Dan’s Daily: Players on Trade Block; Off Block; More on Penguins Surprise

The NHL trade chatter is bubbling in the first days of June. A few players Penguins fans are interested in are reportedly unavailable, while other teams are looking for players whose descriptions resemble some Penguins veterans. Those Pittsburgh Penguins swerved everyone and picked a coach who was one of a few finalists on a few lists, but no one was talking about. We have lots of insider background on new Penguins coach Dan Muse. The Edmonton Oilers fought back against the Florida Panthers to force overtime. The Colorado Avalanche locked up Brock Nelson with a new contract, and the NHL and NHLPA are glossing over the advantage that tax-free states have had in recent years.

Greetings from the Marietta, Ohio Red Roof Inn. As part of the Summer of Dan, I thought I could take a day off and take a bike ride deep into West Virginia to see one of those crazy oddities that fascinate me: The Mothman statue in Point Pleasant, WV. Of course, my phone began blowing up when I was almost to Wheeling. My new Apple Watch (I very much prefer real watches, but it served its purpose) started vibrating. Calls from Shelly and texts from sources about the new Penguins coach forced me to speed to the nearest TA truck stop, where I furiously wrote, downed an endless supply of coffee, and talked to sources. My knack for trying to take a day off when the Penguins break big news is undefeated (Last year it was the Cody Glass trade).

Shelly did a great Dan’s Daily yesterday!

The supposedly manageable day trip with the added stop to write took six hours and was quite eventful, including my narrow, winding country road detour down Rt.26. Wow. It was like a tight F1 course, and I went full Verstappen. In order, I took the rubber off my left footpeg by really getting into a few turns, hit a deer, the endless curves overheated my brakes causing temporary failure, finally got to the statue, and had a Mothman burrito at the nearby Mexican restaurant. Just the usual day for me, eh?

Yes, hitting the deer was a moment. I don’t know how the doe managed to contact me but not get hurt or do any damage. I think my small windshield saved both of us. She bruised my knuckles, but it all happened so fast that I was oddly calm and had immediate plans to deal with the worst. If that animal had been a couple of inches closer … Anyway …

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Here you go–it was hot off the presses and breaking news. Not Mitch Love, not D.J. Smith, or even Jay Woodcroft. Your next Pittsburgh Penguins head coach is … New York Rangers’ assistant Dan Muse!

I’m a bit proud of this story. It’s not the most flowery prose I’ve ever written, but I’m pretty sure we were hours if not days ahead of everyone else in answering the question–Who is Dan Muse? We’ve got the inside story about his philosophy, his style, and what fans (and players) can expect from the new Penguins coach.

I have some friends in the coaching business. Who knew?

Steelers Now: You can plan your annual pilgrimage to Latrobe because the Steelers training camp schedule is out.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Mike Burrows. Making just his fourth MLB start, he tossed a gem, and the Astros were no match. Hey, get this, the Pittsburgh Pirates win.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Ottawa Sun: Bruce Garrioch reports the Ottawa Senators are dangling a scoring winger on the trade block but hoping to acquire a right-handed defenseman in exchange. Nick Jensen will be out for a long time, Ottawa is on the rise, and they want more blue line impact. Here’s the full story.

Yes, you probably just had the same two thoughts I did.

The Athletic ($): Mason MacTavish is NOT going anywhere. Eric Stephens also writes that Joel Quenneville’s arrival probably means Trevor Zegras is staying. Anaheim is being the party pooper and taking those attractive names off the trade block.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Should I stay or should I go? Goaltender Jake Allen wasn’t sure if he wanted to return or if he should, but now he’s changed his tune regarding the New Jersey Devils.

Oh, and James Nichols joined the chorus of writers who volunteered their team’s trade assets to acquire Jason Robertson. If Robertson becomes available, you may see a bigger trade than any in recent memory.

NYI Hockey Now: The Islanders got the All-Star game, and everyone on Long Island felt seen. Then, the NHL took away the All-Star Game because the players are going to the Olympics, and replaced the game with some sort of celebration that greatly upset season ticket holders. And Long Island no longer felt seen. Here’s the waffling story–Commissioner Gary Bettman has flipped again to make the New York Islanders happy.

Florida Hockey Now: The rematch is already different. Florida went up 3-0 last year before surviving an intense Game 7. This year, Edmonton rallied from a two-goal deficit and drew first blood with an OT winner. The Stanley Cup Final is off to a great start, but not for the Florida Panthers.