1. Elliotte Friedman in his weekly 32 Thoughts segment says of the Penguins: “11. With all of the noise around the Penguins, I believe they have interest in some of Buffalo’s younger, NHL-ready prospects. It fits what they want.” 
  2. The Sabres noise will surely have fans, pundits putting together Pittsburgh mock trades for Dylan Cozens, think more Jack Quinn, but one of the worst kept secrets around the league is Pittsburgh since around Christmas has been aggressively trying to acquire 2023 To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!
  3. As the Vancouver Canucks are finding a limited market on getting proper value for JT Miller as teammates and the head coach have reached their breaking point with Miller, few still don’t realize how close Ron Hextall’s hail Mary Four-Team Trade to land Miller on 2023 deadline day came to happening that would have included Pittsburgh, Vancouver and tonight’s opponent Anaheim among the three teams involved. Miller’s personality and antics surely would have eventually seen him butt heads with Sidney Crosby but the dynamic in the room would have been something to see unfold in adding a prominent player who’s not afraid to be a jerk and make superstars uneasy. Maybe he would have been the perfect addition nearly two years ago at the right time to push the right buttons and back it up on the ice.
  4. Expect a ton of Jalen Milroe/Will Howard Steelers Draft/QB Buzz in the coming months. Both are going to be classic Mike Tomlin day-2 targets. He is drawn to players like this from big-time schools and the noise is already out there of Tomlin being fond of both.
  5. T.J. Watt nominated for Defensive Player of the Year is a really tough sell this time around. No way around it.