Dan’s Daily: Big Z in DC, Fantasy Hockey Sleepers, Ba-Bye 2020!

We don’t get into too much fantasy hockey on PHN, and perhaps that is a mistake. I’m a dynasty pool player who stockpiled first-round picks and drafted both Quintin Byfield and Tim Stutzle, then somehow got my hands on Jamie Drysdale. But for everyone else, Sportsnet did the heavy lifting for you. Also, we have the shocker in D.C. as the Washington Capitals signed Zdeno Chara, and we make our big, bold, and some bad Pittsburgh Penguins predictions.

Nope, no NHL trade talk today. The Chara thing really took the air out of the room.

Let’s look at the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here are seven big and bad prediction for 2020-21 (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

NBC Released the national TV schedule. The Penguins will play seven games on NBC and NBCsn, including THE first game of the NHL season on Jan. 13 (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Shocker. Zdeno Chara, 43, signed with the Washington Capitals, and that affects the Penguins (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Our boys at Boston Hockey Now say it was time for the Bruins to move on (Boston Hockey Now)

My guys in Boston have been telling me that Chara wouldn’t re-sign. Something down deep told me things would get patched up. Guess not. But no one saw the Washington Capitals coming. The Capitals’ defense is not hard to play against, and Chara will add some thump on the ice and some leadership off it.

We’ll see if Chara gets to swim in the fountain and off into the sunset. Or if he just sinks.

Fantasy Hockey: 10 rookies to consider (Sportsnet)

Ranking the top 250 players (Sportsnet)

BUT–here is the BEST story today:

Florida Panthers goalie Chris Dredger is clearly a fan of The Mandalorian. Check out his new mask (Florida Hockey Now)

As much as I genuinely love Star Wars, God help me what those bird brains at Disney did to the final trilogy so soured me I cannot give them a nickel to watch Mandalorian. If they let Favreau remake it (as has been rumored to be under consideration per his request), I’ll reconsider.

Anyway, I’d like to wish you all a safe and happy New Year. 2020 has sucked, yet somehow PHN grew by 20%. Our revenues sure took a hit, but you kept us afloat. I hope you appreciate the mental effort it took to write EVERY day. Sometimes, I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel, but I wake up each day, asking what you want to know and what you want to talk about. And that’s not a joke.

I’m incredibly lucky and blessed to do what I love and pay my rent by doing it. May you have learned something about yourself this year, and may we all appreciate our blessings next year. And damn it, hurry up with that vaccine!

Happy New Year.