Dan’s Daily: Coaches to Avoid; Capitals Play Dirty; Rising Penguins

How is that for a Monday headline? We cleaned up our Wilkes-Barre trip with a few more thoughts, and when you plug them into the Pittsburgh Penguins situation, things are a bit murky. A player or two might not get shorted an opportunity. Elsewhere in the Daily, the Washington Capitals are playing beyond the rules and inflicting a physical toll on the Montreal Canadiens, who were frustrated by the lack of calls Sunday. Our Boston colleague lists the five coaches the Bruins (and others) should avoid this summer. Likely Vezina and possible Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck had a meltdown against St. Louis, while injuries are kneecapping the New Jersey Devils in their Round One series. And are the futures of Rick Tocchet and Quinn Hughes linked in Vancouver?

My summer decompression has begun.

So, of course, I’m looking for places to travel. That makes sense, right? A flight from suburban Toronto to Vancouver is about $150. I’ve never been whale watching or able to kick around town with nothing to do the next day. Or do I ride the bike up to Halifax and spend a few glorious days pounding donairs and (only a few) Propeller Prime Lagers with a few more Keith’s mixed in? The biggest problem with the latter idea is … having to ride back.

I think I’m bagging the idea of the Route 66 trip. If anyone has done it, I’d love to hear some feedback, but I fear the nostalgia would wear off pretty quickly, and it would just become a sore bum trip that ends in the desert. As you can tell, Dan travels spartan. Luxury hotels and four-star resorts just aren’t my thing.

Enough blathering. Let’s do the hockey.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: One thing became pretty obvious over a few days up in Wilkes-Barre. Jack St. Ivany found his game. He had a couple of bobbles in the first couple of minutes of Game 1, but by Game 2, he was “the man.” The coach had genuine and high praise. Here’s more on St. Ivany, the other young right-side defenseman, Harrison Brunicke, and how it all gets very complicated for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Steelers Now: Here you go–all of the picks and the final grade. Omar Khan went with value over need, got a solid Big 10 quarterback who has a chance to stick around in the NFL, and fortified the trenches. The Steelers draft analysis.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Well, of course, the Pirates lost to the Dodgers on Sunday. However, for a little bit of lineup help, here’s the encouraging update on 1B Spencer Horowitz’s rehab.

NHL Rumors, News, & Analysis

Boston Hockey Now: Avoid. The Boston Bruins are looking for a new coach, and there are a few hats in the ring, including recently terminated Greg Cronin, who is a Boston native. However, our Andrew Fantucchio dishes the dirt first. Here are the bench bosses to avoid as the next Bruins coach.

New Jersey Hockey Now: An injury to Luke Hughes all but assured the shorthanded Devils were toast. And guess what? They were. They showed some fight, but now the New Jersey Devils are on the brink.

NHL.com: I’m rooting for Winnipeg. If they don’t do anything in the playoffs this year, they might as well hit the reset button. They’re also starting to remind me of the 2000s Ottawa Senators that had talent to spare but couldn’t buy playoff wins. Hellebuyck was hella bad, and St. Louis tied the series.

Montreal Hockey Now: Montreal fought valiantly. A fluky goal late went against them. The calls certainly didn’t go in their favor, but Montreal fans are getting a good look at a very promising young Montreal Canadiens core.

Canadian Press: The Habs are getting frustrated by the calls, too. William Carrier was injured on a late hit, and he was just the latest Canadiens to get cracked on a hit that Montreal was not happy about.

The Province: The rumors are still churning in Vancouver. Is Quinn Hughes’s future tied to Rick Tocchet staying? The town is on edge since Jim Rutherford’s joke last week.

Philly Hockey Now: Yuck! Will James writes some optimistic things for the orange and black. Will opines that things are finally going right for the Philadelphia Flyers.

NYI Hockey Now: There’s one member of the NYI front office who Russ Macias believes should stay. Here’s why I’m linking this story for Penguins fans–he’s also got ties to Kyle Dubas from their Toronto days. This looks like a prime steal opportunity by the Penguins from the New York Islanders.