Penguins/NHL
TIOPS Daily Five ICE Report
*Rumblings, Musings, Opinions*
1. The Penguins have indeed poked around on Jacob Trouba in the past 48 hours, league sources say, but no indication yet that Pittsburgh’s interest can described as “serious” in the standpoint of telling the Jets they’d be willing to be move Olli Maatta who would be coveted in a package for Trouba.
More rumblings continue to emerge on Trouba.
“He wants out of Canada,” one source indicated.
Buzz around the league is Trouba hopes to be traded to the Eastern Conference and would love to play for [hide]Dan Bylsma and the Buffalo Sabres.
The Sabres are considered one of the aggressive suitors.
2. When the Penguins management staff sat down a few weeks ago prior to training camp to discuss the pending UFA’s and RFA’s on the club for next summer, the most contentious discussions centered around Nick Bonino, TIOPS has learned.
One source described the feeling in the room among top officials on Bonino being 50-50 whether the Penguins should commit the type of contract (5 years – $20-$25 million) it would take to resign Bonino.
Some believe as long as the Penguins are committed to keeping Evgeni Malkin long-term, they need to keep retooling the bottom-2 line center spots with youth or veterans on bargain deals.
The Penguins have prospects to potentially fill that void next season in Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Guentzel, which would allow money to go elsewhere.
This season Bonino and Matt Cullen combine for only a $2.9 million cap hit.
The Penguins had some preliminary discussions with Bonino’s agent Peter Fish this summer and Fish is said to have been throwing Frans Nielsen type numbers out there.
Still, Bonino has support in the organization that a deal in the neighborhood of $4 million a year is the Penguins best route to capitalize on a three to four year window they believe they have.
Bonino’s play in the playoffs and the dominance of the HBK line had a trickle down effect on teams looking to dethrone the Penguins’ this coming season.
The Washington Capitals viewed Bonino’s impact as being what kept them from winning a Stanley Cup, one Capitals source said. It led them to going out and trading for Lars Eller who they see as their missing piece.
I’d argue their bottom-pairing on the blueline is what did them in but what Bonino was able to do from the third line center spot has been a lasting memory for them.
The Penguins front office staff has moved into the mold of being one that makes ‘group decisions’ but this is going to be one that comes down to which direction Jim Rutherford wants to go, those close to the situation say.
3. Matt Murray has an MRI scheduled for next Friday that will dictate whether he can be cleared to start practicing or not for the following week. That is the hope from Murray’s end.
Murray has expressed confidence to teammates he could be practicing before the start of the regular season. While the Penguins have called the injury a broken hand and Murray after a couple pauses confirmed that Monday, though, the injury is said to be broken bone in the thumb area. Murray is wearing a cast on his right thumb.
He said Monday he was shocked to learn an MRI showed a fracture.
4. Mike Sullivan made it clear today his focus is on getting Marc Andre Fleury ready, much more so than getting Tristan Jarry ready for the backup role.
Because Matt Murray had already had a training camp due to the World Cup, the Penguins had even planned prior to Murray’s injury for Fleury to at least see action in four preseason games.
“We’ll listen to Mike Bales on what we think is best for Marc and getting him to his A-game,” Sullivan said. “We have a little bit of a game plan here going through the exhibition season where we can ramp Marc up so that when the regular season starts, Marc is in the best position to be successful. I don’t want to discount the other goaltenders that are in camp here, and certainly it’s our responsibility to prepare those guys as well, but I think that Marc is certainly a priority for us, and we have to make sure we do everything we can to try to help him kind of re-establish his game.”
5. Around the NHL
— The Chicago Tribune reports winger Artemi Panarin is seeking a six year deal worth more than $6 million per season. Same type of deal Brandon Saad was seeking that got him traded. However, this one is expected to get done.
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– The NHL announced today all of the festivities that will kick off their centennial celebration starting in January. One of the more interesting things revealed today will be an announcement of the 100 greatest players of all-time. Will be fascinating where Mario Lemieux gets ranked. Assuming it won’t be as high as he should be.
