Dan’s Daily: Latest Trade Board; Dubas Pressure; Penguins Waive Vet

Tick toc, Clarice. The NHL trade deadline is in eight days, which means the pressure cooker of trade rumors, blockbusters, and plugging holes is reaching its zenith as teams eye a chance at the Stanley Cup. One team connected to Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson is publicly out of consideration, while Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas is on the clock to set the Penguins course or risk teetering into the rebuilding abyss. Elsewhere in the Daily, the latest NHL trade boards are up, and so are the latest draft rankings.

The Penguins very well could have a top-five pick and a mid-first-round pick, too. On March 8, our draft coverage will begin in earnest. Who would have guessed that James Hagens or Porter Malone would suddenly be on the table?

I expected the Penguins to fall short, but just barely. Especially after they seemed to pull it all together in December, I wondered if they would be a wild-card team. Watching them crater is difficult. There are a lot of really good guys on the team who both deserve a better fate, but also are part of the reason the team won’t get it.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Lots to ge to.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Let’s start with the heavy hitter content. Dubas tried to salvage the Penguins championship window but failed. This season has been about cleanup. Now, it’s all on Dubas’s shoulders. For those of you who want the action of a rebuild, buckle up, the next 12-18 months will define Kyle Dubas’s Penguins era.

Mike Sullivan hates young players! Sullivan hates physical players! Sullivan loves Matt Nieto! You’ll forgive me but the tropes are so thick and often so impenetrable that they absond with any measure of reason or truth. Wednesday, the Penguins kept Boko Imama around and waived Nieto.

I was recently laughing with a member of the organization about how wrong the public perceptions are. When Sullivan has physical players, he’ll unleash them–provided the player plays hockey. It was the only reason John Ludvig got into the lineup last season, and not being physcial was the reason Vincent Desharnais came out of the lineup Sunday.

Sullivan laid bare what he wants and what the team needs going forward. It probably won’t end well this season, but Sullivan is demanding some fight and real mental toughness.

PHN+: From Dave Molinari. So, the season is basically over. How much should the Penguins care?

And I just found this little nugget early Thursday morning. The Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill scoffed when asked about acquiring Erik Karlsson.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now

Let’s get to the trade boards because the Penguins are now on them. Sportsnet was on fire Wednesday. They released every big ticket story at once.

Sportsnet: Trade Board 4.0. Nick Kypreos isn’t shy. The former Hockey Night in Canada panelist and current Sportsnet radio pillar is the first to put Quinton Byfield’s name on the trade block, beside Karlsson and some other white whales.

We’ll stick with Sportsnet because they also released their February 2025 draft rankings. I suppose you can start to salivate at the potential of a top-five pick.

OK, maybe even the top pick?

Some injury news to watch: The Rangers placed Adam Fox on IR with an upper body injury. LA Kings blueliner Drew Doughty is also out with an injury.

TSN: I don’t get this one, but the Edmonton Oilers appear to be standing pat with their goaltending situation. The Flyers aren’t getting many calls on Rasmus Ristolainen, either. Here’s the latest from Darren Dreger.

Philly Hockey Now: Will James has the compilation of rumors, some common sense and what comes next in the latest Flyers Trade Tracker.

NYI Hockey Now: Another team dealing with the frustration of higher hopes, a veteran roster and sagging results. Coach Patrick Roy stopped practice and read the boys the riot act Wednesday. Russel Macias has the scene from Islanders practice.

Vegas Hockey Now: Just for some fun today, Hannah Kirkell hits the eight best trades in Vegas Golden Knights history.