Dan’s Daily: Evander Kane Gambling Bombshell; PHN Hits Milestone

The NHL has another serious problem on its hands. Through Instagram posts, Evander Kane’s wife accused the San Jose Sharks forward of gambling on his own games and intentionally losing to win bets. Depending on your perspective, the Toronto Maple Leafs have either made a couple of shrewd signings or picked up a pair of Bruins retreads. I wish there were more Pittsburgh Penguins news, but it appears we’ll have to begin looking at in-house candidates to fill the remaining open Pittsburgh Penguins positions.

Update: Kane released a statement Sunday morning, including an update on his marriage. He and his wife are estranged and proceeding with a divorce. The story is updated below.

Before we get to the pressing hockey news and the links, Pittsburgh Hockey Now would like to thank YOU. On Saturday, PHN crested a milestone we thought unreachable, which puts our hockey readership amongst the biggest. Saturday, PHN reached one million hits in July. That’s one million readers coming through the turnstiles for hockey. We hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage and (most importantly) analysis of the NHL trade chatter, free agency, draft, and the Penguins.

Our video scouting work on Nathan Legare and Sam Poulin will resume shortly.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Evgeni Malkin turned 35 on Saturday. To celebrate, here are our Top 5 Evgeni Malkin moments. 

NHL Trade Chatter, News & National Hockey Now

San Jose Hockey Now: The BOMBSHELL. This is Pete Rose stuff. Evander Kane has been credibly accused of gambling on his own games and tanking games to win bets–by his wife, who posted evidence on Instagram. Sheng Peng has the full story that exploded on Saturday night. 

UPDATE:

pic.twitter.com/CgkRgD8vT2

— Evander Kane (@evanderkane_9) August 1, 2021

Edmonton: The Edmonton Oilers are hunting goalies, and it is Joonas Korpisalo who is appearing in those NHL trade rumors. Friend of PHN, David Staples, reported and analyzed the trade rumors.

The Athletic: Arthur Staple believes the New York Islanders are hiding their free-agent contract signings of Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise, so other teams don’t know how much cap space the Islanders have. 

I call Bullsh*t on this garbage, and the NHL needs to take a firm line. Boys, don’t forget, you’re in the public entertainment business. And people are now wagering on outcomes and futures. Lamoriello’s games may help him, but they hurt the team (public engagement, ticket sales, etc…) and the league. Imagine if all 32 teams played dirty pool like that–TSN and Sportsnet, who spend billions on the league, might have a little bit to say.

Boston: I’m becoming a fan of how the Boston sports media does their job. The Toronto Maple Leafs signed former Boston Bruins Ondrej Kase, then Nick Ritchie on Saturday. The headline on Boston Hockey Now: Maple Leafs Sign Bruins Retreads

There’s none bigger in Boston than our Joe Haggerty and Jimmy Murphy. They may have THE most-read hockey coverage up there, too.

Sportsnet: Here’s the Daily Free Agent Tracker–there were “only” three signings, including Ritchie and Derk Stepan on Saturday, but a ton I’m sure you and I have missed. 

Philly: Keith Yandle took a “show-me” deal with the Philadelphia Flyers after the Florida Panthers paid him to go away. The offensive defenseman Yandle says it was a “no brainer” to sign with the Flyers.

Washington: The Capitals are going to let in-house candidates vie for lineup spots this fall. Here’s a name Pittsburgh Penguins fans might get to know–Martin Fehervary.

Florida: The Panthers signed former Columbus Blue Jackets plugger Zac Dalpe. 

Detroit: I know, I know — every fanbase and every message board had a not-so-secret hope that Tyler Bertuzzi would be available. He’s not. The Detroit Red Wings made sure of that on Saturday with a healthy bridge deal. 

Vancouver: The Canucks, Flames, and Oilers used to hold their rookie tournament together, but they scrapped it because it was too close to Vancouver. What?! The Canadian rivals are finally bringing it back.