Dan’s Daily: Penguins Dirt; Hello Tocchet; Goodbye Vegas

The NHL news wire Wednesday began to have the same rhythm as Billy Joel’s We Didn’t Start the Fire. The Philadelphia Flyers, Rick Tocchet returns to his hockey roots. The Canucks replace Tocchet. Islanders interviews. The Kings hire a new GM. The Edmonton Oilers send the Vegas Golden Knights home. Florida stomps the Maple Leafs, firestorm in Toronto. And behind-the-scenes Pittsburgh Penguins dirt.

JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say?

OK, enough of the choppy pentameter. I was quite confident the Golden Knights would squash Edmonton, which continues my run of absolutely terrible predictions in this playoff season. I’m completely off kilter this year. However, Vegas’s loss probably proved a couple of hockey theorems, especially needing some spark plugs in the lineup.

Vegas had no spark. None.

Also, I love a good tire fire. Wednesday, Toronto lit the match. If Florida wins Game 6 in another convincing manner, the tear down is going to be vicious. You may need a second tub of popcorn, extra butter.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: I’ve come to enjoy it when I have a moment for the Three Thoughts columns. I get to dig into different types of topics and sandwich them around a hot-button topic. The latest three included an NHL folly, and explaining why Mikael Granlund didn’t work with the Penguins. There are some details that I don’t think many people know. Check out the Penguins thoughts.

And the NHL released the updated compensation levels for teams to offer sheet restricted free agents.

Steelers Now: Here we go–the 2025 NFL schedule is out, and we’ve got the full list and analysis of the 2025 Steelers schedule.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Jeff Passan brought a bigger bat than any Pirates hitter as he swung away on the Pat McAfee show. Passan also broached the big topic–should the Pirates just go ahead and trade Paul Skenes?

Oh by the way, the Pirates hit a couple of home runs and beat the Mets to avoid another sweep.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

Philly Hockey Now: It’s official. Rick Tocchet has returned to where it all began. He is the new coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

There’s also a concerning story involving Matvei Michkov. A car accident, passport taken, extortion, and Russian vagueries. Here’s what we know about the Flyers’ rookie.

Florida Hockey Now: The biggest game of the year, and it was on home ice. Except the Toronto Maple Leafs never showed up against Florida. By the end of the night, former Penguins Stanley Cup winning goalie Matt Murray relieved Toronto starter Joseph Woll, fans were tossing jerseys on the ice, loudly serenading the team with boos, and then with empty seats. Toronto looked broken as the Florida Panthers dominated.

Let the hate flow through you.

Vegas Hockey Now: In the end, the VGK couldn’t even score a goal. They held Edmonton goalless too, until former Penguins winger Kasperi Kapanen poked home a rebound in overtime to win Game 5. Game, set, match, series. Hannah Kirkell has the seven observations and breakdown of the Vegas Golden Knights’ demise.

Out in five. Wow. The Vegas players were dejected and had some heavy comments. Here’s the locker room reaction from the Golden Knights.

In the interest of brevity, the other NHL news is that the LA Kings hired Hall of Fame GM Ken Holland for their opening. The Vancouver Canucks hired Adam Foote as their new coach.

Sportsnet: Usually, the NHL trade deadline is about disappointment. Teams that land the big fish are sent home early. However, Ryan Dixon shows the counterargument this season. The biggest trade deadline acquisitions are still playing and will keep playing. Here’s the top eight.

NYI Hockey Now: The GM search continues, and it seems the first round of interviews has concluded, though there are a couple of names on the candidates list who are with teams still playing. Russ Macias updates the Islanders GM search.

TSN: We’ll finish the Daily with more testimony from the Crown (the prosecution) in the Team Canada sexual assault trial. Be forewarned, some of the descriptions are graphic. Obviously, I’m not in the courtroom, but in my opinion, it reads like the Crown’s witness (former player Tyler Steenbergen) bolstered the defense argument.

I’ll be quite happy when justice is served and this is over.