided arbitration in agreeing to a one year, $12 million contract. The signing took Robertson off the trade market for now and at least cools the situation between the two sides for the next five to six months as Robertson is not eligible to sign an extension until January 1, 2027. A pending UFA on July 1, the next real deadline between the two sides will be the March 1st trade deadline where it’s going to be decision time for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations if there’s no new extension inked. The Robertson saga in Dallas has had its share of twists and turns, where a day before the draft Dallas agreed to a trade with Seattle only for Robertson to turn down an 8 year, $125 million extension from the Kraken. St. Louis also came to the table Dallas was willing to accept with a similar significant futures package and it was another trade scenario the Robertson camp led by agent Andy Scott squashed. That brings us to the Pittsburgh.

After the failed Kraken and Blues trades, Pittsburgh who was waiting in the wings for months on the Robertson front, came into play on the morning of Day 2 of the draft with a serious play for Robertson that mirrored the similar heavy futures offers Dallas was willing to accept from Seattle and St. Louis. All these speculated trade offers with a Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell or Erik Karlsson involved is not accurate. Dallas had no interest in Pittsburgh’s older guard of core players and none of the three were going to be involved. In fact, the likes of Erik Karlsson have been involved with off-season discussions, like a Sidney Crosby normally is when it comes to communication with the management team on throwing around ideas. Take that for it’s worth.

Among the rumblings in league circles, (pending an extension of course), key details of Pittsburgh’s offer included To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Sam To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! There was certainly a short period just prior to the second round of the NHL Entry draft starting where talks are said to have gotten quite serious and significant enough where at least a few teams in the Eastern Conference believed it was going to get over the finish line. For whatever reason, it didn’t come to fruition and over the coming weeks trade talks never reignited to that point again. But, what was different with the other teams involved earlier in the process who were rejected immediately, Pittsburgh was never a full-out ‘No’ by Robertson. However, they were also not a team he was willing to sign a long-term extension with this summer or immediately. Sources say Robertson was willing to go to Pittsburgh via trade, albeit without an extension and essentially see how the situation goes like he is operating To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Pittsburgh had become aware of that over the last couple weeks, though, behind the scenes they kept trying to lay the groundwork to become a ‘long-term’ destination city for Robertson and Dallas is believed to have had Pittsburgh circled as team they could likely circle back too if things got ugly, though, that was never the expectation it was really going to get to an arbitration case. If the two sides had reignited talks, it’s believed framework of deal would have been a bit different than around the drat.

The million-dollar question now is whether the door opens back up 6-7 months from now or did Pittsburgh miss their shot?

The Penguins strongly deny this, but you can’t kid anybody it wasn’t coincidence they acquired Nick Robertson whom they’ve had multiple opportunities to acquire dating back to last summer, just happens the day after you tried acquiring Jason in a blockbuster deal. Who knows where the Robertson/Dallas situation stands by the winter or next summer as there continues to be great mystery around the league of what his long-term intentions are for a player who is not a true superstar level player and has questions from evaluators of how his game will age. Some say despite the hard ball negotiation play by the Robertson camp, at the end of the day it’s eventually going to be a hard sell for him to not sign long-term in Dallas; Others say he’s intrigued about coming East with Washington, Philadelphia and the New York Rangers teams pegged by his camp who weren’t players for him this summer via trade, but are three specific clubs they believe To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

While a small crowd in the organization still believes as many doubles and triples Kyle Dubas has hit in the last 12-15 months, botching the Jake Guentzel situation still haunts the club in trying to maximize the Sidney Crosby window with a retool/semi rebuild. Finding a Jake Guentzel who can get you 80+ points on the market and wanted to be here, is going to cost you multiple assets and $14-$15 million a year as the Penguins, are learning first-hand. More of the issue back to the 2024 trade deadline is a feeling from some in the Penguins organization that the new regime at the time didn’t sell Guentzel as a true star level player on the trade market and were comfortable and even ecstatic To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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We will see what the day brings but by the end of the business day and Pittsburgh’s biggest move of the off-season thus far is resigning Evgeni Malkin and trading for Kaeden Korczak, let’s just say no matter what spin Kyle Dubas could put on today when he meets with the local media, that’s not how the Penguins brass drew things up in May of how they expected things to go.

In a slightly different way, Pittsburgh six-to-seven weeks ago, hope to have a Washington Capitals type off-season in bolstering their roster now and into the future.

But, again we’ll see what the day brings……………

Penguins mull a pivot on the market?

Source: Penguins-Canucks have talked multiple trade scenarios: Might not happen today, might not happen next week but one pivot the Penguins have had internally is potential trade avenues with the Vancouver Canucks. Rumblings of the Penguins and Canucks discussing a trade for To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! but also re-acquiring To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! is the scuttlebutt in the last 24-48 hours among Penguins players, sources say. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

–Carolina prior to taking a swing and trading for the rights of John Carlsson, did some homework on whether To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! ………..If Anthony Mantha strikes out on the market in finding a long-term deal, Pittsburgh and Mantha could circle back on a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! $6 Million range, sources say…..After Philadelphia paused talks with a pursuit of Zach Weresnki, the Darnell Nurse again camp attempted to bring the Penguins back to the trade table on Monday……..

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Jason Robertson Latest: Pittsburgh made what NHL sources say was a hail-mary type offer for Robertson late Friday night that saw discussions continue into Saturday. Why rival execs are calling it a hail mary run at Robertson is a belief that getting the player to sign off on coming to Pittsburgh was going to be an undertaking and quite the sales job from the Penguins and Pittsburgh knew this before hand when they decided to put their chips in. Even as talks never progressed to the point where Seattle got permission Thursday to make a contract offer to the agent Andy Scott, Pittsburgh left the draft believing they still a beating pulse on the Robertson front and were a potential trade match with the Stars. All of the speculation that a Bryan Rust or Rickard Rakell would have to be involved in the Jason Robertson talks, To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! was said to be had been a primary target of the Stars in those discussions when it comes to an NHL roster asset. Dallas has more than a Jason Robertson problem now after offering defenseman Thomas Harley in a Zach Werenski deal they believed was agreed upon, only to find out Werenski nixed the deal and will only waive to Tampa Bay or Toronto. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Pittsburgh Penguins on the futures front had one of the best stories of the weekend with drafting of the Ruck twins in Round 1 and 2 but the at the NHL level for next year’s roster specifically they got left at the altar. Let’s call it what it was. Plain and simple it was a dud week for the Penguins but as the weekend progressed it wasn’t without trying. The massive news of the week was Elliotte Friedman reporting Seattle got permission from the Dallas Stars on Thursday to try to reach a sign-and-trade deal with winger Jason Robertson who decided to decline an 8 year, $125 million offer believed to be for geographic reasons, though, some continue to believe his preference is to remain on the west coast.

Talk around the Penguins Friday night was a revolving theme around Kyle Dubas where rival executives continued to contend Dubas has been too cautious on the market and often waiting for the perfect deal to fall into his lap, hence overvaluing his group of prospects and draft picks he’s accumulated. Dubas blamed the lack of top-10 picks, though, some around the league don’t by it. What’s been missing is a go-in mindset. “There were multiple top-10 picks moved, which isn’t overly common,” Dubas said. “We would have aspired to be involved in every one of those conversations.”

That changed immediately after round 1 multiple sources say where the Penguins despite knowing for months they were not a top destination Jason Robertson was interested in signing with, still went all in on engaging the Dallas Stars late Friday in trade talks and made their intentions known of preparing a massive trade offer for Robertson which is believed to have come Saturday morning.

Sources say while the Seattle offer Dallas was ready to accept was futures related, Pittsburgh is said to have offered To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! player from their roster that got Dallas’ attention. Pittsburgh took their run and eyed the opportunity to try to sell To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers had preliminary discussions surrounding 31 year old defenseman Darnell Nurse dating all the way back to December. The rumblings are only heating up as three weeks ago the Penguins were among five initial teams that Nurse’s agent [hide] Paul Capizzano gave to the Oilers brass. Hockey reasons both sides are intrigued about a pairing. The Penguins, particularly the coaching staff have prioritized the need for size on the backend. They viewed the first-round series loss as a major Achilles in that area in stacking up against the Flyers blueline. There is a Nurse/Kyle Dubas connection dating back to juniors but there’s more. A big supporter of pursuing Nurse has also been assistant To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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: Chatter in league circles is Ryan Shea’s agent Matt Keator is confident of commanding four year offers in the $3.75 million per season range on the open market, sources say. The Shea camp is of the understanding Pittsburgh has other balls in the air, though, both sides could certainly circle back to each other in around free agency………Meanwhile the Anthony Mantha camp [hide] has always intended to seek a 4×6 type deal. It doesn’t sound like an atrocious playoff killed his value, though, we will see on that one. One talking point of the Mantha camp is a feeling the Penguins under-used him and he still potted 30+ goals. A belief Mantha himself even echoed to Penguins management in an exit meeting that annoyed them. Both sides are moving on as even if the Mantha market is weak, Pittsburgh is already limited in leaving spots open for a WBS forward or two. Chicago, Seattle two teams to watch…….. [/hide]

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Evgeni Malkin will be back in Pittsburgh for his 21st NHL season. The Penguins and Malkin on Tuesday officially inked a one-year contract worth $5.5 million as the franchise icon has a golden opportunity to finish his career start to finish in Pittsburgh. Determined not to drag the contract situation to the eve of free agency like what happened in June 2022, negotiations started to heat up last week and two sides crossed the finish line on Tuesday.

This was always an inevitable deal. The question was always going to be the setup of the contract and the language in it. JP Barry and CAA Sports came out with a very impressive structure in the deal as Malkin has easily attenable performance bonuses where he could make up to $9 million next season.

• $2.5 Million Salary | $3 Million Signing Bonus
• 42 Games Played= $250,000 Bonus | 63 Games Played = $250,000 Bonus
• $1 Million Bonus if Penguins Qualify for Playoffs
• $500,000 Bonus after each Playoff Series Win
• 3 Team Trade List Feb 1, 2027

The rising cap and an atrocious free agent class, Malkin had a stealth free agent market looming with multiple offers in the $7-$8 million per year range were coming his way the Malkin camp was 100% To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

At the end of the day Kyle Dubas was never going to win the PR game of moving on from Malkin. It just wasn’t worth irritating a Sidney Crosby but it wasn’t just Crosby who was strongly in favor of retaining Malkin. Exit meetings with the coaching staff led to stronger support for a Malkin return, team sources say, and the new ownership group while strong believers long-term of building through the draft and prospects, are steadfast of building off this past season and playing to win next season by bringing the same group back minus some tweaks around the edges. The message they gave Dubas was clear do what you have to do to retain Malkin, so much so was agreeing to a $3 million signing bonus due July 1 on the deal. The ability of the new ownership group to pay out signing bonuses will not be the norm moving forward as Pittsburgh’s ability to structure deals in the future will be similar to how the Lemieux group operated than FSG’s first couple seasons as majority owners. Playoffs and Gate Reveunes is going to be very important.

Kyle Dubas at his season ending press conference was not sugar-coating things when he said his group determined Malkin is not blocking anyone on the roster. They proved it by awarding Malkin a pretty substantial deal when you factor in the incentives. The Penguins have a lot of quantity in their system that may hit and may not. What they lack is quality-level prospects to push the old dogs out. There is some truth that going into this past season Pittsburgh had little expectations of bringing Malkin back. As one team source put it, Malkin’s return having pretty much universal support in the organization is an indictment on two specific players in the Penguins system:

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Connor Dewar a stalwart on Pittsburgh’s 4th line this past season, has inked a two year, $4.5 million contract with the Penguins. The deal carries a $2.25 Million cap hit, matching Blake Lizotte’s cap hit on his extension signed a few months ago. [hide] The Penguins also announced the resigning of defenseman Ilya Solovyov to a one year, $850K contract. Dewar, 26, is the newsworthy signing of the two after recording career highs across the board in goals (14), assists (16), points (30) and plus/minus (+16). Dewar’s career year included a plus-16 to lead all Penguins forwards and ranked third overall on the team. Dewar also added two goals in six playoff games. With the signing of Dewar, Pittsburgh is keeping two-thirds of their 4th line together. Noel Acciari also a focal point of the unit, is a free agent July 1 and has a strong interest in resigning as Pittsburgh debates his status internally. Acciari has support from the coaching staff to resign but age and a numbers game is a major factor on a decision as the likes of an Avery Hayes would be a prime candidate to take on a full-time role on the 4th line next season. [/hide]

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The Pittsburgh Penguins season came to a heartbreaking end Wednesday night as Cam York’s Overtime winner with 2:28 left in OT delivered a 1-0 Flyers win and Philadelphia punched their ticket to a second-round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. The York OT winner on a shot from the point through traffic came moments after a miraculous save from Arturs Silovs which only added fuel to it being a gut-wrenching loss for the Penguins who were the far superior team tonight.

This Penguins team in the past three games battled in every way imaginable; They showed heart, they got out of the world goaltending from Arturs Silovs and over the last two games they flipped the series in dictating the terms and style of play. As overtime was dragging on, all you had to do was read the body language on the ice. The Flyers were losing a hold of the series and it just felt like they had to find a way to win this game. If Pittsburgh who peppered Dan Vladar with 42 shots, could get one past Vladar, the Penguins on Saturday Night were going to become the 5th team ever to come back from 3-0.

Instead, tonight also showed why teams coming back from being down 3-0 only have a 2% success rate. It’s so daunting to actually pull off.

“Shot away from going back to Pittsburgh for Game 7,” Sidney Crosby afterwards. “Think we all had a lot of belief.”

The series for Pittsburgh was obviously lost in the hole they put themselves in. As well as the Penguins adjusted in a number of areas, especially in games five and six, Pittsburgh will have a long summer of second-guessing why they were caught so off-guard to start the series with certain aspects of the Flyers system and got steamrolled in head-to-head matchups in games 1 and 2 despite having home-ice.

“Unfortunate we got behind in the series,” Crosby said.

For Pittsburgh it’s a major off-season of uncertainty:

They’re amped with a ton of cap space and draft picks to be aggressive and bold, while still playing the future long-term route. But,they also have major ownership questions with the Hoffmann group set to take majority control as a belief around the league is the Penguins will be closer to a cap floor team moving forward than a cap team due to a lack of cash-on-hand from the group.

One of the first cases of business will be a final decision from management on Evgeni Malkin. Neither side wants to play this out into late June like 2022, sources say. Malkin’s camp proposed a one year, $To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! contract extension in February that Pittsburgh’s front office was not interesting in discussing at the time. Management has been lean moving on from Malkin since last summer, though, ownership’s recommendation has been to To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Pittsburgh Penguins staved off elimination for the second consecutive game and are sending the series back to Philadelphia. Pittsburgh prevailed in Game 5 with a 3-2 win in arguably their most complete game of the series.

Is the tide changing in the series?

There’s a reason only four teams in NHL history have come back in a series being down 3-0 (.981 All-Time Winning % For Teams up 3-0) but you can feel it where Pittsburgh has turned the tables a bit where all of the pressure is going to be on Philadelphia Wednesday night with Pittsburgh having the potential of a Game 7 at home.

Among the reasons is just the overall level of play in the last five to six periods. Whereas, in the first three games Philadelphia was a physical, swarming systematic masterclass, Pittsburgh has suddenly got to their game where you can even read the Flyers body language they know it’s a series now.

