Dan’s Daily: Sullivan NYR Speculation; Flyers Candid; Penguins Trade Debate

The Pittsburgh Penguins will make significant changes this offseason, or at least they should. Yet one of the biggest decisions looms with the status of Rickard Rakell. Pittsburgh Hockey Now shares the latest we’ve heard as well as more details on the team’s activity leading to the NHL trade deadline. And despite a firm denial, you knew it was coming–There are reports out of New York that Mike Sullivan is tops on the New York Rangers list of coaching candidates.

Elsewhere, teams cannot lose a series in Game 1, but it surely seemed a couple of the Round One matchups were clearly mismatches. And in exit interviews, the Philadelphia Flyers players were candid about their time with John Tortorella.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas will hold his year-end press conference this morning at 11:30 a.m.

My decompression has begun, but I had to cover a game for a colleague Sunday, so my time to get some sunlight was limited. However, with new tires on the bike, I did get to roll through some country backroads to Butler and back.

My Easter treat? Crazy Puffs at Little Caesars. They were closing up so counter dude gave me two bags instead of one … and I absolutely ate both. That was at 7 p.m. As of this morning, I’m still full. Gee, I usually eat so healthy (full sarcasm intended). And yes, my helmet has some battle scars–I haven’t scrubbed the helmet so that it serves as a reminder to be a little bit careful on those backroads. Sometimes.

I have a weakness for Little Caesars. 

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Rickard Rakell wants to stay with the Penguins. He knows what’s coming and wants to be a part of the turnaround. However, PHN reports there are “many teams” interested in his services. Here’s the full situation in the Penguins trade talk.

As a quick aside, we partnered with the Action Network folks for some sports betting content. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so if it’s not, skip over this one. Our partners laid out all of the new bonuses for betting on the NHL playoffs.

Steelers Now: The NFL Draft is up next, and our team is digging into potential draft picks, from wide receivers who know how to behave to the top-12 cornerbacks in the class. There are plenty of stories, so I won’t link just one. Start here for all of the Steelers Draft analysis.

There is a new quarterback on the trade market. I’m not sure how enthusiastic you’ll be, but here is the latest potential Steelers QB target.

The Steelers could not have mangled this situation any worse than they have. If there’s a How Not To manual, they are rewriting it.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Delusional. That’s the only word I can use to describe GM Ben Cherrington’s comments on his Sunday radio hit. He saw that line Saturday for Paul Skenes bobbleheads that wrapped around the damned city and he is looking ahead to the playoffs. Here’s the Pirates GM’s comments.

Oh by the way, the Buccos were swept by the Guardians. They’ve nearly lost twice as many games as they’ve won. After weeks of using a machine gun to shoot themselves in the foot, the org hit a home run Saturday by giving all fans a bobblehead or a bobble voucher, instead of just the first 20,000 fans. Great job! But the on-field product still stinks like a downtown porta-potty. As John Perrotto writes, the Pirates have turned a baseball heaven into a baseball hell.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

USA Today/Lohud: Vince Mercagliano reports that there is some wiggle room with Penguins coach Mike Sullivan’s strong stance that he will remain the coach of the Penguins. And, the New York Rangers are tiptoeing into the coaching search, checking to see if they could pry him away.

My stance on this might surprise you. And that’s all I’ll say for now.

Philly Hockey Now: Will James was there for the end. The players didn’t have any reason to hold back and were candid about their time with now-former coach John Tortorella. James has the story from the Flyers locker room.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Oh boy, it was a boat race and the New Jersey Devils were paddling a raft. The Carolina Hurricanes bombarded New Jersey in Game 1, Here’s the Devils postgame carnage.

NYI Hockey Now: What will Lou Lamoriello do next? Should he keep his job? Russ Macias uses history as a guide for what might come next for the always pesky New York Islanders.

Florida Hockey Now: The series we all want to see. Florida vs. Tampa Bay. It’s Frazier-Ali. It’s Depp vs. Heard. The battle of the Sunshine State could also give the winner the inside lane to the Stanley Cup Final. Get those rats ready in Florida because the guy giving FLA the juice this time is Brad Marchand.

Montreal Hockey Now: Game 1. Tonight. The other series I’m invested in watching is Montreal vs. Washington. I really think the Montreal kids will upset Washington. Here is the series preview, the X-factors, and Montreal Canadiens predictions.