Dan’s Daily: Marner Trade Talk Goes Cold; Pondering Penguins Veterans

The St. Louis Blues have too many left-handed defensemen and are talking trade. The Toronto Maple Leafs have quieted the NHL trade rumors surrounding Mitch Marner. We pondered the Pittsburgh Penguins’ veterans, especially Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson, what they must think of the club’s short-term future and how it could affect their future. And embattled goalie Spencer Knight will have a bigger role with the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

I don’t recall a summer recess beginning so early. This NHL offseason was truncated into days, not weeks, with the Stanley Cup presentation, Draft, and free agency stuffed into seven days like eggs and sausage in a tight breakfast burrito. I don’t recall so many teams getting their treasure and going home so quickly.

I also see a few of you getting cranky; I’m no stranger to taking criticism, but I read a few things in the comments section that surprised me. If you’ve kept up with us, you knew what was going on in the Penguins locker room (beyond the rumors and external accusations), that Jack St. Ivany was on his way, Joel Blomqvist flubbed his big test, the hitch in Brayden Yager’s game that he’ll need to address before training camp, and Owen Pickering’s latest growth spurt. We’ve got more stories this week, and we’re going to surprise a few with a column I hope to finish by tomorrow.

The content will be more opinion and analysis until, of course, the Penguins make some news, but the conversation will continue all summer.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: No, Sidney Crosby has not yet signed a contract. There’s no evidence to suggest he won’t, but there are more things at play than merely terms and dollars. Also, what of Erik Karlsson? He came to win, and the latest moves are pretty underwhelming. There are plenty of What Ifs surrounding the Penguins core.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The Pirates are on a roll, and last night was the MLB Draft. I saw the kid the Pirates picked with the ninth overall selection, Konnor Griffin—sturdy as a brick outhouse. Here’s more on the Pirates draft.

Different spellings of the same name are like a sportswriter’s obstacle course, complete with slippery monkey bars.

Steelers Now: Former Ravens and Steelers wide receiver Jacoby Jones was found dead at the age of 40. It was a shocker on a weekend full of them. Here’s the Steelers news.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now

Toronto Sun: No Mitch Marner trade? It seems those winds have cooled, and the talented forward who has taken a good bit of heat for the Maple Leafs playoff duds is going to stick around, though he is a free agent next season. Here’s the latest on Marner.

The Athletic ($): Is P.O Joseph already a trade candidate in St. Louis? They stocked the left side of their defense two times over, and now they have a glut of lefties. So, what happens now?

Someday, I’ll find out what happened with Joseph and the Penguins. They fully expected him back, and he fully expected to be back, until a few days before he wasn’t. He was quite clearly a guy who struggled with on-ice confidence, but when he had it–those last 20 games were pretty, pretty good.

Florida Hockey Now (+): Spencer Knight was a buyout candidate a couple of weeks ago, but Florida held on. He makes a good chunk of money to be a backup, but he’s also a pretty good goalie. It looks like Florida has made space, and he will have a big role with the 2024-25 Florida Panthers.

Detroit Hockey Now: It feels a little bit like Little Miss Sunshine, but Patrick Kane has a plan to get back to the playoffs. Yep, Kane has a five-point plan for the Detroit Red Wings.

San Jose Hockey Now: Justin Bailey is already enjoying his time in the Bay Area. He’s even doing a little recruiting–here’s why he’s pushing guys to join him with the Barracuda or the San Jose Sharks.

Chicago Hockey Now: One Timers–A player I really like (and so does Chicago), Jason Dickinson is getting a bigger role this season, and our Nate Brown bangs the gavel on coach Luke Richardson. Things are getting more serious with the Chicago Blackhawks.