Sidney Crosby with a 2 assists night was the catalyst once again with a dominant 200 ft game and it was also a number of other factors that played out in Game 5 to be encouraged of where Pittsburgh’s game is headed into Game 6.

“We’ve done a great job of handling adversity,” Sidney Crosby said. “Again here, we’re faced with more. It doesn’t get any easier, we have a lot of belief in our group and we’ve done it time and time again.”

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Depth Finally Shines Through: The third line for the first time in the series played fast with and away from the puck. Elmer Soderblom with an opening goal minutes in the first period, was a puck possession beast along the wall and also drew a penalty in the first. Even Anthony Mantha who has been among the worst players in the series, had some fire in his game. Instead of perimeter, perimeter, perimeter from Mantha, there were attempts to get to the inside. And there was just a trickledown effect. The 4th line resembled the 4th line of the regular season. They were hard on pucks, providing that second wave of pressure in a way the Flyers drove the Penguins nuts with in games 1-3. A Connor Dewar blistering goal in the second was off a Sidney Crosby feed

Smart Physicality: Game 5 was the most physical we saw the Penguins all series and it was smart physicality. There were few drive-by’s of passing up checks. I thought Pittsburgh as a whole gave the Flyers a taste of their own medicine in just not making things easy and it played a part in the Flyers lacking creativity with the puck because of the Penguins pressure. And let’s call it like it is, the Penguins stopped playing into the Flyers head games after the whistle. That was a big development in Game 5.

Defending Hard In Proper Lanes: A major strength for the Penguins all season was structure defensively to offset limitations of the personnel they have on the blueline. It was close to a master-class defensively in the third Monday night. Little running around among the group and defending hard in the battle areas. Pittsburgh was the faster team retrieving pucks and rebounds in their own zone and Flyers coach Rick Tocchet in particular thought how hard the Penguins defended took away from the Flyers creativity. It saw Philadelphia rushing shots and don’t overlook Pittsburgh’s 1-2-2 neutral zone trap shining through the last two games in being a game changer in the series.

“It’s a tight game, gotta give them credit,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. “They’re defending really hard. Got to fake some shots, deception. Little more creativity,” Tocchet said of his group.” To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Game 4:The Pittsburgh Penguins staved off elimination Saturday Night with a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers to shift the series back to Pittsburgh Monday night. Sidney Crosby was the focal point of the Penguins victorious night. A power play goal at 14:27 of the first period jump started the Penguins and Pittsburgh never trailed for the first time in the series. Every push from Philadelphia was answered by the Penguins, capped off by phenomenal wall work from Crosby leading to Kris Letang’s third period goal, 4:27 in the the period to push the Penguins lead to 3-1. A Connor Dewar empty net goal would ice the game for Pittsburgh.

Game 4 Key Takeaways

1. The Flyers winning four straight has not happened once this year and winning four straight in the playoffs is always a difficult task. As badly as the Penguins were outplayed through the first nine periods of the series, no one should be shocked we’re going to see a Game 5. The Penguins have showed resiliency and pride all season and it was on display in the Game 4 win. What mattered is for the first time in the series the Penguins were able to dictate the terms in longer portions. The Flyers after playing a near perfect style of play through three games, looked like a club that didn’t have the same intensity in their game Saturday night. Even with a shot gap disadvantage, Flyers were +9 on the night, Pittsburgh was able to create more time and space for themselves throughout all three zones in attempting to drive play, something that was nowhere to be seen in games one through three. That’s where Game 5 becomes fascinating to see if Pittsburgh has a legitimate shot to extend the series and turn the pressure on Philadelphia for a potential Game 6 Wednesday Night. Do the Flyers Monday reclaim that suffocating, waves of pressure style to their game. If they don’t, things could get interesting.

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2. A storyline going into Game 5 is Flyers netminder Dan Vladar. Vladar after getting shaken up in the third period of Game 3 never looked right in Game 4. Is there an opportunity here for the Penguins? Crosby’s power play goal early in the first was a simple save Vladar was making 10 out of 10 times in games 1-3. Vladar then fumbled the puck behind the goal on Rickard Rakell’s’ goal and handling the puck is a major weakness in Vladar’s game. Pittsburgh aggressive chip and chase to the corners in Game 2 did not go well but soft dumps around the goal to force Vladar into those types of situations like the Rakell goal is something to watch.

3. Answering the Call: Arturs Silovs with a 28 save performance and he was very calm and pose in the net from start to finish. The Grade-A chances belonged to the Flyers. With Silovs, though, who would really be surprised if he allows four or five blown by him Monday Night. With the major inconsistencies Silovs has had since the Olympic break and struggles on home-ice, I would still be tempted to go back to Stuart Skinner in Game 5 on home-ice. The spark from a backup only lasts so long would be the thinking here.

4. Where is the scoring depth? The Penguins can’t truly make this a long series with three to four forwards showing up + Erik Karlsson, right? Someone from an Egor Chinakhov, Ben Kindel or Anthony Mantha has to step up here moving forward. Evaluating the two clubs 5 vs 5, Pittsburgh is severely lacking even an Avery Hayes type in their lineup to apply more speed and pressure on the forecheck.

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The Philadelphia Flyers behind an early second period surge with three goals on four shots in a six-minute span from Trevor Zegras, Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen has pushed the Flyers on the verge of a sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2 Game 3 win on Wednesday Night. Pittsburgh got the start they needed. They were aggressive and got the Flyers out of their structure at times. An Evgeni Malkin power play goal 4:18 into the game off a rare Travis Sanheim miscue in getting out of position saw Pittsburgh get their first lead of the series. However, this whole series has been about one team not wavering from their identity and sticking to their game plan and strengths. Philadelphia just kept slowing grinding the Penguins down, including extracurricular stuff after the whistle that saw the Penguins afterwards calling it a WWE match. It was a matter of time before the dam broke. Trevor Zegras strikes on the power play at 5:18 of the second period and in the immediate aftermath Philadelphia just took this game over 5 vs 5. It was lights out for the Penguins who will need to run the table to win their first series since 2018.

For Pittsburgh some of the second guessing will be with in-game coaching decisions again. Reuniting the Rakell-Crosby-Rust line had to happen and was the right move. We also saw Erik Karlsson linked up with the Crosby line more frequently which was a major blunder in games one and two. The trickledown effect was problematic elsewhere. Egor Chinakhov was completely phased out and saw 4th liner minutes. Somehow Kris Letang was on the ice over Chinakhov during 6-on-5 situation with Pittsburgh pretty much fighting for their playoff lives. The Penguins most dangerous shooter played just 10:27, the 11th most ice time of Penguins forwards……..Tommy Novak provided a spark on Erik Karlsson’s third period power play goal with a rare opportunity with the first unit, creating a different look with speed and finesse in creating time and space on the goal. It would have been intriguing to see Pittsburgh try that look again when awarded another power play down 4-2 but we never saw it.

Perceived vibe of Fluke Regular Season around the league?

Some NHL personnel executives all year have regarded the Penguins as just one of those rare regular season fluke type teams and it’s playing out to the hockey world in the 2026 playoffs. This is a forward group not built for the grind of playoff hockey and throwing out such a large group of #6-#7 level defensemen in the likes of Sam Girard, Kris Letang, Connor Clifton and Ryan Shea has finally got exposed to a great degree at the worst opportune time and it’s stunning they got away with this group for as long as they did. Good thing cap space doesn’t matter next season for the Penguins. Sam Girard tells Ryan Graves to hold my beer when it comes to being paid as a $5 million a year defenseman when you provide vet-minimum level play…….

Flyers Dominance Through Nine Periods Striking for Future

The lopsided play through nine periods in Philadelphia’s favor is going to be fascinating in how Pittsburgh’s management team evaluates everything in the short-term for next season, especially for a management group that puts great value in how you matchup against division foes. Let’s call it what it is, Penguins-Flyers is a playoff matchup of two clubs that each went into the season truly not trying to win this year. How Philadelphia transformed this quickly post Olympics into a group built to play for playoff is just one of the most remarkable coaching jobs done by that staff. However, don’t call what the Flyers are doing luck. Teams that can take away the oppositions strength’s so easily like the Flyers have been able to is something not to write off.

Pittsburgh’s blueprint of targeting soft size with slow foot speed showing limitations

There are avenues with the Flyers roster Pittsburgh can evaluate in how they want to retool the roster. The Penguins do not have a lot of legitimate forward help coming from Wilkes Barre next season. This past off-season the Penguins opted for size and it had great results in the regular season. But, what the Penguins have is soft size combined with a lack of foot speed, The Flyers have exploited that in all three areas of the rink and that has to be something management takes a lot of stock in this summer, along with size on the backend that can wear your down, which might be the biggest opportunity to revamp the style of defensemen the Penguins target.

Philadelphia’s size and strength from their blueline is draining Pittsburgh’s forward group as each game wears on, whereas Pittsburgh’s backend has no capability to provide that dimension against Philadelphia’s forward group that is tormenting Pittsburgh with speed and tenacity. Everybody wants a Travis Sanheim and they don’t fall on trees. But, instead of a Sam Girard, Ryan Shea style of defensemen, maybe this series will be a wakeup call that to win at this time of the you need to target a Rasmus Ristolainen type whom Penguins forwards in particular hate playing against and a Nick Seeler style of defenseman helps you win at this time of the year. The trade of Brett Kulak was a major gaffe for this year’s roster and is proving itself with each game. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Players Buzz: Has there been a bigger fall from grace in just a three game span than what we’re seeing from Anthony Mantha? There’s rumblings in team circles of Mantha dealing with a lingering To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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For the Pittsburgh Penguins unfortunately Game 1 was a carry over into Game 2. The Philadelphia Flyers once again stymied the Penguins in all areas of the rink, en route to a 3-0 shutout win over the Penguins on Monday Night at PPG Paints Arena to take a command 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3.

The intensity picks up, the ice gets smaller with playoff hockey but the way the Flyers have bottled up one of the NHL’s highest scoring teams has been something to see.

Through six periods the Flyers are coming at the Penguins at every angle in giving them no time and space with a furious second wave of pressure that the Penguins just have no answers for in how to get to the inside. And on top of the that, the Flyers are turning defense into offense to make the Penguins indecisive and unsure what to do in critical pressing areas.

The Flyers have made the likes of Sidney Crosby look pedestrian and a non-threat and they’ve neutralized Erik Karlsson to great measures; Leading goal scorer Anthony Mantha is never thought of a speedster by any means, but the Flyers have been so perfect with their structure, players like Mantha look like their stuck in quicksand.

Rick Tocchet got crushed by some in Vancouver for his style of boring coaching. Talk about life comes at you fast in hockey circles. We’re witnessing some actual Big Boy Coaching compared to amateur hour behind the Penguins bench, a group that looks majorly overmatched.

This chip-and-direction chase game Pittsburgh operated in Game 2 was as expected a disaster that is not to the Penguins strength for a hockey club that attacked the opposition in waves with strong puck support and possession for large portions of the regular season. That plan went awry and saw Pittsburgh muster just two shots on goal in the first period and many opportunities afterwards coming from the outside.

The Penguins staff has looked everything of inexperienced and overthinking the home matchups. This desire to have the Connor Clifton D-pairing linked with Sidney Crosby’s line in Game 2 to try to have a physical presence on the ice with 87 is just a situation of ‘what are we doing’. It took until closer to the middle of the second the staff started getting Erik Karlsson and Crosby on the ice together more regularly. Reuniting the Rakell-Crosby-Rust line was also a little too late for the staff as personnel wise No True #2 center is starting to show when you’re #1 center is hunted on every shift and is failing to find time and space.

A slight favorite coming in, if the Penguins were go down in this series the goaltending disadvantage figured to be the biggest area that would derail Pittsburgh. While Flyers netminder Dan Vladar has been as advertised, Vladar is four or five down on the list why the Penguins have a daunting task to come back and win four of five games which just shows how good the Flyers have been away from the puck. This series has been really about the Flyers transforming into 18 Rick Tocchet’s on the ice. There’s an identity in Philadelphia’s game to be physical at every turn mixed with skill, while bullying the Penguins behind the play while within the rules. When you factor in how out-of-sync the Penguins look on the man-advantage, this has truly been a coaching master-class by Tocchet combined with execution on the ice. All from a guy who wasn’t deemed the right fit by the Penguins to even get a zoom call this summer when his inner circle reached out. Not that Tocchet was ever going to consider coming here for a Dan Muse type salary, but still, Tocchet interviewed in four other places and the one place he won three Cups with as a player/coach didn’t even give him an interview. Think again that he isn’t loving this……..

The fascinating long-term picture for the Penguins is if they go down in this way, how will it affect the off-season? To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Penguins fans expecting a walk in the park against the Flyers in Round 1 got a dose of reality this very well could be a 50-50 series.

From start to finish the Flyers under veteran coach Rick Tocchet put on a master class with systematic play in taking Game 1 with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday evening at PPG Paints Arena. “I don’t think we cheated the game tonight,” Tocchet said. A series is not won in Game 1 but you can set the tone for the rest of the series. If the Flyers prior tried to draw up a perfect game plan on how to beat the Penguins four times in seven games, it was the Game 1 blueprint they put on tape. It was even a bit stunning how well the Flyers executed in all three zones, especially through the neutral zone.

The Flyers attacked the Penguins from the drop of the puck with a bruising, fast on pucks style and Philadelphia played with an adrenaline rush in their game all night, while what appeared to be some nervousness in the ‘older’ Penguins play, especially with their decision making. Rushed plays in around the blueline was a sign the Penguins were caught off-guard with the Flyers pressure. Owen Tippet and Trevor Zegras had breakaway opportunities off turnovers in the second, odd-man rushes were allowed off mental mistakes and Philadelphia did not sit back in their 1-3-1 and play passive. It was an aggressive 1-3-1 with like what Rick Tocchet said, no cheating in their lanes. Pittsburgh couldn’t exploit any voids.

“The Flyers make it hard,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said afterwards. “I think that’s part of their game, they’ve been doing that for a while, they can make it difficult.”

The talk after the game inside the Penguins room was about the Flyers speed. While the Penguins from tracking measures are on the slowest teams in the NHL, the issue at hand was the Penguins inability to combat the Flyers second wave of pressure. Pittsburgh’s puck possession game was running into no man’s land whether 5-on-5 or on the man advantage. That’s where the biggest adjustments to watch for Game 2 will be. The Flyers are baiting the Penguins to try to play a dump-and-chase game. But, Pittsburgh has to try to avoid making that a go-to option. What they want to do is turn the tables and start putting the Flyers on their heels. Shorter puck support, letting Erik Karlsson take some gambles in joining the play with be a start. Pittsburgh has to get the Flyers out of their lanes and chase to create voids through the neutral zone. Game 1 was won through the neutral zone by Philadelphia.

“Give them credit,” Muse said. “They came in and they executed their game plan. We need to be better in terms of executing ours, we’ve just got to be better.”

What’s Next? This has felt like a seven game series coming in and Game 2 is going to be a major foreshadow moving forward. Can the Flyers really play as near perfect systematic style of game with their play away from the puck as they did from or was Game 1 a mirage? And from Pittsburgh’s end the pressure is on the rookie head coach Dan Muse.

