Dan’s Daily: Trade Talk; No Retreads; Penguins UFAs

The Monday Daily is full of some juicy tidbits, beginning with the NHL trade chatter, a veteran writer ripping the retread favorites for the New York Islanders job, Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury rekindling old times to lead Team Canada, and our dip into the Pittsburgh Penguins free agent pool. The Florida Panthers put the boots to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Dallas Stars did the same to the Winnipeg Jets.

I’ve got a Penguins column coming up later this morning. I plan to start writing it shortly after I finish the daily and a couple of eggs (prices are down a full dollar, I’ll take it). I hate to revisit firing Mike Sullivan, so I won’t–mostly–but what we’re going to see in the Metro Division, and what we’re seeing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, should change players and general managers’ thinking. That’s my tease.

I’m afraid I’ve got nothing on the streaming services to recommend this week. My binge-watching this weekend was less than impressive. The latest season of You on Netflix just lacks any snap. Killing It starring Craig Robinson (the warehouse manager in The Office, and Doug Judy in Brooklyn 99) is nice, but not a must-watch. Britain and the Blitz is a WWII doc on Netflix that kept me up late into the night Sunday. It’s powerful, but not for everyone.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: There is already a likely unforeseen negative to the Penguins’ early offseason moves. And we passed judgment on the Penguins’ UFAs and realized that there are only one or two players who will be back, at any of the higher levels. Here’s the Penguins’ notebook.

Cmon, how cool is this? Sidney Crosby was setting up goals, and Marc-Andre Fleury was stopping them. Together one more time, the Penguins’ buddies led the latest Team Canada win.

Steelers Now: I suppose we should not be surprised. On his Instagram account, George Pickens ripped the Steelers.

There was a big Hawaiian who made quite the impression this weekend at Steelers Rookie Camp, and it appears he was successful in earning a contract. Say hello to Gareth Warren.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Joey Bart hits the walkoff homer, and Don Kelly keeps the Pittsburgh Pirates rolling.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

Spector’s Hockey: The NY Post is going hard down the subscription path, but our buddy Spector’s Hockey has a couple of stories. Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin re-opened the rumor mill and the door to keep Brock Boeser. Or at least Vancouver will try to keep him. Also, Larry Brooks ripped the Islanders GM search as focusing on retreads instead of the fresh new voices who deserve a shot.

Ottawa Sun: I missed this the first go-round, but teams are checking in with Ottawa as they decide what comes next. Could Drake Batherson be on the trade block?

Florida Hockey Now: The Panthers shut down the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 in Game 4. However, Max Domi leveled an iffy hit on Sasha Barkov, and now the Florida Panthers are boiling.

Detroit Hockey Now: Ok, keep the political comments to a low roar (our filters are set to catch the politics), but Slava Fetisov wants to get into international diplomacy by teaching Donald Trump to play hockey.

Sportsnet: Jason Bakula has his new list of the top players in the 2025 NHL Draft. His list includes some rising names, including Soo Greyhounds’ Brady Martin, who suddenly appears that he might be off the board when the Penguins select at 11. Here’s his breakdown of the three tiers of prospects.