Dan’s Daily: Marco Rossi Standoff; UFA Leftovers; Another Penguins Trade
The Pittsburgh Penguins swiped a young goalie with bad numbers, big playoff performances, and potential Sunday afternoon for the low, low cost of a fourth-round pick. We’ll get into the Arturs Silovs trade from all angles. PHN also dug into a roster problem brewing with the Penguins’ roster construction. Elsewhere, Marco Rossi and the Minnesota Wild are engaged in a standoff over Rossi’s next contract, and it seems the Wild and general manager Bill Guerin aren’t going to buckle. Sportsnet listed the top 10 remaining unrestricted free agents and the latest news. And the Calgary Flames are facing another Matthew Tkachuk-type choice–trade Rasmus Andersson now or hope the contract negotiations improve.
Thanks for following along on my little work-cation. I was happy to provide a few directions and share some of the pictures. The things I didn’t mention were the wicked sunburn, the lovely little old lady running the hotel breakfast that made sure I got a chocolate chip muffins to take back to the room (I’m always a sucker for a studa bubba giving me food, no matter if I’m hungry), or the bee sting on my neck that is still swollen and makes me look like I’ve got a goiter. Traveling with me is never uneventful.
I’m looking forward to a big week or two with the Penguins. Given all of the available information, I cannot imagine a quiet month. There must be more shoes to drop, dominoes to fall, and more moves coming. Or, Kyle Dubas is going to have some upset players who thought they were coming here for a chance that they didn’t get.
Judging by our traffic, I think you are, too. We’re having a fantastic summer, averaging about 65,000 unique readers a week and a couple of hundred thousand page views per week, just for hockey. In the words of Phil Bourque, buckle up, baby.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: We’ll start chronologically with our Sunday column. There are suddenly a lot of young veterans coming to the Penguins for an opportunity, but there are also still a truckload of veterans and a handful of young players ready for their chance. In short, Dubas has overpacked the roster. Here are the names, the situation, and the analysis of what comes next for the Penguins roster.
There were so many names that a reader quickly caught that I forgot one prospect who should play in the NHL. I think you have to read that to see the scope of it.
Now then, Dubas and former Penguins GMs Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin were working the phones. We’ve got the story and the full analysis — the latest Penguins trade was a bit of a steal as they took advantage of the crowded crease in Vancouver to pilfer the youngest member of the crew, Arturs Silovs.
I suppose I was correct in the recent chats and Q&A that the Penguins would do well to add another goalie as insurance, but I’m a little surprised that Vancouver would sell now.
Steelers Now: Man, Aaron Rodgers has some big detractors. The latest to take a cheap shot is a former NFL scout who said he’s a “Huge ego with a lost soul.” Check out the latest broadside on the Steelers QB.
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The MLB Draft! The Buccos had the sixth overall pick, and it seems folks are pretty happy with the latest high pick. Here’s the full Day 1 haul and the grades for the Pirates’ draft picks.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Let’s start with another beatdown of a rumors site. A large rumors site reported the Oilers could look to Carter Hart if he’s acquitted of the sexual assault charges next week. And very quickly:
Any report about the Oilers having interest in Carter Hart is incorrect.
Edmonton will not be approaching him, even if he is found not guilty. #NHL
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) July 12, 2025
It’s time to start holding these sites accountable. There’s no other way to do it or say it. The gak this summer has been out of control, and the harm is that it gives you an incorrect view/perception of many situations.
Sportsnet Calgary: I like Eric Francis’s work quite a bit. He tackled the pressing issue as well as the current lineup in the Stampede City. Calgary is playing a game of chicken with the NHL trade market and its player Rasmus Andersson, hoping to up the trade price, but also holding out a little hope that Andersson sticks around. The Calgary Flames lineup is at best in flux.
Former Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is still unsigned. Luke Fox lays out the Top 10 remaining UFAs on the market and the latest news thereof.
And I guess I know the writers at Sportsnet follow me.