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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: The Penguins made multiple aggressive attempts last June to trade up for the Number 4 overall pick in the 2025 Entry Draft and there was always one particular target To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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#’s: (1) The amount of High-Danger Chances Pittsburgh’s Top line of Egor Chinakhov-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust line was credited with in the loss, a major win for the Flyers. The coaching staff has believed Rickard Rakell as the #2 center opens up so many opportunities because of his ability to drive 1-on-1 offense and create space but only a matter of time until Sidney Crosby wants Rust and Rakell back on his wing and you can’t blame him. [/hide]

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— As badly as the Penguins were outplayed, Bryan Rust got the Penguins within one goal with 1:03 remaining and then the puck is on your leading goal scorers stick in tight with two seconds left to force overtime. Mantha like many struggled with the Flyers pressure and had a really rough game with two penalties. Elmer Soderblom did not play a bad game by any means in a third line left wing role and it’s understandable the coaching staff wants his size in their matchup but is he the best fit around offensive players like Kindel and Mantha? It’s not a great match. Justin Brazeau is going to dress at some point in this series, and he might not be an ideal option either but you can’t deny the offensive chemistry Mantha/Brazeau have together. . If there’s any disappointment with the Penguins season from a development area, it’s that a Ville Koivunen or a Rutger McGroarty just never progressed to the point the Penguins thought they would to add another skilled option to the lineup on the third line. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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1. The Penguins are Back!!!

Playoff Hockey is going to be coming to PPG Paints Arena and an improbable season has truly transpired. Going from the so called ‘only team not trying to win last summer’ to a win away from locking up a playoff spot and this isn’t a team just inching into the playoffs. They are getting hot at the right time and while there’s no prime Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin or Phil Kessel skating around, this might be the deepest forward group since the 2016 Penguins in how they can attack you in waves. Pittsburgh ranking second in the NHL in Goals For with 277 is just remarkable and their 30 goals over their last five games is the most in a five-game stretch since March 16th-26th, 1996, according to the Penguins PR Team. Remember that 1996 club with the likes of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ronnie Francis, Sergei Zubov and Petr Nedved averaging over four goals/game.

Egor Chinkahkov’s ability to quickly mesh with Sidney Crosby has opened up enormous lineup possibilities come playoff time and we’re seeing the benefits with Rickard Rakell being a unique player who can create his own individual offense to drive a line whether he’s at wing or center.

The Penguins have showed over the last couple weeks, this is obviously not an elite team when they go head-to-head against true Cup Contenders like Colorado, Tampa Bay or Dallas. However, there’s not a team in that second tier in the East they can’t give a run for their money. And that’s the case even with horrific goaltending most nights.

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2. Jokingly, some buzz around the league is Pat Brisson deserves a partial share of Kyle Dubas GM of The Year Award if the Penguins GM deservedly takes home the honor in the coming months. Rival teams are adamant Brisson was a menace behind the scenes when the Crosby camp believed there was a strong likelihood Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust were getting traded last summer.

Don’t underestimate the pressure that the Crosby camp put on the Penguins that truly avoided this club tearing things down to the studs and the trickle-down effect it’s had on this season. Meanwhile, all the Evgeni Malkin hoopla, Sidney Crosby being extension eligible [hide] this summer is not getting talked about enough. [/hide]

3. One NHL executive on Erik Karlsson: 'He's worth 2 years- $20 million ($10MM AAV) to them" moving forward on an extension 

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Latest NHL Buzz

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4. The New York Islanders saw the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 under John Tortorella and said hold my beer in ousting Patrick Roy with four games to go in hiring Peter DeBoer. This is wild NBA level type stuff we’re seeing in the NHL and its great theater. Whether it works to get the Islanders in the playoffs remains to be seen, but long-term what a fit for both sides and the Islanders are going to emerge as a top destination with Matthew Schaffer.

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5. Two division rivals that came extremely close to acquiring Egor Chinakhov were the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Penguins 5-1 thrashing of the Detroit Red Wings in a back-to-back situation was a true sign of a playoff team. That’s what a legitimate playoff team does to a club in the Red Wings hanging on for dear life in the playoff race. Pittsburgh put the hammer down on the pedal and never let up.

And what the Penguins have given themselves with the massive back-to-back wins early in the week is a lot of room for error over the final seven games.

Suddenly the final wildcard spot has shifted down from what looked liked possibly 99-100 points needing to get in, to around the 96-point mark.

And the same for locking up second place in the Metro and Home-Ice in round one.

Even a poor 2-5 finish might see the Penguins still sit in second place position by seasons end as Islanders and Blue Jackets are each playing at a 96-point pace and Pittsburgh has a major edge in head-to-head tiebreakers.

Pittsburgh’s two regulation wins this week has seen them head into tonight’s game vs Tampa Bay with a +4 edge over the Blue Jackets in regulation wins (31-27) and +3 over the Islanders (31-28).

The Penguins have to be looked at as a team that’s not only likely going to make the playoffs but they’ve emerged as a team that can legitimately win a playoff round.

The primary reason for that is the scoring depth this team possesses and it’s beyond the numbers. This is a very intriguing group coming playoff time in the different waves they can attack you offensively and tweaks personnel wise they can make with their bottom forward group. An injury or someone is struggling and you want more size, Elmer Soderblom can come in and give a different look. While the ceiling is not high long-term, Avery Hayes just has the look of a young player who comes in the middle of a series and gives you a spark for a Game 5 win.

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Anthony Mantha Contract Buzz: The Penguins have the cap space where if they wanted to pay Anthony Mantha $10 million a season they could next season. This talk Pittsburgh can’t afford him is off-base. A great fit on and off the ice and with a young family, Mantha is said to be looking for some security after drastically out-playing his one-year deal.

What Pittsburgh internally has to decide is whether this is a season they can sustain or will it be a Capitals type situation where you take one-step back next season before another step forward. 3 years with an AAV around To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Back-to-Back 40 goal seasons? Could you imagine Jake Guentzel with this Penguins club? For all the home runs Kyle Dubas is hitting this year and the Jake Guentzel trade tree crowd, I will always die on the hill that Guentzel was the wrong player to be overlooked as a short and long-term building piece from the new regime who felt they had to come in and change something and Guentzel’s expiring contract gave them that out.

Guentzel with 81 points (36G-45A) in 74 games, is closing in on back-to-back 40 goal seasons in Tampa Bay. As expected, he’s been a phenomenal fit in Tampa. Just what a player — To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Prospects Buzz: View of Brunicke/Koivunen/McGroarty has drastically changed outside of Pittsburgh: To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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8 – 3 (F): Anthony Mantha (28, 29) had two goals and an assist, Rickard Rakell (18, 19) scored twice as the Pittsburgh Penguins erupted mid-way through the second period in an 8-3 thrashing of the New York Islanders on Monday night. An embarrassing collapse by the Islanders or what not, the resillient Penguins continue to show they are rarely out of a game. “We’ve been in situations when we’ve been down before, and have a lot of belief in this group that we could kind of settle things down and put together some shifts where momentum could start to come our way,” head coach Dan Muse said of the Penguins response.

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Turning Point: Trailing 3-1 with under 10 minutes to go in the second period, a Rickard Rakell shorthanded goal at 11:01 of the second period saw Pittsburgh flip the script with four goals in a 6:08 span and finish the night with seven unanswered goals to jump the Islanders for second place in the Metro. “The shorthanded goal was a big turning point there,” Muse said. Prior to the Rakell shorthanded marker, the game had looked to be slipping away. Mathew Barzal had taken the game over and 24 seconds after Brayden Schenn made it 3-1 Islanders with the Isles putting three goals past Arturs Silovs on 13 shots, Noel Acciari took a tripping penalty and Pittsburgh looked toast.

Mantha Mania: Consecutive goals from Anthony Mantha at 14:35 and 17:18 of the second period was the icing on the cake of breaking in pushing Pittsburgh’s lead to 5-3. This was the moment the Islanders truly looked emotionally done on the night and shocked at what had transpired in a near six+ minute span. Pittsburgh would add three more goals in the third.

30: Pittsburgh not only jumps the Islanders by a point with a game in hand, Pittsburgh moves two games above the Islanders in regulation wins; 30-to-28

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#’s

Anthony Mantha | 2 Goals (28, 29) – 1 Assist

Justin Brazeau | 3 Assists

Rickard Rakell | 2 Goals (18, 19)

Bryan Rust | 1 Goal (27), 1 Assist

Avery Hayes | 1 Goal (3)

Ryan Shea | 1 Goal (5)

Elmer Soderblom | 1 Goal (4)

Sidney Crosby | 2 Assists

Kris Letang | 2 Assists

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Penguins (36-21-16, 88 pts) @ Islanders (42-27-5, 89 pts)

Morning Skate Buzz The Pittsburgh Penguins coming off a 6-3 loss to the Dallas Stars Saturday evening that saw Stuart Skinner get a rare consecutive start, Penguins head coach Dan Muse will turn back to Arturs Silovs in a pivotal divisional matchup on the road tonight vs the New York Islanders.

How big is the seeding implications tonight? Pittsburgh and New York are separated by one point with the Penguins having a game in hand. And in a key tiebreaker, Pittsburgh is one game up on the Islanders in Regulation Wins 29 to 28. A potential Regulation win either way has a bigger impact on who moves into driver seat for the second place in division than playoff hopes for either side being dashed with a regulation loss.

As Illya Sorokin will man the net for the Islanders, there’s no major glaring hole in Pittsburgh’s prospects of reaching the postseason for the first time in four seasons than goaltending. Pittsburgh’s coaching staff came out of the Olympic break with a lean towards Silovs that Silovs had the best opportunity to take reins as Pittsburgh #1 goaltender for the stretch. However, it’s been anything but that. For Silovs this is a pivotal start on where his season is headed. With a 3.48 GAA and .860 SV% in the month of March, Silovs has allowed four goals or more in five of his last six starts. Making his first start in six days, Silovs stopped 24 of 29 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Avalanche where Pittsburgh allowed four-first period goals,. Muse was complimentary of how Silovs battled afterwards, though, there are strong indications over the weekend of To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Meanwhile, on the injury front, as expected Evgeni Malkin To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Erik Karlsson is not only one of the best defensemen in the game right now, he has hit peak Erik Karlsson level of being Must-See-TV nearly every shift. Thursday night was just another marvelous game from Karlsson where’s controlling the play at every instance. The puck is just following him around…….

A major development for the Penguins down stretch was always going to be can Rickard Rakell find another level and get back to last year’s level. Well, he’s found it……..

Fascinating goaltending decision today. The Penguins have been so locked into a rotation and believe this is their best route to compete and even in the postseason. However, Stuart Skinner hasn’t been anything special but gives the group a little more swag and a bump in key moments than Arturs Silovs brings to the table. Who they decide on to go with today vs Monday’s start vs the Islanders will be telling for the group……

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We’re past the players performing above expectations stage of the season where we can’t be critical of certain players. Parker Wotherspoon has been a pleasant surprise for the Penguins this season but we’re seeing the Penguins defensively over the last handful of games get exposed beyond the obvious talent issues.

Over pursuing has reappeared at the wrong time of the season, it’s been an Achilles heel on the PK this week, most notable from Wotherspoon where he needs to tune up his gaps.

Then there’s Kris Letang who we’re at the stage of his career where the light bulb just isn’t clicking for him that his talent alone can’t make up for mental mistakes anymore.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins were ran out of the building from the opening seconds in a 5-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena.

“We weren’t good today,” head coach Dan Muse said of the loss.

Carolina overwhelmed Pittsburgh from start to finish with speed and back pressure in all three zones and aside from a few moments from Bryan Rust, one of a few Penguins who came to play, Pittsburgh lacked a response in the loss. Carolina went 3-for-3 on the power play and is cruising to a Metropolitan Division crown and possible home-ice throughout the first three rounds.

“I don’t think there’s anything we have that I’m going to look at and think we did very well. I think all parts of our game were off,” said Muse.

Later in action the New York Islanders got a massive 1-0 shutout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. 12 Games to go and everything is setting up for the Pittsburgh Penguins to go right down to the wire. Pittsburgh, Columbus and New York are separated by one point with the Penguins/Blue Jackets having a game in hand on the Isles. The Good— Pittsburgh has multiple avenues to make the postseason; 2nd or 3rd in Metro or one of the wildcard spots. —

The Bad:

The Penguins enter another gauntlet week vs Colorado, Ottawa and Dallas. It’s a big week for Dan Muse from a matchup standpoint. He’s pushed nearly every right button this season for a club that’s shown great resiliency at every turn but he’s having some rookie head coach moments with some of the situational matchups. Have to find ways to get the likes of Ben Kindel/Anthony Mantha in more offensive situations and even little things like late in the first period of Sunday’s game vs Carolina, Pittsburgh is hanging on for dear life to get to the end of the period down one and Pittsburgh opts to have Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Graves on the ice in the final minute and it almost kills them. The first couple shifts for 71 and you could tell he didn’t have it vs Carolina.

However, if there’s one major Achilles heel with this club that is likely to dictate whether Pittsburgh nabs a postseason berth or not is the goaltending.

Pittsburgh’s ability to put the puck in the net has underscored that the Penguins through 70 games have a team save percentage of .895 and that’s a number inflated by Tristan Jarry’s .909 SV% prior to being traded.

Ilya Sorokin with a .913 SV% can win a series single handily and leads NHL with seven shutouts. ……..CBJ #1 starter Jet Greaves is boasting a 2.58 GAA and .910 SV% on the season…….Boston’s Jeremy Swayman same boat as Sorokin, a goaltender you don’t want to face and has regained his Vezina form at the right time and is red-hot this month with a 6-1-1 record and .934 SV%……..The Detroit Red Wings are extremely fragile team in the playoff race, yet, also have a significant edge in goal down the stretch over the Penguins. Veteran John Gibson 26-16-3 with a 2.58 GAA and .907 SV% on the season. Since the Olympic break Gibson has a .921 SV%, yet, the Red Wings have lost six of his 11 starts since the break……..

Arturs Silovs has an .894 SV% on the season, Stuart Skinner is at .887 SV% in 20 games with Pittsburgh. Silovs was atrocious in the win vs the Jets and is boasting an .867 SV% in month of March. Silovs has allowed four goals or more in four of his last five starts…..Meanwhile, Skinner is at .882 in six starts this month. Aside from the few Tristan Jarry moments earlier this season where Dan Muse operated like he had a #1 netminder in dishing out consecutive starts, the Penguins have believed in their philosophy that alternating goaltenders is the best route for this personnel group and is going to be strongly on the table if they make the postseason. It’s going to be a hotly debated subject whether Pittsburgh gets in or not as the lack of a true #1 looms large. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Kyle Dubas’ vision of Erik Karlsson keeping the Penguins window open has finally happened, just not in the time period Dubas projected. When FSG was courting Dubas June of 2023, Dubas laid out a plan for the future we’re seeing over the last 18 months but a big power move from Dubas was confidence he could acquire a game changing player in Karlsson who could elevate the current group and reopen the contending window. Dubas’ confidence was due to his pursuit of Karlsson via trade in his final season as Leafs GM where those discussions he was confident of establishing a relationship with the Sharks on a potential move, even though he was changing GM chairs.

Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s 5-4 shootout win over the Jets was another master piece from Karlsson who is not only playing at peak Ottawa Senators level, those in the hockey world believe from a two-way standpoint Karlsson is on such a heater right now where he’s playing the best hockey of his career. I will say it again, i’m not sure everyone is realizing the level Karlsson is playing at right now. This is greatness and a Norris Trophy type impact in all areas of the rink. Karlsson is dominating with his skill and eyes and he’s a step ahead of the opposition before the puck is on his stick. One knock on Karlsson is over the last couple years he’s lost his fastball in the ability to beat goaltenders with shot. Somehow all of a sudden, he’s back to ripping snap shots in picking corners with movement in his shot we haven’t seen in a while……

What we’re seeing this season from Erik Karlsson is what the Penguins brass dreamed of when they acquired the 2023 Norris Trophy Winner and the Karlsson the Penguins are getting right now is probably even a level higher than they envisioned as a best-case scenario. Dan Muse deserves a lot of credit from even an initial summer meeting between Karlsson and Muse. As some league execs believe Dubas and his staff would have jumped at any opportunity to unload Karlsson, Muse was excited and intrigued to coach Karlsson and we’re seeing the benefits. Some believe Mike Sullivan often made mistakes of not knowing how to handle Karlsson from a mental standpoint and constantly nitpicked the limitations in his game behind the scenes; Muse was the opposite, he made Karlsson feel like the man from day 1 after their meeting and it’s paying dividends.

And what a change in discussion we’re going to have this summer where Karlsson is eligible extension and loves To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Third Line Being Underused?

The Penguins 4th line has been a great story all season. But, as playoff hockey is pretty much here down the stretch, was Saturday a sign of the coaching staff relying too heavy on the 4th line in head-to-head matchups?

Muse and his staff made attempt after attempt to try to matchup the Connor Dewar unit against the Mark Scheifele line and we saw the unit be around 20% in driving possession. What played out, though, was the third line of Anthony Mantha-Ben Kindel-Justin Brazeau just not seeing the ice enough in a 50-50 game.

Noel Acciari was at 14:45 in even strength ice time, Justin Brazeau (10:28) and Anthony Mantha (11:25) were around three and four minutes less. Elder Soderblom (13:30 ESTOI) just shouldn’t be seeing the ice more than a likely 30 goal scorer in Anthony Mantha or a Ben Kindel.

Other usage issues to watch moving forward is Pittsburgh strongly needing to find the right mix on the blueline. Game after game Sam Girard just doesn’t look like one of Pittsburgh’s top six defensemen and that really says something. Can’t believe I’m saying this but is Ryan Graves worth a look for the Penguins?

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Game Day Buzz: Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will return to the lineup tonight vs the first place Carolina Hurricanes. Crosby who has missed the last 11 games after suffering an MCL sprain in the Olympics, will center Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust on the top-line. The return of Crosby moves Rakell back to the wing where the Penguins hope his game can take off down the stretch. Pittsburgh with a regulation win could move within five points of the Hurricanes for first place in the Metro. Carolina is coming off a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets last night.

Penguins Lines vs
LW: Rickard Rakell	C: Sidney Crosby	RW: Bryan Rust
LW: Evgeni Malkin	C: Tommy Novak	RW: Egor Chinakhov
LW: Anthony Mantha	C: Ben Kindel	RW: Justin Brazeau
LW: Elmer Soderblom	C: Connor Dewar	RW: Noel Acciari

