Dan’s Daily: The Penguins Road Map, Kings Closing on Dubois Trade

NASHVILLE, Tenn — The LA Kings are closing on a deal for Pierre Luc Dubois. The national reports and our colleague Austin Stanovich fueled the NHL trade chatter on Monday, though there is no deal yet. The Toronto Maple Leafs are aggressively trying to sign Michael Nylander, the  Calgary Flames have a clogged exit door, we laid out the risks and rewards of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ new road map, and Kris Letang was honored for persevering through his extraordinarily difficult season.

Oh, Nashville. If you’ve been a long-time reader, you know this city and I have a rich history. It reached a new level of weirdness on Monday night.

Things didn’t work out as planned Monday night, and I couldn’t leave the arena (a story for another day) to extend my parking time, so it expired during the awards show. OK, I’m getting a ticket, and that stinks, but it’s life, right? Nope. Nashville booted my car. The little tow truck guy waited in a mostly empty parking lot to explain that I didn’t pay, and that’s what happens. When I showed him my receipt, he declared that he didn’t see it on my dashboard but admitted he didn’t bother checking the license plate to see if I paid … yet he still demanded $104 to remove the wrongfully placed boot.

Basically, he didn’t see the paper receipt and just booted the car. Nashville parking lots are run by local towing companies looking for a quick buck. Be forewarned if you’re coming for the NHL Draft. I can only imagine how many people who have too much to drink and leave their cars overnight get suckered this way.

Pittsburgh Penguins / Steelers, Pirates:

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas is trying to count cards and find players being squeezed out due to salary cap constraints. It’s a smart plan, though risky, but it also perfectly sets up a Penguins rebuild. Shining a light on the Penguins’ trade strategy.

As voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the NHL awarded the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and sportsmanship to Kris Letang.

Letang is often one of the most raw and genuine interviews, at least when the subject is him. He was again so Monday night, admitting it took a little shove from his wife and family to get back to the rink after the death of his father. Letang opened up on the emotions of a tough season. It was a story about family, past and present, for the Penguins’ defenseman.

You can watch Kris Letang’s post-ceremony press conference here. Like and subscribe to the National Hockey Now YouTube channel.

Steelers Now: Kevin Dotson. Should the Steelers trade him?

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Endy Rodrigues goes yard. Get caught up with the latest Pirates prospects watch.

And John Perrotto checks in. No, the Pirates can’t trade Andrew McCutchen.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now:

LA Hockey Now: Sources told our Austin Stanovich Pierre-Luc Dubois trade talks are underway between the Winnipeg Jets and the LA Kings.

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman tied Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings and had an update on the Dubois “blockbuster.”

NHL.com: Connor McDavid had a clean sweep at the NHL Awards. There were no surprises, but here are all of the award winners.

I thought the TNT broadcast of the awards show was shockingly good and entertaining. TNT is starting to run laps around ESPN, in my opinion.

Montreal Hockey Now: Matvei Michkov will meet with the Montreal Canadiens.

Boston Hockey Now: Not done clearing cap space, expect more moves and trade chatter from the Boston Bruins.

Washington Hockey Now: The rumors connect Connor Brown to the Edmonton Oilers via free agency. Brown says that would be awesome. Alas, he played only four games in his Washington Capitals tenure.

Philly Hockey Now: Torey Krug seemingly put the kibosh on the Flyers’ blockbuster deal with the St. Louis Blues. However, it’s not over. Is John Leclair intervening to salvage the Flyers trade?