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Dan’s Daily: Debating Dubas Plan; Flames Pull Back; OC’s Luggage Lost

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Pittsburgh Penguins, Penguins trade, NHL trade market, Drew O'Connor

The Pittsburgh Penguins probably aren’t done on the NHL trade market, but what comes next and how they should proceed are up for debate. Dave Molinari and I dug into Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas’s plan and came up with a couple of different takes. Elsewhere in the Daily, Drew O’Connor showed up in Vancouver, but the Denver folks held a few things back. Ryan Hartman will have an in-person hearing for his attempt to injure Tim Stutzle. The Calgary Flames are pulling their veterans off the market, and the Florida Panthers are the first team in a while to beat the New York Islanders and the very first team to visit the White House with the new occupant.



Trust me, put Air Tags in your bags if you fly right now. Denver and D.C. were epic. The baggage people in D.C. simply stopped loading bags onto the plane. They weren’t out of time, and the plane wasn’t full. They just … stopped. They left a couple dozen people without luggage, and the Denver folks…don’t get me started. Lots of good people, but no one knows what anyone else is doing. It’s chaos.

I hope you enjoyed Final Word last night. I don’t get to do the show often anymore because of my travel schedule, but we had some pretty good Penguins chatter. It’s tough in such a short time to really get in-depth, but we did pretty well. Next week, we’re live after the Super Bowl, and I’m on again. Me. Live TV. Vegas oddsmakers have set the early line at 3-1 that I’ll offend someone.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dave Molinari’s take on Kyle Dubas’s plan. As Dave wryly pointed out to me the other day, he’s covered the NHL longer than Dubas has been alive. So, what comes next for the Penguins, and what should Dubas do? Here is Dave’s insight into the Penguins’ future.

Later Sunday, I took my turn with the analysis. Dave and I have some intersections and some disagreements. I can say that I live Dubas’s plan, but there is a big BUT. Hey, I like big BUTs, and I cannot lie. Here’s my take on the Penguins’ retooling strategy.

Steelers Now: Rumors have linked Russel Wilson to the Oakland Los Angeles Oakland Las Vegas Raiders. Wilson rebuffed the rumors, but where will the Steelers quarterback end up?

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: The new additions want to make a quick impact with the Vancouver Canucks. Those new additions are Drew O’Connor and Marcus Pettersson. It looked weird seeing them in Canucks hats and gear in the locker room, but Vancouver is expected to make a push to sign both. However, O’Connor showed up with a hockey bag and no luggage. Yep, Denver got him.

Also, the NHL has summoned Ryan Hartman to the principal’s office because of his hit on Tim Stutzle. He’s going to get (and deserves) a lengthy suspension.

CTV: Canadians aren’t happy with the new tariffs levied by the new-again U.S. president. They let rip in Ottawa during the U.S. national anthem.

I understand the Mexican tariffs. The Canadian levies, not so much. But you’re free to discuss them on your platforms. This tweet was the funniest thing I saw. People, it’s a joke. Humor.

Florida Hockey Now: Some good news for the Penguins as Florida vanquished the Islanders. They celebrated Dmitri Kulikov, then hopped a flight to D.C. today for their champions’ meeting with Donald Trump at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s a whirlwind for the Florida Panthers.

OK, kids. Just remember that our AI comments filter detects political content and kicks it to the sin bin.

Montreal Hockey Now: The steal of the 2024 NHL Draft–and there were a few, perhaps including Harrison Brunicke–was Ivan Demidov falling to No. 5. He’s having a record-breaking season in the KHL and the Montreal Canadiens are anxiously awaiting his arrival.

Detroit Hockey Now: After floundering for a year plus, the coach has the Detroit Red Wings fighting for a playoff spot. He’s the Christmas that keeps on giving year-round, Clark. The Red Wings are achieving under Todd McClellan.

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RG_at_GBP
RG_at_GBP
13 days ago

Dan – check your link to the Hartman article. It’s also going to the Vancouver story.

Tom D
Tom D
13 days ago

Here’s the thing with “rebuilds” -yes they take years, but yes, with great drafting, development and even a few FA signings, they can be accelerated. It all depends on drafting and talent selection. Can’t have stupid signings.

Jeff Young
Jeff Young
13 days ago

Interesting, I didn’t think the Cup has been back to Canada since 93. Heh.

Robert Shoemaker
Robert Shoemaker
13 days ago
Reply to  Jeff Young

ZING!

Pete
Pete
13 days ago

Imagine that. A new coach can change the course of a team. Hmmmmmmm! Keep Sully, get 7 more years with no playoff series win!