Goaltender: Stuart Skinner

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5 Teams for Four Spots?

~~~ Eastern Conference Races Entering Saturday ~~~

ATLANTIC DIVISION

1. BUF | 66 GP – 86 Pts |
2. TBL | 64 GP – 84 Pts |
3. MTL | 64 GP – 82 Pts |

METROPOLITAN DIVISION

1. CAR | 65 GP – 88 Pts |
2. PIT | 65 GP – 79 Pts |
3. NYI | 66 GP – 79 Pts |

WILD CARD

1. DET | 66 GP – 79 Pts
2. BOS | 65 GP – 78 Pts
3. CLB | 65 GP – 77 Pts

Handicapping the Eastern Conference……..Tampa Bay – Buffalo – Carolina in that order of teams built for the playoffs but this is a year where it’s really wide open. A year without the Florida Panthers, some scouts feel the New York Islanders could be a sleeping giant come playoff time and a major darkhorse, while the Montreal Canadiens continue to be regarded in hockey circles as a team not being taken serious enough that could win multiple rounds………

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When you get involved in a big swing like the Penguins quietly did on Blues center Robert Thomas, it’s a good barometer/evaluation tool of how other NHL teams see your prospect base.

League sources say 2023 5th round pick Mikhail IIyin, To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! primary prospects in Pittsburgh’s system that were targeted by the St. Louis Blues in the Robert Thomas trade talks, primarily Mikhail IIyin who some teams see as having the highest upside of any prospect in Pittsburgh’s system. Pittsburgh’s obstacle in trade talks was more lack of To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Though he remains ahead of schedule and close to returning, initially Penguins doctors viewed Crosby’s injury at the Olympics as being a severe To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— While Penguins head coach Dan Muse was consulted on a possible acquisition of Sam Girard, the staff was caught off guard of To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Fallout from Trades That Almost Happened …….

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Mrtka/Kindel/Zonnon/Horcoff surely would have been quite the first-round haul looking back now. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

However, if there’s a non-star player who loves the logo as much as Rust and embodies everything you want as an organization, it’s Rust who is heading down a path where he deserves to finish his career with the Penguins.

While the internet nerds yap about Rust’s declining defensive analytics, go ask opposing coaches about Bryan Rust, that’s what matters. With the Penguins in surprise contention for a playoff spot, Rust is once again showing down the stretch why there were teams salivating at the prospect that Pittsburgh was willing to move him as his No Trade Clause was set to expire last July. With Rust turning 34 in May, Dubas always thinking long-term could be intrigued once again this summer to listen to offers but season after season Rust is showing how he is going to go down as one of the Penguins most underrated players to put on the jersey just from a consistency, leadership stance. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Even with the Penguins anticipating a lengthy suspension for Evgeni Malkin (5 Games), it was a quiet deadline for Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

Pittsburgh’s lone move was sending a 2026 3rd round pick to the Detroit Red Wings in-exchange for massive 6-foot-8, 252 lbs forward Elmer Soderblom, a move that might be more about next year.

The 24 year old has 2 goals and 1 assist in 39 games this season and is under contract through the 2026/2027 season with a $1.25 million cap hit. What do the Penguins see in Soderblom who has 11 goals and 11 assists in 86 career NHL games?

One intriguing aspect to the Penguins is they still look at Soderblom as a raw prospect despite his age and they don’t have any prospects in their system with his type of size.

“We’ve identified him throughout the year as someone that fits the age group that we’re trying to bring in,” GM Kyle Dubas said. “He’s got a contract for this year, next year is signed and then he’s a restricted free agent after that. So he’s got another year of team control……His skating has continued to improve. The things that have stood out with him this year have been the ability to forecheck, get in on the forecheck, disrupts pucks and win pucks back. For us, that’s the thing we identified.”

Pittsburgh at the NHL level following the coaching change have prioritized size in remaking the roster and that’s going to continue to be plan moving forward.

MORE DEADLINE FALLOUT

Dubas plan over the last 18 months has been all about accumulating assets, rebuilding the system up to set the Penguins up for success in the future for years to come. There’s also been the hope that this process would open the door for a bigger swing or two in the event a star player comes available or a fringe star in that 25-26 age range. That’s been an area we’ve yet to see play out where Dubas makes a massive move that sends three to four significant assets out the door. Over the last month, though, it wasn’t for a lack of not trying.

Prior to the Olympics the Penguins began the leg work of taking a quiet big run at Blues center Robert Thomas and tried again post-Olympics for Thomas. Pittsburgh was willing to meet To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! One source said Pittsburgh just didn’t have a second higher-end (NHL Ready) prospect to pair with Harrison Brunicke in talks whom St. Louis really liked to get enough momentum on this front and remains to be seen if anything changes by the summer. A Rutger McGroarty just wasn’t going to get it done here.

“I heard they took a swing at Robert Thomas, didn’t like the price,” top NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts Podcast of the Penguins pursuit of Thomas.

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— Among roster players who almost moved. It wasn’t Stuart Skinner despite the league chatter around Skinner………Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay are said to have gotten pretty close on an To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Huge weekend coming up for Ville Koivunen. A great opportunity to get back with the big club and try to turn the narrative on his season at the NHL level. “Have big expectations of Ville and a lot of belief in him,” Dubas said on Friday. “So, this would be his chance. Everyone always wants an opportunity, this is it for him. 5 Points in 27 games with the Penguins this season, the 22 year old Koivunen has been a point per game player in the minors with 11 goals, 22 assists in 28 games. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Despite Kyle Dubas eye always on the future, one of the Penguins biggest talking points internally has been does it make sense to mess with the room at all ahead of the deadline? A major part of Pittsburgh’s success is just how all-in this roster is and it’s a group that gets along very well.

Three names, though, are percolating that the Penguins have discussed for several weeks in hockey deals (non-futures).

-Some around the league believed coming out of the Olympic Break the Penguins were leaning towards moving Stuart Skinner in a Brett Kulak template type of deal as the team has been holding an offer on Skinner for over a week now. However, there has been some pushback inside the organization over the last 48 hours so we will see where that goes………

-Top contenders have been all over Anthony Mantha, though, Pittsburgh’s stance to move Mantha who would be a very risky move in the short-term and is not draft pick return fueled. It would take a hockey deal for the Penguins to go through with a Mantha deal. Colorado, Carolina, To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! One of the wildest rumors on Mantha is one team floated a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

-Prior to the New Year Pittsburgh and Carolina held substantive discussions on a Tommy Novak for To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Bigger Swings to Watch………

Worst kept secret around the league is the Penguins have been all over To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Was there significant intrigue internally to make a blockbuster run at Robert Thomas? Certainly but the Penguins were quickly not a team targeted by the Blues in talks, NHL sources say. Always subject to change, but the Penguins were viewed as just not having the young established horses St. Louis had been seeking from the likes of Buffalo and others……..Vincent Trocheck coming home? Another situation To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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A meeting planned months in advance between Evgeni Malkin’s agent J.P. Barry and Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas during the Olympic Break, was a quick and short-sighted meeting, sources close to the situation tell Inside Pittsburgh Sports. Barry who was prepared propose a one-year extension in the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! range, was caught off guard when told in person there would no negotiations on a new deal for the franchise legend at this time and the Penguins ‘would discuss Malkin’s file’ after the season. The frustration and shock carried over to when the Penguins returned to the ice this past week and saw Evgeni Malkin go public after the New York Rangers game. For a 24-hour period around Friday before Malkin went public, teams became aware of what was going on and a few clubs were wondering if this had the chance to escalate prior to the deadline. It appears now the temperature is being turned down. Dubas who sources say was also caught off guard at Malkin going public, quickly attempted Saturday evening to smooth things over with Malkin personally. A ‘substantive’ meeting between To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

In 2022 his camp became frustrated and went public they were testing free agency, only to accept the same offer from Pittsburgh 24 hours later. Dubas entered this season with absolutely no intention to bring Malkin back next season. However, To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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A stretch run without Sidney Crosby? The Penguins eyeing a postseason berth for the first time since 2022 and embarking on one of the NHL toughest schedules the rest of the way, will have their depth tested over the next month.

Crosby injured in the Olympics on a Radko Gudas hit, was diagnosed by team doctors with what is being described as a lower level ‘Grade To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

The Penguins returning to action tonight vs the New Jersey Devils are playing at a 103-point pace and prior to the Olympic Break created separation with 26 games to game. Washington has some work to do and are at a 92-point pace, Columbus 95 point pace……..

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KEY STORYLINES TO WATCH

The Penguins with enough draft picks to last 10 years, does Kyle Dubas feel the need to reward this group and add insurance at the forward position in the sense of buying for a rental and not a long-term play? To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

On the ice, you have to look at some pressure points:

“You don’t replace him,” head coach Dan Muse said. “It’s an opportunity for a lot of guys. It gets spread out across the entire group

The most pivotal player without Crosby might come down to Rickard Rakell.

The Penguins are toying with the center experiment once again for Rakell, whether that’s a good idea is up for debate, but he’s a prime candidate to watch to see if he can elevate his game to an area near last year’s level…….

A fresh Evgeni Malkin. Does he turn back the clock for one last time in Sidney Crosby’s absence?

Then there’s the power play. Pittsburgh has to cook on the power play and that’s where Ben Kindel will be coming into play. The Olympic Break could end up being a great thing for Kindel is getting some rest from the grind of an NHL season. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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PIT Receives: D Samuel Girard, 2028 2nd round pick

COL Receives: D Brett Kulak

The Tristan Jarry Trade Tree keeps growing and Kyle Dubas continues to cook on trade value charts. The Penguins on Tuesday struck a deal with the Colorado Avalanche in acquiring 27 year old defenseman Samuel Girard and a 2028 2nd round in exchange for veteran defenseman Brett Kulak. Kulak whom the Penguins have received multiple offers on since acquired in December, was strongly coveted by contenders and while viewed as a stabilizing precence the Penguins felt in helping rein in Kris Letang a bit, Pittsburgh has continued their stance of being open for business on a number of fronts. Despite Pittsburgh boasting one of the Top-10 records in the NHL right now, it’s easy to see why the Penguins went this direction.

In Girard the Penguins get a younger more proven puck moving defenseman, who can upgrade the Penguins ability to exit the join and join the rush. There’s no question arguments are made come playoff time a Brett Kulak helps you win than a Samuel Girard, especially in Colorado’s situation. But, in Pittsburgh’s situation it’s an intriguing fit for now and into next season. Not to mention the $5 million cap hit helps Pittsburgh push to get to the salary cap floor next season. [/hide]

[hide] “Our personnel department have a lot of time into Sam Girard for the past year,” GM Kyle Dubas said. “A player we have targeted as someone who could make great use of increased opportunity here in Pittsburgh.”

Pittsburgh and Colorado had discussed a Girard deal dating back to the draft where some believe Owen To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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1. Penguins’ Playoff Chances Improve Significantly: With a fifth consecutive win and a substantial 6-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff probability has increased to 85%, positioning them as the third highest in the Eastern Conference.
2. Top Contenders in the Eastern Conference: The Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes lead the Eastern Conference with playoff odds of 99.7% and 99% respectively, showcasing their strong positions as the season progresses.
3. Penguins’ Strong Pace in the Race for the Playoffs: Playing at a 103-point pace, the Penguins are setting a robust foundation for their playoff bid, despite facing one of the NHL’s toughest schedules starting in March.
4. Metro Division Standings and Playoff Dynamics: A significant gap is forming between CAR-PIT-NYI and others like Washington and Columbus, whose playoff odds have diminished.
5. Strategic Outlook and Market Activity: Penguins’ management, led by Kyle Dubas, appears to be evaluating their position relative to division leaders, with the New York Islanders actively engaging as buyers early in the market

A fifth straight win and a dismantling of the Chicago Blackhawks in a 6-2 victory, the Pittsburgh Penguins with 30 games remaining have seen their playoff odds surge to a remarkable 85%, 3rd best playoff odds in the Eastern Conference:

Playoff Odds Via MoneyPuck
1. Tampa Bay Lightning | 99.7%
2. Carolina Hurricanes | 99%
3. Pittsburgh Penguins | 84.6%
4. Detroit Red Wings | 82.4%
5. Buffalo Sabres | 73.8%
6. Montreal Canadiens | 71.8%
7. New York Islanders | 68.9%
8. Boston Bruins | 65.9%

While one of the NHL’s toughest schedules looms the rest of the starting in March, the Penguins are giving themselves quite a runway in playing at a 103-point pace.

Metro Point Pace

1. CAR – 110 Pts
2. PIT – 103 Pts
3. NYI – 99 Pts
4. CBJ – 90 Pts
5. WSH – 88 Pts
6. PHI – 88 Pts

Major separation has started from CAR-PIT-NYI to the rest of the field in the Metro where Washington and Columbus’ playoff odds have diminished under 30%.

Kyle Dubas has always said he evaluates his club off the top three in the division. It will be interesting if Pittsburgh reacts to the New York Islanders who have attacked the market early as buyers in an accelerated unique year for themselves

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Best forechecking Penguins team in 10 years? Pittsburgh’s swarm and support system has seen them post Christmas break overwhelm the opposition and impose their will. It’s the biggest compliment you hear about this club right now from coaches, evaluators…….What shouldn’t get overlooked with the Penguins success this season is how well the makeshift room gets along and loves coming to the rink each day. It has played a factor in fueling their success. Even though rival executives still contend Penguins GM Kyle Dubas is willing to listen on some of his pending UFA’s because he believes they have depth that could step in, each game it’s becoming tougher and tougher they could move an Anthony Mantha or even a Noel Acciari who has had three teams interested in trading for him. [/hide]

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A game changer for the Pittsburgh Penguins on the trade market is that they have the draft pick capability and even two or three top prospects clubs like enough where they can get in just about trade discussion. Even though the conversation was quite short from Pittsburgh’s end internally, as in a couple minutes, there’s a reason the Vancouver Canucks even reached out back in December to see if the Penguins were interested in pursuing Quinn Hughes.

That brings us to Jason Robertson.

Of course the Penguins love Jason Robertson, just like 31 other teams do, well 30 other teams minus Billy Guerin in Minnesota. But, here’s what is getting overlooked about his potential situation.

A new deal for Jason Robertson is not only going to cost $12 million a season, you better be ready to fork out at least $80 million in signing bonuses over the course of the contract. When the Penguins ownership change happened in 2021 between the Lemieux Group and FSG, one positive was Pittsburgh’s new ability to dive into the signing bonus game. FSG for a few years prior to 2024 unlocked Pittsburgh’s management teams in that area. While the Lemieux group would always spend to the cap, they were strongly against getting into the signing bonus game and quite frankly couldn’t afford it.

Fast forward to the new ownership with the Hoffmann Group in Pittsburgh and things are going to change drastically. A Pittsburgh pursuit of Robinson has been scoffed at around the league among agents and executives because of how strapped this new group is believed to be with cash To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Rumblings in team circles is Blake Lizotte’s representation when negotiating a three-year extension for their client are said to have To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

What are some early indicators from the Hoffmann group in what they will be all about?

They are all in towards allocating resources to anything Kyle Dubas needs for development purposes outside the NHL roster. There is not going to be a drop off and that’s an area they have prioritized to keep developing and stay ahead of the game and have not scaled back Dubas’ vision he started when hired. But, there are certainly some worrisome individuals in the organization who are hearing whispers To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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On Saturday the Pittsburgh Steelers reached an agreement on a five-year deal with one-time Super Bowl winning coach Mike McCarthy to become the team’s new head coach. The hiring of the 62-year-old Greenfield native was a stunner to many in the Steelers going against their past history of hiring 30’s something head coaches. However, all week the chatter behind the scenes was leaning toward McCarthy’s direction in that this search was setting up to be different than the Steelers run of having three coaches since 1969.

Pittsburgh this week began in-person interviews, meeting with Brian Flores on Tuesday, followed by an eight-hour + meeting with McCarthy on Wednesday. Pittsburgh on Friday met with Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver who really impressed team officials and was Pittsburgh’s clear #2 candidate in the search. Despite the history with Flores, there was just too much pause surrounding his past and demeanor. Flores even knew the writing was on the wall mid-week he wasn’t going to be a legitimate candidate. The team, though, this weekend wasted no team in ending the search as the Weaver interview on Friday satisfied the Rooney rule in allowing the Steelers to hire a coach at any time. Late Saturday morning Pittsburgh began reaching out to candidates that McCarthy was the pick and the rest is history.

Listen the Steelers knew this wouldn’t be popular among some as the internet was fixated with the Rams assistants. Chris Shula was more of a media guessing narrative as his virtual interview was poor along with Jesse Minter’s and as impressed as the Steelers were with Nate Scheelhaase and the upside they feel he had, they were never hiring him.

Why McCarthy who has a 174-112-2 overall record and most recently led the Dallas Cowboys to three 12-win seasons over five years?

Here’s Why:

Mike Tomlin was the ultimate CEO type coach in the organization Steelers ownership just could not overlook in this search. Tomlin ran so much behind the scenes many aren’t aware of that the Steelers top team officials were never comfortable going with an unproven individual, sources say. McCarthy’s ability to come in from day 1 and bring those attributes without losing a step in those areas was vital. And the cherry on the top for the Steelers is McCarthy’s offensive background.

The relationship with Omar Khan sure didn’t hurt but the Steelers as a whole just became sold McCarthy checked every box moving forward they sought:

Leadership/CEO Type/Experience, and an offensive presence to develop the quarterback position and evolve the offense. Amped with cap space and draft picks, Pittsburgh is taking the bet McCarthy can elevate the current group and at some point develop a long-term QB.

The biggest opportunity for McCarthy from the get-go is putting an elite coaching staff under him, something Mike Tomlin never did over the last seven-to-eight years. McCarthy’s staff in Dallas was intriguing to look forward to in filling out Pittsburgh’s staff.

,

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The Pittsburgh Steelers coaching search has started to kick into gear:

Maybe at the end of the day the Steelers follow through with the first-time young defensive coordinator head coach hire but there is certainly some smoke this search might be different with the way it’s possibly headed:

Brian Flores met in person with Steelers officials on Tuesday for over To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

For all of the buzz of Nate Scheelhaase, LA Rams Passing Game Coordinator, and Rams Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula, and the Steelers are intrigued about both, the individual who had a Mike Tomlin type 2007 initial interview is Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver who is scheduled to interview in person on Friday. Weaver had an outstanding interview and really made a mark on the Steelers to get an in person look where they planned to explore his candidacy more thoroughly.

And everything sets up for a fascinating week with 62 year old Mike McCarthy interviewing in-person today. This is not a favor interview for the Super Bowl winning coach. McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, has a legitimate chance to move into the front runner’s spot this week. GM Omar Khar is driving the bus and there is a ton of intrigue that McCarthy can keep the Steelers competitive for the present and transition into future. [/hide]

