Latest Pens Buzz: Who do Rival GMs regard as Pittsburgh’s top prospect? The Answer has Emerged……

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 …….

[hide] A former NHL GM once told me the best moves you make are one’s you often end up getting cold feet on. For Pittsburgh in their handling of Bryan Rust 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. [/hide] 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”!