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Dan’s Daily: Top 30 NHL Trade Candidates, Uh-Oh Islanders Look Good

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NHL trade rumors, Pittsburgh Penguins, Dylan Larkin

Pittsburgh Penguins fans and players might want to fasten their seatbelts. The New York Islanders looked strong in the debut of Bo Horvat centering Mathew Barzal. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are dragging their feet toward a decision about their future. Sportsnet laid out the top 30 NHL trade candidates with some tantalizing names, and the Penguins are getting healthy even as Kasperi Kapanen admitted the third line has been the problem.

And we have an exclusive — Colorado Hockey Now beat writer Evan Rawal chatted with Evan Rodrigues about his return to Pittsburgh.

I can’t believe the bye week is over. It feels like I’m ready to take a vacation now. I chuckled as I looked at PHN traffic for the past 10 days. Dave and Shelly were concerned we didn’t have enough content. Instead, PHN published 30 stories and had its best week in two months (and we’ve been doing very well in that time).

We also picked up a goodly number of PHN+ subscribers because of Dave’s exclusive interview with Brian Burke.

We have another PHN+ story that you may want to read today — the Penguins third liners responded to Ron Hextall’s Sunday comments that they lack chemistry and he’d like to improve that area. You can probably guess which player had not heard the comments but also gave the bluntest answer. Get $10 off the normal PHN+ price — use code 10off

Subscribe to PHN+ here.

Don’t forget you also get a free subscription to SteelersNow and Pittsburgh Baseball Now — spring training coverage stats in SEVEN days from Bradenton.

Pittsburgh Penguins / Steelers, Pirates

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Josh Archibald was a full go again. Full update — Coach Mike Sullivan said he could bring “the juice” to the Penguins lineup Tuesday.

PHN+: Someone had to put their foot down, and that foot was me. I directly asked the Penguins’ third-liners to respond to Ron Hextall’s charge. It’s a mix of answers, but I thought Kasperi Kapanen delivered the most honest answer (no surprise). Jason Zucker also explained what it’s like to be dangling on the NHL trade block. I hope you enjoy the read — Pittsburgh Penguins locker room.

Don’t forget to use the code: 10off

Steelers Now:

I think this is bad news — the Steelers lost Brian Flores, who is the Vikings’ new DC.

Alan Saunders did his homework. I think THIS is the must-read in Steelers country — how the Steelers can create cap space.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now:

There is a seldom-used word going around the players’ group text. No joke–check it out with John Perrotto’s inside story on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now:

Sportsnet: Here ya go — Sportsnet’s top 30 players on the NHL trade block.

TSN: Patrick Kane said he hasn’t yet decided on his future with the Chicago Blackhawks. He and Jonathan Toews are both pondering what comes next.

Metro Division:

Calgary Hockey Now: The game has Canadian fans roaring with approval and delight all over social media. It was the regular season game of the year. Unfortunately for the Penguins, the New York Rangers won in OT, but it was an epic battle against the Calgary Flames.

NYI Hockey Now: The Islanders beat the Flyers 2-1. The uh-oh part for the Penguins was the visible chemistry between Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat.

Philly Hockey Now: From the flip side, John Tortorella didn’t seem too upset by the loss. Instead, he felt it was a learning experience and liked his Philadelphia Flyers.

Washington Hockey Now: It’s been a big deal in Washington, much more so than in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby may have earned a billion goodwill points with Capitals fans by saying it was the highlight of his weekend to participate in the skills competition with Alex Ovechkin and son.

Everything Else:

The Athletic: I question a few of the teams listed as “should be” interested, but here’s the latest on Toews and Kane on the NHL trade market.

EXCLUSIVE: E-Rod! Evan Rodrigues chatted with our Evan Rawal about returning to face the Penguins. Colorado Avalanche coverage.

Vegas Hockey Now: Where are they now? Those original expansion picks of the Vegas Golden Knights.