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When Mike Tomlin met with Art Rooney II on Tuesday morning, the Pittsburgh Steelers majority owner expected the conversation to be about running it back together in 2026.

“It was his decision,” Rooney said. “I wasn’t shocked but I was not expecting that conversation either…….”I was certainly willing to take another run at it [together] .”

Rooney said he did not try to talk Tomlin out of his decision and Tomlin was steadfast with moving on in what Rooney felt was a “family decision”.

“I did think he was pretty clear about his intention. We had a great conversation and understood where he was,” Rooney said. On why he wasn’t shocked per say, Rooney indicated “I think we all knew we were getting to the end” as the belief inside the organization had been Tomlin would come back from his 20th season and likely walk after 2026.

On a new coach, Rooney said “leadership” is the primary factor when deciding on a coach and he was blunt in that the team will continue to try to win each season.

“Standard is try to compete to win a championship every year. Not sure why you waste a year of your life not trying to contend. Sometimes you have the horses, sometimes you don’t.”

One thing that’s clear is the ability to wow Rooney in the interview room is going to have some weight as the ability to be a CEO similar to Mike Tomlin is likely to outweigh getting the jobs from an X’s and O’s standpoint.

And it’s very premature with local media saying a retread head coach is off the table. If you’re not rebuilding or a reset, a Kevin Stefanski has to be on the table.

As QB questions loom for short and long-term, Rooney stated the obvious in that Aaron Rodgers is likely one-and-done.

“Aaron came here to play with Mike, will affect his decision,” Rooney said.

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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is stepping down after 19 seasons in Pittsburgh, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter.

Tomlin a day after the Steelers 30-6 playoff loss, delivered the news to Steelers players of his decision to walk away this afternoon in a move that has left the organization stunned.

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Texans 30 – Steelers 6 (F)

For seven days after one of the greatest Steelers regular season games ever, there was a buzz in town that this year felt different. The AFC was wide open, you finally get to host a home game instead of having to walk into the likes of Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore of past seasons; Aaron Rodgers with his arm and mind with how great he’s looked in four of the past five games, Pittsburgh not only had a 50/50 chance to win a wild card road, there was optimism brewing of the Steelers making noise.

Instead, everything once again came crashing down Monday Night in a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans.

As much of a beatdown the Steelers took in the second half in being outscored 23-0, it was a winnable game through the 4th quarter even if it felt there was no way the Steelers were ever going to score a touchdown. Again this was a one point game going into the 4th quarter which 12 hours later still seems crazy to believe. The biggest ‘What If’ of the game will be the DK Metcalf early drop. Any early momentum the Steelers had vanished and never came back. It was such a golden opportunity of missed moments for Pittsburgh on a night you could see the talent disparity.

And the second half was an absolute bloodbath where the Texans defense looked like they feasting on a scout team. Pittsburgh’s first round right tackle looked like he was just picked up this week off a D-3 collegiate team.

“We didn’t capitalize off of turnovers in the first half. We were plus-two and still down by a point at the half. And that’s just not a good sign,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of the loss…….We didn’t do enough in possession-down ball to get things going,” Tomlin said. Any sort of rhythm or real points and so forth. And I thought that thet did a real good job on third down, and we didn’t off enough on defense. Particularly as the game wore on, it became an attrition component of it. It’s disappointing.”

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What’s Next for the Steelers

Everything on a Direction Starts with Mike Tomlin

Do the Steelers talk themselves into running it back and put themselves in contention for a 10-7, 11-6 season, which as far away they seem from a Super Bowl, some tweaks here and there they will likely be competitive again or does everyone reach the point where it’s time to move?…………

Mike Tomlin biggest downfall of the past seven to eight years is a failure and lack of interest in putting an elite coaching staff under him. If he becomes locked in to getting out of this 10-7 purgatory, Tomlin has to wake up to reality now. He is the perfect CEO type. Players love him, he can recruit free agents, he’s a great motivator. That has value with today’s type of player. Plain and is simple Tomlin’s viewed as a star in NFL circles and is a great ambassador for the organization. But, what has to finally happen is hire a Raheem Morris and Mike McDonald type and let them cook. Tomlin needs to look and see what Mike Vrabel is doing in putting a staff together and take notes. Take a step back and be the head coach. Bring in elite level coordinators and let your assistants do their jobs. That’s the best case scenario for Tomlin long-term in Pittsburgh. Adapt and quit trying to meddle into everything.

“When you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change,” Aaron Rodgers said of Tomlin.

At the end of the day should Mike Tomlin be running out of town at his disposal as some will argue it’s the perfect time for both sides:

This is an aging roster; T.J. Watt’s best days are behind him; Cam Heyward is pushing 40 years old; Jalen Ramsey is no longer prime Jalen Ramsey; The Texans defense is what the Steelers think they are on paper and they’re not even close. If you are truly running it back, this group needs an elite level coordinator come in and try to elevate them and on both sides of the ball. For Tomlin he has the perfect opportunity in the next 24-48 hours to go chase another opportunity.

If Tomlin wants to stick around, they’re going to run it back with tweaks, ect.

If Tomlin shocks the organization and walks away or even more shocking is nudged out, then essentially the organization would be set up to go with a young and be prepared for some lean years as veterans are going to push their way out.

Run it back or a reset with a young staff and sell off veterans is what looms for the organization, and it all comes down to what Mike Tomlin with one year left on his contract + a team option (2027) wants to do.

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Pittsburgh Receives: F Yegor Chinakhov

Columbus Receives: F Danton Heinen, 2026 2nd Rd Pick (STL), 2027 3rd Rd Pick (WAS)

In a Kyle Dubas type trade in targeting younger falling out of favor players, the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday afternoon acquired forward Yegor Chinakhov, the 21st overall pick in the 2020 draft, in exchange for veteran forward Danton Heinen, a 2026 2nd round pick (STL) and a 2027 3rd round pick (WAS).

Dubas during his tenure as Penguins GM, Dubas has not made fans with the likes of Sidney Crosby’s inner circle and others who with the Penguins being competitive, want to see second and third rounders moved for more established proven help and this trade of taking a flier on Chinakhov won’t change that one bit. However, what is different in this type of trade was kind of the opposite from Dubas where he paid a pretty high acquisition cost for a dicey player in a bad situation, whereas Dubas almost takes other GM’s to the cleaners on a value trade chart.

The view around the league is Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell did extremely well for a first round bust that didn’t get along with the head coach and who turns 25 in February. The 2026 2nd-rounder in a deep draft that could be a top-40 pick is seen as having great value for the Blue Jackets in trying to upgrade the roster over the coming months. As many picks as the Penguins have, there are certainly questions among rival executives who wonder if Chinakhov was the right play for Pittsburgh in moving a pick that early. Skepticism of the Chinakhov addition for Pittsburgh is a view from some evaluators that this is a player who needs a clear top-6 role and to be told how good he is every day to prop him up. Chinakhov is quickly being viewed from those outside the Penguins organization as once again being a player without a role. However, the Penguins brass does not look at him like a Philip Tomasino who has to be play in the top-6 to be successful. Pittsburgh believes Chinakhov could awaken in a third line scoring role and is just a much better player around the edges with his size and defensive acumen. Was this a classic Kyle Dubas acquisition of hoping Chinakhov meets internal expectations in the short and long-term to cash in on trading an expiring contract like Anthony Mantha who is drawing significant interest around the league? That’s obviously a play few wouldn’t be surprised to see six to eight weeks from now.

Trade Talks were once much bigger…………Pittsburgh and Columbus began talking about Chinakhov in the summer when a much sizeable trade was discussed that would have sent To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

However, if there’s one player who’s spot in the lineup might be murky moving forward in the lineup as a regular with the Chinakhov acquisition and Evgeni Malkin close to returning, it’s certainly Koivunen.

Penguins coaches feel the team is a much different club in matchups when they can deploy a line of Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari and that was on display again Tuesday night. Sidney Crosby loves playing with Rust and Rickard Rakell and that’s going to continue to be the top unit

Justin Brazeau and Anthony Mantha have been a great match together and it’s going to take a trade of one of them to break that up.

If the team gets healthy/stays healthy and remain in playoff race, probably looking at:

Rakell-Crosby-Rust

Mantha-Malkin-Brazeau

Novak-Kindel-Chinakhov

Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari

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Receives: G Tristan Jarry, F Sam Poulin

[hide] PIT Receives: G Stuart Skinner, D Brett Kulak, 2029 2nd Rd Pick [/hide]

Trade Buzz: The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded goaltender Tristan Jarry and forward Sam Poulin to the Edmonton Oilers in-exchange for goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak and a 2029 2nd-round pick. The Jarry era in Pittsburgh officially ends just as he had re-emerged as Pittsburgh’s #1 and was developing strong support inside the Penguins room through a surprise start to the season. Despite all that, at the end of the day Kyle Dubas was never going to shy away from trying to move Jarry in a legitimate hockey deal even if the move was going to be unpopular in the room. No salary was retained in the deal another staple of how Dubas has operated.

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Defenseman Brett Kulak | Age 31: Cap Hit: $2.75 MM | UFA 2026

Kulak, 31, a pending free agent has 2 assists and a minus-17 rating on the season. Pittsburgh adds another left D option to go with the likes of Parker Wotherspoon, Ryan Shea, Ryan Graves and Caleb Jones so something will have to give there and remains to be seen how all that shakes. The Penguins biggest need might be the Right D spot as Pittsburgh desperately needs to begin limiting Kris Letang’s role and transition him into a clear third pairing role.

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Goaltender Stuart Skinner | Age 27 | Cap Hit: $2.60 MM | UFA: 2026

Edmonton tried to do this deal with keeping Skinner and going with a Jarry/Skinner tandem but could not find a third team to make the money work. Skinner, 27, is 11-8-4 with a 2.83 GAA and .891 SV%. A save percentage under .900 has become a trend over the last two seasons, posting an .896 SV% last regular season, followed by a 7-7 record with a 3.00 GAA and .889 SV% in the Oilers run to the Cup Final. This is a netminder [hide] who has won a lot of hockey games on a high-flying Oilers team but how things go here is likely going to be different in the wins-loss column. What Pittsburgh decides to do here will be interesting. Does the Jarry trade open up a bigger run for Arturs Silovs to be the true #1 and see what you really have; 2. Does nothing change and it’s a basically a 50-50 competition between Silovs/Skinner for now? 3. Do they decide in the coming weeks to bump up the Sergei Murashov timetable and hand him the keys? [/hide]

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The power of Sidney Crosby and Pat Brisson? Would Kyle Dubas truly go against everything he claims of not trying to shortcut the future and try to land of the NHL’s best superstars for a likely one-year run of Quinn Hughes? Serious, serious doubts have emerged inside the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! but if Dubas wants to pursue the blockbuster move, the Canucks are willing to have discussions is a message Vancouver official have sent to the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

A primary focus from the Canucks who have engaged multiple Eastern Conference teams is acquiring a prominent long-term young center and a mix of immediate help combined with significant future assets. The ask is around five to six assets for potentially a year, and half run for Hughes who continues to be strongly linked to signing in New Jersey (2027) and joining his brothers. Despite the New Jersey connection, a number of teams outside of NJD are still willing to take the risk and pay a bounty for Hughes. A few of them include Metro division teams, such as the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers, hence, bring Hughes in, try to sell him on being the face of the franchise or eventually flip him again next trade deadline.

For Pittsburgh To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Edmonton Oilers continue to circle around goaltender Tristan Jarry who has re-emerged as Pittsburgh clear #1. Jarry 9-2-1 with a 2.54 GAA and .913 SV%, is having a renaissance season and has significant support inside the Penguins room among veterans and coaches. However, ahead of the Christmas Trade Freeze, discussions are said to have heated up between the Penguins and Oilers as To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

The Oilers in particular have shown a willingness to give up future assets for Jarry combined with a near salary for salary exchange which has complicated matters and has had Edmonton circling the involvement of a third team. Pittsburgh suddenly looks at Jarry as a trade asset and are not keen on retaining salary. Forward prospect To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! out of the KHL is among the top names of interest that have been discussed in a Jarry deal. However, trade talks between the Penguins and Oilers haven’t just been centered around Jarry. Buzz around the league is the Oilers To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

1. Karlsson right now is 100% lock-in on Pittsburgh, sources in his camp continue to indicate. He’s been unleashed under the new coaching staff and his close evolving relationship with Sidney Crosby has him more interested in extending To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
2. Nurse is believed to be a non-starter for Penguins management due to the ownership situation whether included in a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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One intriguing development emerging with the Penguins:

Dan Muse is much more about wins and losses than this being a development season. And I mean this is a coach who is intense where he takes losses hard. One misinterpretation about Muse when hired is he would be all about youth and development. What got overlooked was once you’re behind an NHL bench, you become wired to everything being about wins. This a coach who has seen a lot of winning as an NHL assistant, most notably the 2023-2024 President Trophy winning Rangers and Instead the message has been let the AHL coaches develop.

Things are trending where if the Penguins remain in the playoff hunt and in an Eastern conference this coaching staff believes Pittsburgh can one of the best eight teams, get ready to continue to see more heavy veteran lineups.

Players such as Kevin Hayes, Noel Acciari (when healthy) who were viewed prior to the season as prime candidates to be pushed out for young players, are seen as being very valuable for a playoff push. Hayes in particular is also very popular in the room and a favorite of Sidney Crosby. Members of the coaching staff are said to believe several of the young players who are close, such as Tristan Broz need more time in the minors.

As shocking as it seems, (if the Penguins stay in the hunt) at least for this season we could be heading towards a similar Dubas/Sullivan dynamic where the views on the roster don’t align as the season progresses. Muse is all about trying to get to the postseason and feels the veterans who have elevated their play thus far deserve that type of mindset from the bench boss. Does the GM take things into his own hands and jump on a second-round pick for expiring veterans like a Blake Lizotte, we will see, but once this roster gets healthy this month and the likes of Acciari, Justin Brazeau, and Rickard Rakell are getting close, young players are going to be pushed out.

In particular, as much as a jolt the kids line showed vs the Flyers, Ville Koivunen’s roster spot To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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— One prominent agent on the Penguins: “They have all these picks and still no one special in their system to accelerate the future”……”There’s going to be some really bad years coming and i mean really bad,” the agent indicating it’s not surprising to see even a rookie head coach no one thought would get the job watching how strong Sidney Crosby is going this season and the way he works every day and being all-in on trying to get this team to the playoffs even if the GM is all about being forward minded.

— Ryan Graves has reintroduced himself back into the left third pairing D-role for now. Caleb Jones due to his ability to retrieve pucks is strongly valued To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— The Penguins have planned to be very patient with Sergei Murashov this season. It was going to have taken a Matt Murray type situation where he just took off and ran off victories for him to stay in the NHL once Jarry got healthy. Pittsburgh has mapped out a clear development plan this season for Murashov and they plan to stick with it.

— Pittsburgh has aggressively listened to trade inquiries into To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Much of November showed how much the team misses Rickard Rakell’s ability to create individual offense. You want to talk about a player who’s value has grown internally it’s Rakell. I’m told the staff views him as Pittsburgh’s second best valuable player To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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5 - 4

SO

Almost ten games into the season the 2025-2026 Pittsburgh Penguins (6-2-1, 13 pts) are not boring, we can say that about them. A roaring comeback with under six minutes left to play saw Pittsburgh salvage a point in a game they certainly didn’t deserve.

Somehow, someway this roster continues to prove to be a tough out over sixty minutes and that’s been a major difference from last year where first cause of trouble they imploded. As bad as the Penguins were outplayed, they picked on some bad goaltending from Elvis Merzlikins who needed some puck luck from having five or six goals get past him.

The Penguins, though, getting overwhelmed like they did in the second and third periods against Florida and a carryover Saturday night against a Blue Jackets team on a back-to-back, is what many expected to see on a more nightly basis and reality is we’re probably going to continue seeing it. How the Penguins weather those storms and they’ve done so admirably well thus far, will dictate whether they can sustain banking points as the season progresses.

What Went Wrong?

Pittsburgh was absolutely slaughtered 5 vs 5 and this was a night the #’s matched the eye test.

Pittsburgh @ 5 vs 5 play was outscored 4-2, combined with being outshot 37-to-16. Scoring chances were 33-15 Columbus and the Penguins were minus-8 in high danger chances.

No one is going to regard the Columbus Blue Jackets as a contender, heck, they are going to be a fringe level playoff caliber team at best in this division. But what was so striking is just the talent gap of players entering their prime compared Pittsburgh’s roster where the old dogs are still head and shoulders Pittsburgh’s best players on the ice.

Headlined by the likes of Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kent Johnson, the ability of their 25-and-younger core to create 1-on-1 offense is just something the Penguins don’t have with their roster and sooner or later it’s likely going to rear its ugly head long-term this season.

Everyone understands the Penguins plan with Ben Kindel who was a healthy scratch and giving him nights off. This was a night, though, the Penguins really missed Kindel just from a higher end skilled player in the bottom-6 being able to create an ounce of individual offense. And they really missed him which says something about the roster as a whole.

Hello, Ville Koivunen, who has been lights out in Wilkes Barre and heading back to Pittsburgh for Monday’s game vs St. Louis.

——Rickard Rakell exited the game early in the third. Rakell took a really hard hit down in the right corner near the end of the second period and there was concern last night in the organization. Rakell being out for even a few weeks would be a devastating blow to the Penguins with the team in the midst of a pretty tough schedule the next month……. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Defenseman Connor Clifton looks everything of being unplayable. Matt Dumba can still play a little and bring physicality and speed to the blueline in retrieving pucks. No issue getting him in here and there, but Clifton is another story……….. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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F

Is this a mirage?

Are the Penguins actually an interesting team to take serious as a fringe playoff level team?

In the midst of a four game winning streak, the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2-0 at the eight-game mark are off to their best start in seven seasons.

The hot start to the season has been much more than a lucky start behind good to great goaltending. If Pittsburgh was grinding out 3-2 wins, blocking a million shots a game and say be the John Tortorella 23/24 Philadelphia Flyers and playing low-event hockey, it would be much easier to say this is nothing to at least be intrigued about.

But, Let’s call it what it is, this has been a really impressive start for a club outsiders have pegged to be in prime lottery draft position for Gavin McKenna come spring of 2026.

It feels like it’s been years where the Penguins have felt this in-sync, where you have the top-2 lines creating offense like this but also have others under them filling complementary roles exceptionally well. The 2025-2026 Pittsburgh Penguins shockingly feel like an actual good hockey club and it’s coming back to swings in games.

