Dan’s Daily: Watch Tortorella Go Nuts; Lots of Penguins Anger

The Pittsburgh Penguins have anger, but it might be more hurt and disappointment than directable hate that could be put to good use on the ice. The NHL trade deadline was both a crushing disappointment and a moment of stark realization. On the ice, the Penguins had another mistake-filled day and were buried by the Boston Bruins. Elsewhere in the Daily, will NHL GMs fix the LTIR rules?

The Daily is late today because I wasn’t smart enough to get my phone out of my bag before I yelled, “Hey Siri, set the alarm for 6 a.m.”

It was a marathon day Saturday. It was quite educational, too. I don’t know how much longer PHN will be on the road this season–I see less and less value as the games become less and less important — but unless I have a change of heart today, we’ll be in Ottawa because there’s a big story that I feel emerging and being in a locker room without 10 other local media types will be necessary to get it.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Better effort, same result. The Boston Bruins hammered the new Penguins lineup 5-1.

Boston Hockey Now: Here’s the flip side of the Penguins’ loss. It’s the take from the Boston Bruins’ win.

PHN Video: I apologize for the cryptic video, but I think many readers picked up where I was headed. It’s also my most-watched postgame of the season. The players tepidly acknowledged the better effort but cracked themselves for fundamental mistakes, like bad line changes that led to goals. Those little details revealed a very big picture in the Penguins locker room.

Penguins Report Card: The new sad reality cannot be escaped. Even effort cannot save this Penguins season.

And the non-story story. I was shocked this went viral, but after The Hockey News pumped the Sidney Crosby trade polls and stories Thursday and Friday, it was relevant.

Can confirm from people who have spoken with Sidney Crosby over the last several days — he is NOT leaving but instead invested in turning this around.

My opinion is that the stuff you’re seeing out there is pretty irresponsible if not absolute nonsense.

— Dan Kingerski (@TheDanKingerski) March 9, 2024

It’s quite sad what’s become of the Hockey News, but they are closely associated with Sports Illustrated, and if you’ve followed any of the news over the last year, you know how damning that is.

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now

Philly Hockey Now: John Tortorella got tossed in the first period but refused to leave the bench. It was a bad day for the Flyers, but you’ve got to see Tortorella go nuts behind the Flyers bench.

Montreal Hockey Now: Much like Kyle Dubas, Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes dropped not-so-veiled hints about a very active NHL trade market this summer.

Sportsnet: Will GMs fix the LTIR loopholes? Elliotte Friedman also confirmed Jimmy Murphy’s story that Linus Ullmark rejected a deal not to the LA Kings. The Headlines segment on Hockey Night in Canada.

Also on Sportsnet (until we resurrect Vancouver Hockey Now this summer): Casey DeSmith will carry the goaltending load down the stretch after an injury to Thatcher Demko. The Canucks react to Casey getting the net.

I’m starting to think DeSmith has a hockey curse or Munchausen syndrome. All of the starting goalies in front of DeSmith go down before the playoffs (I kid, I kid). 

Boston Hockey Now: It was ultimately his choice because the mystery team was on his no-trade list, but Linus Ullmark is happy to stay and nix the Bruins trade talk.

TSN: Lost in the shuffle of the NHL trade deadline, the Vancouver Canucks did NOT sign Phil Kessel.

Buffalo Hockey Now: A WILD game in Buffalo. It looked to be over. Teams were leaving the ice after an OT winner, but the Sabres were offsides by maybe–maybe–an inch. It was basically the same call that went against the Penguins earlier this season (I can’t recall the game), but the Buffalo Sabres persevered and beat Edmonton.