Star Tribune: It is a situation that I know a lot of you are following (somewhat through the Dan’s Daily), as Marco Rossi and the Minnesota Wild are still at each other. It has become a stalemate, but GM Bill Guerin holds the cards because Minnesota has enough cap space to match any offer. So, what happens next?
Geez, it would seem the Penguins and Wild are perfect trade partners with multiple possibilities. Players don’t forget when you hardball them. Most take it quite personally, even as they tell the cameras that they don’t.
Detroit Hockey Now: Now that Mike Sullivan is gone, I’m getting a lot fewer “…but Daniel Sprong” comments these days. Those were always part annoyance and part humorous as Sprong bounced around the NHL. Well, he’s done bouncing around the NHL for a bit, and now he’s hoping to catch on in the KHL. Here’s what’s up with the former Penguins and Detroit Red Wings winger.
Categorized:Links NHL Trade Rumors Penguins
The process is they create a rumor and post it on Twitter using a few fake accounts then reference it in articles on their own websites which gets referenced on Twitter by some other fake accounts. The more outrageous the rumor, the more likely people are to fall into the clickbait trap generating revenue for the scammers who do this. I stick to things I see on Twitter by reputable writers, TSN, Sportsnet.ca, and here on PHN. Everyone should remember what Abraham Lincoln said: “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
If Dubas doesn’t thin out the forwards, the NHL roster is going to be a game of musical chairs. And so will the AHL roster veteran spots. Of course, some of the players might get claimed off waivers. I hope Dubas holds true to his word about sending players through waivers and not worrying if they get claimed. Please don’t keep someone on the NHL roster because you think you might be able to move them for a pick at the trade deadline.
Rossi is a bit overrated and undersized. I don’t get all the hype about him. Reminds me of Conor Sheary, and those players are a dime a dozen. I can’t imagine they would spend the assets necessary to acquire another one of those type players.
I’m surprised that Roslovic is still available. I know the article outlined some of his flaws but still he’s a speedy forward capable of scoring 20. Sign him to provide some scoring depth and maybe flip him at the deadline, Beauvillier style
Center depth is greatly needed.
Other than the salary issue, Rossi would be an ideal second-line center here, But that’s why Duby gets the big money, right?
He is better fit as a 3rd line center and he’s 5’9″ 180 pounds.. I am sick of watching these little guys get bullied. No more little softies.
Also the Pens would have to offer sheet him, which could lead to the Pens losing compensation. I don’t think Rossi would be an ideal fit.
Rossi had 60 points at age 23 in his first season as a top-six forward. This team had zero players under 30 with 60 points last season. The front office would be hard-pressed to find someone with more upside in the trade/free agent market. You’re not gonna get the Broad Street Bullies with Duby at the controls, brah.
Dan…..take a publicly announced 2-week vacation. Actually hop on your bike again and go out into the hinterland once more. Guaranteed Pens will do big trades then. Hopefully EK and Graves!
You know if you do this, it will happen!
That’s a deal. If it happens again, I demand everyone put a few bucks in the tip jar!
I was surprised that Grzelcyk wasn’t moved at the trade deadline, and it made me think Dubas planned to resign him. Now seeing that he still hasn’t signed a deal makes me think maybe there weren’t any GM’s interested. He’s adequate in the defensive zone, but I figured there would be someone looking for a guy who can be the quarterback on the powerplay. Of course he could be waiting for a better offer or a team he wants to play for. Lots of time left in the off-season.
Usually when this happens it means the GM of the team he was already playing for said “We would like to resign you but have things to take care of first….if you want to wait around we will come back to you”
It may be surprising to people but when you have a career year playing for a top notch organization, even when they are a non playoff team, it motivates you to come back and try to keep things going for yourself.
The Red Wings and Maple Leafs are in on EK65, my sources tell me, but I don’t like the potential return for either one. Won’t be surprised if the Senators join the mix.