Dan’s Daily: Frustration Boils on Leafs Bench; Penguins Trade Bait

Here’s something to keep an eye on because the NHL rumor mill will be an inferno should the Toronto Maple Leafs meltdown become official. The Pittsburgh Penguins will be ground zero for the trade. Tossing gasoline on the Toronto situation, the Maple Leafs bench had some friction Saturday as they were handled on home ice by the Boston Bruins and will face elimination. The Penguins trade bait board isn’t the sexiest in the league. Also in the Daily, Sidney Crosby paid a touching tribute to the voice of hockey in Canada, Bob Cole. The Islanders and Lightning avoided sweeps, and why has Alex Ovechkin gone ice-cold in the playoffs?

I do believe today is the day I’ll take the tarp off the motorcycle and hit the road. Or I might walk to the strip district. It’s a very weird feeling not having anywhere to be. I covered more than 70 NHL regular season games, and four days in Wilkes-Barre probably earned some time off … but that just isn’t me. So, maybe I’ll ride to Boston or Raleigh for Game 5?

Or I’ll fly to Las Vegas to resume my residency covering the Golden Knights while we wait for the Penguins’ offseason chatter to begin (right now, it’s quiet—too quiet).

I think we brought a great deal to fans with the WBS Penguins coverage. Unfortunately, prospects coverage is never well-read, but if you really want to know what’s happening, check it out. I’ll repost it below. My track record is pretty good, and I think I’ve got a bead on the new crop. There is some good news, some bad.

Pittsburgh Penguins

PHN+: Kyle Dubas threw down the gauntlet for top goalie prospect Joel Blomqvist. If he asserted himself in the playoffs, an NHL roster spot seemingly awaited. We got a good look at Blomqvist, broke down his game, and his AHL playoff performance over both games. Here’s the breakdown and verdict for the Penguins prospect.

There were two other Penguins prospects in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lineup. Tristan Broz and Ville Koivunen. Both parachuted in and saw their first action with WBS. One could be an NHL contributor next season, but one was disappointing. There was also a surprise entry in the prospect pool. Here’s the full Penguins prospect situation.

Use code Dan10 to join PHN+ and save $10. I also don’t mind if you join at full price.

Also, the WBS Penguins were absolutely hosed by referees Friday night. We’re talking bogus penalties to keep the game close and a horrendous missed ruling on a game-tying goal. But so goes life in the AHL.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: It’s not a deep list that will ignite the hot stoves, but it is significant. The Pittsburgh Penguins trade board 1.0.

I noticed our copycat friends had an off-shoot Penguins trade story about an hour after ours…

NYI Hockey Now: HIGH DRAMA. Facing elimination, one overtime wasn’t enough for the Fish Sticks. We needed two. And the New York Islanders survived.

Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins are handling the Toronto Maple Leafs as an adult would an unruly child at the playground (or at least used to when parents had authority). Brad Marchand is dominating the series, and the Saturday night win means the Boston Bruins lead 3-1.

Sportsnet: The Maple Leafs core isn’t so happy with each other. Mitch Marner denied it, but the prying eyes of the TV cameras and Toronto media were all over it. You can see the videos here; the boys were bickering pretty well as they lost Game 4.

Florida Hockey Now: This time, Tampa Bay broke through. They played so well but couldn’t crack Florida in Game 3. This time, they did, and they forced Game 5 with the Florida Panthers.

Sportsnet: Bob Cole was THE play-by-play voice in Canada. He became an institution for the country, much like Mike Lange and Bob Prince did in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby paid a touching tribute to his friend, who passed away at 90 late last week.