Where this group has excelled truly in seven of eight games is when they’re getting outplayed, they are finding ways to weather the storm with a response. Last night it was a tic-tac-toe power play goal and Tristan Jarry again closing the door in the waning moments, an area late in games that had previously been close to derailing his NHL career.

Tuesday night vs Vancouver, Pittsburgh showed a classic case of what’s been different with this year’s group. Last couple seasons way that first period started, Pittsburgh ends up getting blown out of the building. Instead, you had consecutive shifts from the 4th line of Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari grind down the Canucks down low on and completely flip momentum. Not many complaints about the likes of Lizotte, Acciari right now…….

In Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Panthers, Pittsburgh got obliterated in shot attempts (FLA 62- PIT 37) and were minus-10 in scoring chances. Yet Pittsburgh was only minus-4 in high danger chances and outscored the Panthers 3-to-1 at even strength. Why to be intrigued is the Penguins have tied up some loose ends structured wise and have combined it with not taking away from pushing the play. And there has been much improvement in creating offense off the rush.

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Members of the organization have applauded how well Dan Muse in the early going has coached each individual differently. If a new coach wanted to come in and push the core really hard, the last time to do that was probably bringing in a new coach say 2022 or 2023. Muse has treated the best players like stars, even likes of Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, but he’s toed-the-line very well of them embracing being coached, hence, he made a good impression from the start. Everyone to this point seems to be buying in and it’s been a really smooth transition. Concerns of Muse trying to come in and just swamp the group with Ipad/video session after video session and make this like a junior team has not played out.

What’s Next for Penguins? No one and I mean no one around the league is buying stock into the Penguins 4-2 start but on the ice the Penguins can be applauded for shoring up some system issues in defending away from the puck that crushed them the last couple seasons, while still pushing offense in creating chances inside 35 ft.

Trying to win games like the season opener just isn’t possible with the personnel they have defensively. They’ve found a nice mix so far.

The Penguins possession #’s are at 47% in shot attempts percentage. However, Pittsburgh is excelling at creating high danger chances and enter tonight’s game vs Vancouver 5th in the NHL with a 57 HDCF%.

Washington (66 HDCF%), Carolina (63 HDCF%), New York Rangers (61 HDCF%) and Colorado Avalanche (60 HDCF%). Three of those four teams are legitimate Stanley Cup Contenders

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A huge part of the Penguins coming out of the West Coast Trip winning two of three was their Top-2 line players cooking. One Penguins source joked the draft pick assassin Kyle Dubas is salivating at the draft picks he’s going to get for the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha at the deadline if this keeps up.

Malkin with a team-leading 9 points, is among the older guard who is just playing freely with a nothing to lose attitude.

Teams around the league believe Malkin can still give a contender a jolt in short spurts if you put a goal scorer on his line and someone willing to do the dirty work. If he can maintain a 60-point level of play this season, it’s not crazy a top contender who doesn’t care about picks is willing to include a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! The Olympic break where Russia’s not participating can further increase his value at his age in being fresh in the stretch run, NHL execs contend.

The Florida Panthers – Malkin rumors are going to be around all year. His wife still lives in the area during the Winter, there’s going to be an obvious connection where To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Others are also worth watching in To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Nostalgia Chatter: If the Penguins continue to overachieve over the next couple months one storyline to watch will be Kris Letang. Even the biggest Letang supporters in that building wonder how things are going to play out where team sources say the coaching staff feels he is trending towards being To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Trade Buzz: Philip Tomasino has, as expected, been the tweener in the lineup where he’s coming in and out through six games. With Rutger McGroarty just a few weeks out, Filip Hallander starting to establish himself a bit and a belief Kevin Hayes will get a short run in the lineup when ready to return, the clock is ticking on Tomasino where we’re seeing a second coaching staff not being as high on Tomasino as the front office is. A true wildcard on the roster continues to be how long of a run Tommy Novak gets. There’s no question the front office was high on him at the time of the trade, and he’s only had under 10 games in a Penguins uniform but there’s yet to be another level for Novak. Even if the Penguins stay competitive for a while, the likes To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! Where things get interesting is trade interest in Novak around the league where Minnesota To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Penguins surprising strong play to start the season came to a screeching halt Saturday night in a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers in Mike Sullivan’s return to PPG Paints Arena. It was type of night many have been expecting to see this season where this group is going to have nights like this in getting ran out of the building. A sidebar to the lopsided loss was the Penguins looked really good in the first period.

The Penguins out-attempted the Rangers by 11 in the first twenty minutes and were +6 in scoring chances. Minus the shorthanded goal against, it was a carry over from the first two games where the Penguins were pushing the play and were strong on the puck. Then in period two Ben Kindel scores his first career NHL goal that was a beauty 3:04 into the period. Shortly, though, the game just completely reversed.

Arturs Silovs could not make a save all night and Silovs bleeding goals did the Penguins in as New York completely flipped the ice in the final two periods — outscoring Pittsburgh 5 to 1, +16 in shots, +15 in scoring chances and + 9 in high danger chances.

Pittsburgh managed just one shot at even strength in the second period and only registered 14 shots through the first 50 minutes of the game. The Rangers were the team on this night that suffocated the Penguins defensively and everything tailored back to the Rangers forechecking game. They gave the Penguins fits in a number of areas and every coach scouting the Penguins is going to believe they can exploit Pittsburgh’s D on the forecheck. It’s just reality of the how this group is built combined with the lack of talent among the group. Among other issues Pittsburgh’s rush defense was very porous and issues really catapulted for the Penguins trying to exit the zone. New York wore Pittsburgh’s group down in the tough areas, while offensively the Penguins had a ton of one and done in trying to establish offensive time.

Rangers’ Defensive and Offensive Pressure: The Rangers exploited Pittsburgh’s defensive weaknesses, outshooting and out-chancing the Penguins significantly in the last two periods, due to effective forechecking and possession control.

Coaching and Player Performance Analysis: Coach Dan Muse downplays panic despite the loss, noting it’s early in the season, while players like Crosby and the fourth line are analyzed for their contributions and areas needing improvement.

Roster and Development Insights: Ville Koivunen was sent back to the minors amidst concerns about his NHL scoring ability, indicating strategic adjustments and focus on player development.

— “I don’t think this is anything to be panicking on,” Penguins head coach Dan Muse said of the loss. “We’re in Game 3.” With expectations so low for the Penguins, though, it’s not crazy to wonder if this was an actual reality check of more to come and whether the honeymoon, new coach adrenaline rush came to a thrashing half after seven periods? The west coast trip will be a good precursor. As great as the Penguins defensive clinic was Tuesday night, this is now six straight periods where the Penguins have looked like their normal selves in defending the neutral zone and own end.

— If you’re married to Anthony Mantha and Justin Brazeau as Evgeni Malkin’s wingers and they were great in the first two games , I think some night’s there’s going to have to be a swap of one of them to infuse some more speed, 1-on-1 creativity. New York did a great job of bottling that line up on zone entries and the surprise of the night was how even with Bryan Rust’s return, Sidney Crosby was having to defend all night.

Crosby had a team-worst 26% Scoring Chance For%, on the ice for just 4 scoring chances and 11 against. It’s been a bit of a slow start 5 vs 5 for Crosby in being a threat through three games.

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— Pittsburgh’s most consistent line through three games has been Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari. Lizotte especially has been a cannon ball on the ice. He’s going to be popular with teams looking to add a 4th line depth player later in the season

— Thought Tommy Novak was one of the few bright spots among the forward group. He had some good moments in driving play, patient with the puck to set up offense down the wing but can the coaching staff get him to shoot the puck?

— Ville Koivunen was sent back to the minors Saturday with Bryan Rust coming off IR. There’s been something off here even before camp where privately pushback started that Koivunen was not a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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A 2-0 start…… Evgeni Malkin with five points in two games….. solid to very good goaltending…… forward depth shining and on top of that, Mario Lemieux making a rare appearance since the FSG feud and Lemieux also making it down to the locker room afterwards to a joyous Penguins group.

Like what is going on here?

The doom and gloom Penguins, picked to finish as bad as 30th overall in some circles, improved to 2-0-0 on the season with a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday Night. Thursday’s win and style of game was the complete opposite to the slow pace, slog it out defensive clinic season opener vs the Rangers.

The Penguins had a lack of cracks defensively in this one. Neutral zone play away from the puck and spacing was nowhere near what we saw in the opener where Pittsburgh bottled up the Rangers and made New York look old and slow. A big focus with the Penguins new staff is recovering ability on breakdowns. The Islanders pushed the pace and were able to get the Penguins defensively out of position. While Tristan Jarry wasn’t perfect, this was a big night for him in getting by-passed for the season opener. Jarry came up big late and stopped all 12 shots he faced in the third, including a flurry of saves late. When Maxim Shabanov tied the game at 3-3 late in the second, if felt like a classic Jarry game where even though he was playing well, this was going to be a game he finds a way to lose 5-4.

“I thought he played great,” head coach Dan Muse said of Jarry “You look at the end of the game, that’s a tight game. You look at the saves he made during the third period…….There’s some massive moments there in the third period that he came up with big saves and helped make sure that this team secured those two points.”

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Key Storylines

— We’re only through a couple weeks of training camp and two regular season games but Dan Muse might deserve a coach of the year vote right now in having the brains to know how to use Erik Karlsson properly compared to Mike Sullivan’s staff that even brought on David Quinn to fix Karlsson and still wanted to put the shackles on Karlsson. Muse has tapped into something even mentally some feel with Karlsson……..

— Filip Hallander might have been on the ice for two goals against 5 vs 5, but absolutely loved his game. Created puck pressure on Harrison Brunicke’s 1st career NHL goal and he played hard and fast, possessing strong forechecking sense in how he attacked puck carrier on their backhands. The strong night saw Hallander bumped up to Sidney Crosby’s line as the game progressed. One Penguins source said Hallander’s style reminds members of the organization of To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Bryan Rust has a really good shot to play to Saturday Night vs the Rangers, though, Dan Muse is said to be type that is very cautious with injuries early on. Who comes out if Rust is a go? You’re likely looking at Ville Koivunen or Tommy Novak.

— As great as a story it’s been, the Penguins brass remains strongly lean on rookie To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Though it doesn’t sound like the player was crazy thrilled about the idea, Rickard Rakell eventually getting a run as the third line center remains strongly in play once the roster gets fully healthy. Muse who saw something in Justin Brazeau playing a top-6 role, believes Rakell can carry a secondary line from the middle ice position. In fact, during internal discussions this summer, Muse is said to have viewed Rakell as potentially centering the clear second line. But, at the end of the day do you want to mess with a veteran winger who is a 35 goal scorer?

— One mystery with the lineup has been Connor Clifton working all camp as the DeFacto #5 defenseman on the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Takeaways from the Penguins 3-0 win over the Rangers:

Defensive Clinic, Competitiveness against a lethargic Rangers team was the story of the game.

— Pittsburgh got a dominant game from the second line of Anthony Mantha – Evgeni Malkin – Justin Brazeau. No line from either team was close to controlling play the Malkin line did. Anthony Mantha might have been the best player on the ice. His explosiveness for a player his size has been really good since camp and coming back from ACL surgery. Justin Brazeau has been a questionable fit for obvious reasons; his career has never been one of a top-6 player by any means but what a debut for him. 2 Goals on the night, played big in the tough areas, while Evgeni Malkin was skating really well. Don’t discount the time and space he had. “It’s size but both of those guys can make plays,” Dan Muse said of Mantha/Brazeau.

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— What the Penguins did so well was neutralize the Rangers best players. Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, JT Miller, Alexis Lafreniere all under 40% in driving possession. The top pair of Fox and Vladislav Garikov were playing in their own end all night. Major win for the Penguins on how that game went.

— Analytic charts will have Ben Kindel near the bottom of the Penguins forward group, but he was one of Pittsburgh’s five or six best forwards on the night. Has talent you can’t teach with the puck on his stick and what’s led to this opportunity for him is how well he gets to open spots. That’s a Jake Guentzel type trait for a smaller player. Among the group of Kindel, Harrison Brunicke, and youngster Ville Koivunen who has some NHL games under his belt, Kindel was the better of the three by a wide margin. Koivunen struggled for much of the game but almost got one past Igor Shesterkin in tight that would have iced the game with how poor the Rangers were playing. The good thing with Koivunen is let’s say he struggles to the first couple weeks, his development is not top-6 or bust. He can still develop and help you in a third line winger role once Bryan Rust returns and the second line is still hemming.

— Friday’s performance by Tristan Jarry held significant weight on the coaching staff starting Arturs Silovs who will surely now also start the home opener or get two of the three starts this week. Key veterans in Penguins room all expected Jarry to start until whispers To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Praise continues in the organization of how good To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Pittsburgh on Friday dressed a roster of:

Line 1: Ville Koivunen-Sidney Crosby-Rickard Rakell | Line 2: Anthony Mantha-Evgeni Malkin-Justin Brazeau | Line 3: Tommy Novak-Ben Kindel-Philip Tomasino | Line 4: Connor Dewar-Noel Acciari-Filip Hallander

Scratches: Blake Lizotte, Avery Hayes

With where both are in their development, Pittsburgh is more comfortable with Hallander floating as that 12th-14th forward than they would be Avery Hayes. Indications are not to read a ton into Blake Lizotte being scratched.

With the Bryan Rust injury, the prominent decision is coming down to whether to give Ben Kindel a nine-game run and there’s arguments for and against. Just the experience of being around Sidney Crosby for a couple more weeks could lean this in one particular direction. If you’re going to keep Kindel, To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Best player throughout Camp: Erik Karlsson and that’s not a misprint

— Philip Tomasino with a strong finish to the week bought himself sometime but he is among the bubble players who won’t have a long leash in the lineup. Bryan Rust, Rutger McGroarty are not that far away from returning in the coming weeks.

— One of the biggest head scratchers with this new coaching staff is a couple things and this is coming from evalutors on the outside; The belief Justin Brazeau can play a top-6 role even in a short-term role has led to classic talk of thinking you’re smarter than others and Pittsburgh’s staff thinking Caleb Jones can play a No. 2 pairing role, let alone being a regular in the lineup is mindboggling to some. Expectations around the league hasn’t changed that Pittsburgh’s defensive group is going to get trounced more often than not.

— Pittsburgh internally has planned to start Tristan Jarry in the season opener Tuesday night. Did Friday night’s performance and a so-so camp overall in practice sessions To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Is Owen Pickering going to be that typical ‘previous regime first-round pick’ who gets undervalued by the new regime? There seems to be a little too much nitpicking with the Penguins wanting Pickering to improve his reads that they feel is To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— The coaching staff is heavily involved in the final decision on To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be shorthanded to start the season as Bryan Rust will be sidelined a “minimum” two weeks with a lower body injury, according to the Penguins PR Department. Rust exited Wednesday’s practice early and his injury opens the door for a likely top line of [hide] Ville Koivunen-Sidney Crosby-Rickard Rakell. Rust the subject of trade rumors all summer due to his NTC expiring on July 1, set career-highs with 31 goals and 65 points in 71 games last season. If the Rust injury ends up being on the two-week side, he would miss anywhere from four to six games. Pittsburgh is @NYR (Oct 7th), vs NYI (Oct 9th), vs NYR (Oct 11th) for the first week of the season that is followed by a three-game west coast trip @ Anaheim (Oct 14th), @ Los Angeles (Oct 16th) @ San Jose (Oct 18th). [/hide]

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Preseason Game #6: @

FORWARDS

11 – Filip Hallander

12 – Robby Fabbri

15 – Joona Koppanen

22 – Sam Poulin

26 – Tristan Broz

41 – Ville Koivunen

43 – Danton Heinen

46 – Blake Lizotte

49 – Rafael Harvey-Pinard

53 – Philip Tomasino

55 – Noel Acciari

81 – Ben Kindel

85 – Avery Hayes

Buzz: Among the final forward roster spots, you’d rather be a Connor Dewar right now than someone like a Philip Tomasino. The rumblings since the summer that Dewar has been viewed highly by the staff in type of 4th line style of winger they want on the ice, Dewar over the last couple days [hide] has been left off the B-Team roster for the road preseason games and skating with the top group in practice sessions. It speaks volumes that he’s making the team…………Noel Acciari cleared to play adds another wrinkle to the opening night roster decisions. Barring a trade as the two sides for months have worked on one, expectations on Acciari have been he’s going to be on the active roster if he’s ready to go……….Spotlight: Another golden opportunity for Avery Hayes and Ben Kindel as Kindel appears in his fifth preseason. As good as he’s looked, Outside of Pittsburgh evaluators think the Penguins would be nuts to put him on the opening night roster but he’s given the media a nice storyline to watch………Under Pressure: Robby Fabbri has support in the organization but To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

DEFENSE

3 – Jack St. Ivany

5 – Ryan Shea

24 – Matt Dumba

27 – Ryan Graves

38 – Owen Pickering

45 – Harrison Brunicke

52 – Philip Kemp

Buzz: This is not to say Matt Dumba’s not making the team but you’d rather be Connor Clifton than him right now. And what has played out in camp has matched the smoke around Clifton having the edge as new head coach Dan Muse played a big part in June in the acquisition of Clifton……….Pairs: Owen Pickering-Harrison Brunike will get another game together…….Duds: Ryan Graves keeps getting thrown into this B-level games continues to say a lot where he stands……..

GOALIES

31 – Filip Larsson

37 – Arturs Silovs

Buzz: Pittsburgh is pretty locked into starting the season with a tandem of Jarry-Silovs. What is up in the air is how the rotation goes over the first couple weeks of the season.

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“One More Year……..One More Year……..One More Year”

For a preseason game the Marc Andre Fleury scene was something special on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins organization as a whole hit a home run here and from a business standpoint, look at the revenue brought in for a meaningless game. Truly surreal night.

One Penguins source joked if the team could have have locked Fleury into a room last night until he put pen on paper for a one year, $5 million contract, they would have done it. The thought of Fleury being a box office draw combined with his ability to still play and be around young goaltenders was a brief thought from GM Kyle Dubas back at the World Championships. Dubas absolutely loves Fleury and brought the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Post Penguins – Blue Jackets Observations

— Each practice session, each preseason game, Harrison Brunicke keeps looking like not only one of the Penguins best defensemen, but clearly NHL ready. An exciting bold move for the team is starting Owen Pickering – Harrison Brunicke together on the NHL roster and see where things go for Brunicke.

— Aside from Brunicke, if you’re going to say this is a camp based on competition, things are reaching point where it’s going to be a bad look not to put Tristan Broz not on the opening night. This is not an 18, 19 year old kid. He is showing sign after sign he is ready for an NHL role. Broz has such good smarts, two-way instincts his development is not going to be hurt if he’s not producing much offense.

— Erik Karlsson has looked phenomenal in training camp and that continued in his first preseason action. A great sign thus far…….

