Dan’s Daily: Still Waiting on Dubas? NHL Trade Talk, & VGK Apology

The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to wait on Kyle Dubas. The Toronto Maple Leafs have already filled their vacant GM spot. NHL trade rumors are percolating around John Tavares. Sportsnet looked at the history of Stanley Cup Final Cinderellas, Bruce Cassidy apologized to the Arizona Coyotes, and Ron Francis got a nice new contract in Seattle.

Yesterday, we launched New Jersey Hockey Now!

Now, if only I could find a beat writer in Vegas. I haven’t told the story, but it’s pretty funny. We hired a Vegas Golden Knights beat writer in late April. He formerly worked in Vegas media but didn’t get the Golden Knights beat, so he left town. He regretted that and very much wanted to return. It seemed like a perfect fit. He shocked us by loading his car within two days of being hired and driving across the country to an apartment he rented within hours of getting the job, a shared condo with an older widow.

Ok, first odd move. During training, he had relentless questions as I tried to work: “When I click ‘Save,’ the bubble doesn’t rotate like it used to. Is that OK?”

I counted over 30 questions that were absolutely irrelevant to anything that I cared to entertain. I don’t suffer fools well, but I tried to stay patient. A day later, he quit.

We unearth some unique people in this job … Let’s get to hockey.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: FSG’s inexperience and lack of engagement in hockey until they fired Ron Hextall and Brian Burke is a problem. Dubas or not, it’s hurting the Penguins.

Drew O’Connor had a pretty spiffy World Championships, where he played center for Team USA. Can he carry that back to the NHL?

And Dave Molinari capped off the PHN day with this: If the Penguins are in on Kyle Dubas, enough waiting around. It’s time for a hard deadline. This has gone on long enough — the Kyle Dubas saga.

One month to NHL free agency and 26 days to the NHL Draft. Tick tock.

NHL Trade Talk, Stanley Cup Final & National Hockey Now:

Stanley Cup Final:

Vegas Hockey Now: Yes, that was my voice asking the question. Coach Bruce Cassidy said he’d be an idiot if he didn’t learn anything from his last Stanley Cup Final. On that note, he took a detour to apologize to the Arizona Coyotes for tossing them under the bus last week. He called his comments dumb and disrespectful. Vegas Golden Knights coverage.

And then he returned to a pretty insightful answer about what he took from his first Cup Final in 2019. The full answer: What Cassidy learned is a Vegas Golden Knights advantage.

Florida Hockey Now: The power play is starting to click. And that’s good because the VGK penalty-kill is bad. Florida Panthers advantage.

Everything Else:

New Jersey Hockey Now: GM Tom Fitzgerald is still working on locking up some of his many free agents. New Jersey Devils off-season analysis.

TSN: GM Ronnie Francis gets a contract extension in Seattle. Well earned.

Sportsnet: Brad Treliving is officially the Toronto Maple Leafs GM, and why that makes the most sense.

Also from up North, here is a look at Stanley Cup Final Cinderellas and how they fared.

Boston Hockey Now: After a rough year in Calgary, Milan Lucic is pondering his NHL future.

There is no timetable yet for a decision by Patrice Bergeron.

Washington Hockey Now: New coach Spencer Carbery was a mainstay in the Capitals’ minor-league system before taking an NHL assistant gig in Toronto. Coming back home, he knows which Washington Capitals prospects are ready.

NHL Trade Talk:

I saved this for last — make you get to the end to find them today because I’m feeling ornery.

Philly Hockey Now: Daniel Briere’s latest comments show that no Flyers player is untouchable on the NHL trade market.

Toronto Star: Nick Kypreos thinks John Tavares is the odd man out in Toronto, especially with that $11 million AAV.