Wayne Gretzky who will be the ambassador for all of this, made some news in snubbing Lemieux from his All-time team.
— Bill Daly told Sportsnet today the NHL could skip the 2018 Olympics and return for the 2022 Olympics. Many in the NHL are happily embracing the prospect of the players not going.
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Anyone else completely shocked the Penguins dropped the pre-season opener while Sestito took a regular shift? I mean to have a guy that important hitting the ice? I’m fucken shocked
Different outcome if #Zak is in goal. And you know it.
Do you mean the goalie Sullivan said was instrumental in winning the Rangers series. Seeing that your hard on buddy Fleury was in playoff form tonight you might be right for once.
Wait I forgot my pharm boy hashtag. #powerplay
I don’t think you understand the gravity of the scenario here… it’s Tom fucken Sestito. I mean it’s a travesty we don’t have him in the line up during the regular season to deter everything and everyone from doing things but to have him in a pre-season game vs much of their B squad? It doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t have deterred his way to a Penguins easy win.
You know the best part? How you have a pet name for him. #Zak!! LIke you just wiped his DNA off of your chest. #MrMom
Dont upset Zak !
1-1 instrumental lol. I recall him stating “he gave us a chance” but this is the second time you’ve basically claimed Sullivan stated “he won us the series” which was the exact statement you made on another thread but i cannot find this interview.
I believe his statement about “Zak” was somewhere between your assessment and mine.
You missed answering where you watched last night’s game- curious how you were able to keep such a close eye on Fleury.
Don’t need to watch the game to know fleury would give up a turd, game-deciding goal.
Ah – so the box score. Sounds about right.
“I thought [Zatkoff] did a terrific job,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “I think he’s been a great solider for this team all year. He’s really played in some big games at some key times for us, and he’s given us a chance to win. And that’s exactly what he did [Wednesday]. Couldn’t be happier for him.” – Mike Sullivan
Man – a coach patting his third string goalie on the back. You just never see something crazy like that. Where did you watch tonight’s preseason game??
im with you zero. The pens should have dressed their opening night line up. It’s as befuddling as dressing Sestito in game 80-82 when the pens playoff seed was locked in. I just don’t get it either.
But Sestito is such an integral part of today’s game why would we waste his deterrent talents on a few meaningless games? I mean if we need his deterring wouldn’t it make more sense for him to deter when the games matter?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CtZnSySUsAA5F5O.jpg
Best fans in the world! Giving Le Mausolee Bell a run for it’s money!
Yeah no one leaves there seats during intermission or anything right.
FYI attendance 18,377
I might be going crazy but that is game action no?
End of the day this argument is more about Sams claim that Montreal fans great and Pittsburgh fan all bandwagons
Yup all we can talk about on this site is sam i forgot. Everyone needs to let the idiot know how smart they are.
Your thinly veiled (not to mention, inaccurate) pound-your-chest nationalism is probably a bigger value-add.
Who gives a shyt, the habs fans are more passionate than pens fans zero debate about that. And Pens fans arnt all bandwagoners. So your both idiots
His both idiots? That makes no sense.
I get it!
How would one quantify this claim?
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mlh45jdd/no-1-pittsburgh-penguins/#9bd5e0c39b2c
He thinks the players just skate around during intermission. And that 18,377 means that’s the number of people that actually showed up. He’s a genius.
Yup once the intermission is over and the period starts everyone magically appears back in there seat. Its awesome
Nobody was there. Numerous first hand accounts confirm. #bestfansintheworld.
Once they asked Wayne who do you think best player other then you and he said without a doubt Mario lemieux
Circus news wow. I don’t know which part is true about all this
Which? The fact that Trouba requested a trade but wants to play in the east? The idea that Bonino needs an extension but some don’t feel 5 million works, that they may have internal options? That Murray is scheduled for an MRI? That the team wants to make sure MAF Is ready to go because Murray may not be an early season option? That Wayne left Mario off his all time team.. Which is a fact? What of any of this is so outrageous or unable to independently confirm? I mean they don’t have the credibility of Malkin and Bennett… Read more »