— Evgeni Malkin showed some glimpses last night in a bad way why he is going to drive this detailed orientated new coaching staff nuts some nights……..

— Rickard Rakell center experiment is believed To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— Buzz in the organization is first round pick Ben Kindel has performed above expectations. The biggest question To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Russia, Pittsburgh or Elsewhere for Evgeni Malkin in 2025/2026?

The larger burning question is whether Malkin will still be in a Penguins uniform on March 7th, 2026…….

Evgeni Malkin is intrigued about playing one more season and lining up with Sidney Crosby’s contract. The idea was brought to the table by agent To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

The importance of the Olympics timetable?

The trade deadline is a few weeks after…….

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

The newsworthy quote from Malkin is the fact that the opportunity to chase a playoff run one last time could be elsewhere where even at his age, there is intrigue around from teams around the league that if healthy Malkin will be an attractive trade deadline target from multiple clubs.

“It’s hard you know,” Malkin said. “But, again we see a story like with Brad Marchand, Looking Good you know? But, again if the team trades you and you dont win the Cup, it’s like a little bit weird too, you know.”

When former General Manager Jim Rutherford explored blowing the core up in spring of 2019, Malkin was willing to consider waiving to only the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers.

But, the team to watch all season surrounding Malkin if the Penguins season goes like so many rival General Managers think it will, is the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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‘Intense’-‘Hard’-‘Energy’-‘Loud’

That was the theme of Dan Muse’s first training camp practice as an NHL head coach.

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Day 1 was all about battles and it was a glimpse of the compete level the Penguins want to play under the staff in being tougher in the hard areas of the rink. And they may have the personnel to do it in some areas — as at least upfront; — this is a forward group built to play a heavier style of game than previous rosters. There was a sense Thursday of ‘Future Hall-of-Famer’ or not, everyone is going to be all out. This training camp is not going to have a country club feel, that’s for sure. One team source To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Can the Penguins practice like this all the time? Absolutely not and it will eventually wear off on star level players, but it was clear that Muse is trying infused a new foundation for how the group is going to practice and develop habits on and off the ice. Detailed oriented and working your tail off is going to be a staple for the staff.

So far Muse is making good first impressions. Players have marveled about Muse’s work ethic, in the building at 6 am and not leaving till 9-10 pm, he has an NFL coach mentality where you’re in the building 14-16 hours a day.

“I love competition, i think everybody loves competition. It just drives things,” Muse said. I’ve always found it to be awesome seeing it at this level, it doesn’t matter what’s on the line.”

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Observations

–Biggest buzz about a specific player from those in the organization from Day 1 was To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

–The Penguins internally have discussed a second line of Tommy Novak-Evgeni Malkin-Anthony Mantha. If that played out, To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

— First Day Glimpse into Top NHL Pairing next season? Owen Pickering – Harrison Brunicke To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Penguins’ top hierarchy has been aware for several months of Pat Brisson’s frustration, really dating back to spring of 2024, with the Penguins direction and strong lean rebuilding plan. What really caught them off guard, though, was Brisson going public the way he did. They did not expect that and what has shaken the organization a bit has been Sidney Crosby’s comments in kind of playing the speculation up during his media tour. It wasn’t just Crosby saying “a team like that wants you, it’s not the end of the world,” when asked about the Montreal Canadiens. What hit home with team officials was the tone of Crosby essentially saying losing 6-1 games to now 3-1 doesn’t mean you’re more competitive and the tone that the frustration of losing and missing the playoffs is starting to hit home.

The Crosby camp has put the organization on notice, particularly Kyle Dubas. This is a power move directed squarely at Dubas, multiple sources say, and in the short-term it’s worked in essentially halting To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! NHL executives also believe this was Brisson sending a message to potential teams, this is no longer a fantasy and if things don’t improve in Pittsburgh, this could become a reality after the Olympics.

As one NHL executive said to me, being the General Manager and having Sidney Crosby leave on your watch, is going to be a stain on Kyle Dubas’s resume for the rest of his career. Then you got the pending new ownership group and how it has suddenly become an uneasy situation fueled by Brisson and a little bit by Crosby this week.

Crosby last summer accepted 2024-2025 essentially being a punt a year and it saw him ink a two-year extension despite great frustrations from To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

This offseason has been a domino effect. Dubas knew pushing Mike Sullivan out wasn’t going to sit well and going the route he did in hiring Dan Muse in sending a clear rebuild signal wasn’t going to win over the Crosby camp. They were hopeful of a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! indications are he was a favorite of Crosby’s close inner circle. Then you had the internal push from Dubas and his cohorts to try to trade Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell but it didn’t end there. Crosby will never act like a LeBron James type and influence personnel moves, but like he should, he puts his opinion out there from time to time. Jack To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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How loyal will Sidney Crosby remain to a rebuilding play by General Manager Kyle Dubas that Crosby’s inner circle from super-agent Pat Brisson on down have believed is the wrong approach and wasting valuable years of one of the NHL’s Greatest Players Ever?

There is a significant amount of frustration brewing inside the Crosby camp at the exiting Fenway Sports Group ownership hierarchy and also Dubas in the pair showing no interest in upgrading the roster for two and a half years now.

“It’s a possibility, you know,” Brisson told [hide] Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic of a Crosby trade. “It’s been three years they haven’t made the playoffs. It all depends on how Sid is going to be and how the team is going to do. We want Sidney to be in the playoffs every year. We want him to hopefully win another Cup or two. So each year the team he’s playing for fails to make the pl;ayoffs, it creates a lot of speculation.” [/hide]

Here was a big quote from Brisson:

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The Crosby camp for a few years now have believed if Tom Brady can leave the New England Patriots, Sidney Crosby can leave the Pittsburgh Penguins. That feeling isn’t going away.

Let’s call it what it is:

This was shots fired by Brisson to the new Penguins ownership group coming in. They are not for this lack of spending, rebuild approach from Dubas and FSG. Pittsburgh sitting on almost $15 million in cap space To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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Week 1 Post-Game Buzz

• Week 1 Thriller Summary: The Steelers secured a dramatic 34-32 victory against the Jets, highlighted by Chris Boswell’s 60-yard go-ahead field goal and Jalen Ramsey’s game-ending hit.
• Prime Aaron Rodgers? Aaron Rodgers looked the part with four touchdowns, showcasing his command at the line of scrimmage and his ability to see the entire field at full speed, reaffirming his prime form is still there.
• More Rodgers Buzz: Rodgers’ vision at the line allowed the Steelers’ offense to adapt and exploit the Jets D even with limited support from the running game and offensive line struggles.
• ‘We Have a QB’: Cam Heyward praised Rodgers’ exceptional ability to sling the ball and his overall performance in Week 1, emphasizing the Steelers finally have a QB
• Concerns about Offensive Line: The most alarming issue post-game was the offensive line’s poor performance, which got beaten both inside and out, raising concerns about Rodgers’ health and protection.

Steelers – Jets What We Learned:

Aaron Rodgers Looking Everything of Prime Aaron Rodgers

Player of the Game | QB Aaron Rodgers

22/30, 244 Yards, 4 Touchdowns

A 4 Touchdown Masterpiece from Aaron Rodgers with No Running Game and a putrid performance from the O-Line. It wasn’t just the four TD day from Rodgers. It was all the little things with it. Rodgers command at the line of scrimmage is something few QBs can bring to the table the way he can. Another striking difference with Rodgers is how well he can see the entire field at full speed. That became a primary issue with the Steelers offense late last season. Russell Wilson and the offense could not exploit defenses when the deep ball or short dump offs were taken away. Even on plays that didn’t connect, Rodgers was just a step ahead of the Jets with his eyes. The Steelers in signing Rodgers believed the Four-Time MVP can still beat defenses with his arm but also with his eyes, an element they haven’t had in almost 10 years. Both were strikingly on display in the week 1 win. Another great sign was the mix of Arthur Smith’s offense combined with Rodgers doing what he’s done for 20 years out of the shotgun.

“Man we got a freaking quarterback who could sling the ball around and deliver. Man he was special today,” Cam Heyward said.

Among the burning questions after the win, can the O-Line Keep Rodgers healthy throughout the season?

That was the most alarming aspect of the win. The unit got beat inside and out as Rodgers was sacked four times.

• Left Tackle Broderick Jones continues to look like a bust
• LG Isaac Seumalo had an extremely poor game in the run department

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Steelers D Makes Justin Fields, Jets Look Elite?

The Jets gashed the Steelers for 182 Yards on the ground, and it opened the door for Justin Fields to do Justin Fields things as the threat of the running game just opened up so much time and space in the passing game.

• NYJ 13 Rushing 1st Downs to Pittsburgh’s 2
• Justin Fields 16/22, 218 passing yards, 1 TD | 48 Rushing Yards, 2 TD
• 3rd Down: NYJ 7/14

Unlike the offensive line, for one week you can chalk it up as just an off game but this group looks nothing like a legendary group the head coach was talking about in August

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Underrated Rated Performer of Week 1:

RB Kenneth Gainwell | “Can’t say enough about Kenny G, that offensive player making a tackle on kickoff and knocking that ball loose, Tomlin Said. ” It’s just an example of making plays in all three phases and being a football player first and a positional player second

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Fenway Sports Groups sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise to David Hoffman and the Chicago based-Hoffman family is not a matter of IF but WHEN. The When could come as early as this week. All expectations are by the start of the season the Hoffman family will be in full control and FSG will be off in the sunset to their many other ventures.

FSG’s Four-Year run as Majority owners is an interesting one to dive into:

The group has been criticized around the league for getting too involved initially and handing too much power to Mike Sullivan on personnel decisions. Ron Hextall has his share of support around the league where as I’ve mentioned before, many believe his run was much better than he was given credit for and it’s helping his stock around the league long-term. The league view on Hextall has long been that FSG officials and Sullivan forced his hand to make veteran win-now moves he was not fully in agreement on, such as the Mike Matheson trade, exposing Jared McCann, and altering his plan that won over the Lemieux group that moving on from aging core members and building long-term around Sidney Crosby/Jake Guentzel was the best chance to compete for multiple years.

Nonetheless, from 2021-2023 FSG tried to win.

They opened the check book on signing bonuses, something that was a struggle for the Lemieux group to do and they rarely did it. FSG believed in paying top salaries for coaches, executives, staff. A lot, though, just didn’t go right with hockey decisions.

Bottom-Line is the group has had one foot out the door once David Beeston, who was the major player in the group behind buying the franchise and top decision maker on roster decisions with the club among the ownership hierarchy, exited the organization in spring 2024. That’s when Kyle Dubas hands financially began to be tied by FSG and while I do believe Dubas is now doing truly doing what he seeks to do with a full rebuild, ownership shutting down the check book on long-term contracts due to visions of selling, has been a major factor in how the last two off-season have played out. Among agents and executives, the signs started around May 2024. Jake Guentzel returning to Pittsburgh as a free agent on July 1 2024 was not a far-fetched idea. In fact, Guentzel orchestrated To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! It was the same story this summer where agents of prominent RFA’s knew not to even consider Pittsburgh due to ownership planning to sale.

What’s Next with the Hoffman Family Likely Taking over?

Kyle Dubas with Five Years left on his contract is To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday struck a deal with the Vancouver Canucks, acquiring goaltender Arturs Silvos in exchange for Chase Stillman and a 2027 4th round pick. Silvos, 24, was among the top AHL goaltenders in 2024/2025, posting a 14-5-1 record with a .908 SV% and 2.41 GAA. In the postseason is where Silvos really shined; going 16-7 with a 2.01 GAA, .931 SV% and 5 shutouts in leading Abbotsford to the AHL Calder Cup Championship and earning playoff MVP. At the NHL level, though, this was a player who was going to be behind Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen for the foreseeable future and scouts have questioned the NHL upside. Silvos went 2-6-1 with a 3.65 GAA and .861 SV% with the Canucks in 24/25.

What does the move mean from the Penguins end?

There’s been chatter in the organization for months the team has soured a bit on To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Among the other burning questions is does this have anything to do with Tristan Jarry’s future? Even after the Alex Nedeljkovic trade, prior to free agency Pittsburgh nearly traded Jarry to the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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When Kyle Dubas decided against trading Rickard Rakell at the trade deadline, he talked about the importance of keeping valuable players on the ice and better people off the ice who still want to be here as an element to the decision making. While there’s been a shift in the Penguins thinking since in heading towards a full blown rebuild, (with rival clubs believing ownership has one foot out the door being a factor in where the Penguins are headed), Rakell behind the scenes has continued to express a strong desire to Penguins management to stick around through the rebuild. Rakell’s agent former NHL player To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Among the chatter in league circles is Rakell blocked a To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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~~~~Latest Penguins Pre-Free Agency Whispers ~~~~

Don’t be surprised if the Penguins essentially stand pat over the next week……. & or Don’t be surprised if a prominent forward is moved. It’s 50-50 which way things go and that’s how everything should be viewed with this roster over the next 48-72 hours………

Among the Chatter:

Penguins GM Kyle Dubas confirmed the noise surrounding Bryan Rust in that there is a lot and I mean a lot of interest in the Penguins winger whose No Trade Protection expires in 24 hours. It’s not just contenders like Toronto poking around, some of the strongest inquiries have been non-playoff teams who have eyed a run at Rust post-July 1 and view him as a critical piece to making a jump in the next year or two. Among those teams, the usual suspects in recent weeks have been New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! you can count Rick To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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— Washington has been a sneaky team in on Penguins winger To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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— Two Free Agents the Penguins were connected to a bit during draft weekend: Center/RW To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! and Lightning defenseman To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! and made To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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The Top-10 of the NHL draft went exactly how the bulk of NHL teams thought it was going to go. As expected a heavy run on forwards and absolutely zero surprise of who went where, along with defenseman Radim Mrtka jumping into the top-10 as the second defenseman selected of the day.

Kyle Dubas in Kyle Dubas fashion provided the first surprise of the night in going off the board in selecting Calgary Hitmen center Ben Kindel with the #11 overall selection. The way the board broke is the Penguins, an analytic driven organization, were determined to live by the value chart and turn the #12 selection into additional picks which they did, landing #22 and #31 from the Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh after selecting rugged winger Bill Zonnon at #22, would move up seven spots shortly after, acquiring #24 from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the 31st & 59th pick that saw Pittsburgh select Michigan center Will Horcoff.

In the leadup to the draft, Pittsburgh mulled a significant move up for two particular targets and even on Friday tried to get in front of the Flyers;

Center Caleb Desnoyers (4th Overall, Utah) and winger Porter Martone (6th Overall, Philadelphia) were the targets.

“None of that came to fruition and that’s sometimes just the way it goes,” Dubas said. “Often times you look back and you’re thankful you held.”

As the draft unfolded, a best case scenario for the Penguins at #11 was the team hoping one of Radim Mrtka (9th overall, Buffalo) or center Roger McQueen (10th overall, Anaheim), two players Pittsburgh had clear top-10 grades on. That didn’t play out as both players went off the board in the previous two picks. That saw Pittsburgh, according to multiple sources, essentially go off their board a bit To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! The decision wasn’t a crazy surprise to rival executives but the view outside of Pittsburgh was the team being locked in on hard hitting defenseman Kawshawn Aitcheson (17th overall, NYI), a favorite among Penguins scouts.

“We just didn’t want to look back on it and day, geez why did we pass on this guy that had 99 points and then stepped up his game in the playoffs. It had all the makings that we were going to kick ourselves about it later,” Dubas indicated on reasoning to go route then did.

Buzz is the Penguins believed the To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! next team strongly considering Kindel at pick #18 and Kindel would not be available at #22 as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia had a deal worked out before Pittsburgh selected at 11.

“We understand he’s not the biggest guy, but To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

While Kindel went about 7-12 spots earlier than most of the league saw him, winger Bill Zonnon and center Will Horcoff went in expected spots and hard to complain about either pick where upside might not be high, both have the makings of having some type of NHL career. Still, it’s easy to see why prominent drafts analysts’ like a Scott Wheeler of the Athletic and others dubbed the Penguins a loser on Day 1 with the Kindel reach. Yes the chart said the Penguins got proper value on the initial trade with Philadelphia but was this the draft to do so? Was quantity over quality better? We won’t find that out for several years.

One easy way to evaluate the Penguins day 1 picks down the road will be looking at picks 12-17. The Islanders came out of the day with Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson in back-to-back picks. Eklund viewed as a tremendous value pick at 16, will be a great comparison to Kindel long-term in the evaluation process. Some see potential star upside in defenseman Jackson Smith (14th overall, Columbus), though, there continues to be a suspicion around the league Pittsburgh has a post July 1 trade they are strongly mulling that To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Penguins Day 2 Selections

Round 3: (73) (84) (85)

Round 4: (105)

Round 5: (130) (148)

Round 6: (169)

Round 7: (201)

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There continues to be noise surrounding the Penguins and New York Rangers and it’s only ramped up since the hire of Dan Muse. Things appear to be tracking where there’s a ‘strong’ likelihood To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Pittsburgh and Buffalo: Go back to last December and Pittsburgh-Buffalo have discussed a wide range of trade scenarios. Heck, even go back to last summer when Buffalo-Pittsburgh mulled a Riley Smith/Lars Eller trade, Buffalo and Pittsburgh have been two clubs in regular contact for about 12 months now. But in classic Kevyn Adams fashion, he puts a lot of scenarios on the table, and he rarely moves forward on any of them that will often frustrate rival decision makers. Was his trade for Josh Norris and a new front office personnel group under him going to lead to more action in Buffalo? Buffalo’s targeted teams eyeing young players in return for more established veterans to try to push the roster through. Pittsburgh’s interest in JJ Peterka has been one of the worst secrets around the league but that one still looks like a longshot. Pittsburgh likes Bowen Byron, but K’Andre Miller is higher on their board and even Vegas defenseman Nick Hague might be (with an extension), sources say. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! but a name to watch in the coming weeks is winger To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”! To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

Pittsburgh and Vegas: Pittsburgh has kicked tires on a Nic Hague trade/extension as mentioned here on June 2nd. We will see if that gets anywhere, hence, is the player interested in Pittsburgh? The Interesting development is chatter around the league is Pittsburgh has been regarded as a possible landing spot for To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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