Dan’s Daily: Good for Star Players to Leave?; Penguins New Depth

Sunday is a good day for the end of some storylines and the beginning of others. The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect rankings have a little more meat on the bone than you may realize, and it’s on full display as we continue the annual PHN Penguins prospect rankings. Patrik Laine is now officially and actively on the NHL trade market. Steven Stamkos’s former teammate, Martin St. Louis, said it’s good for star players to leave their longtime teams, and he explained why. Jeff Marek issued a small statement regarding his departure from Sportsnet, and Sportsnet had some fun with a hypothetical expansion draft.

Golf is like life. Fix one thing and two others are guaranteed to break.

With any luck, a few general managers are not on the golf course this weekend, and the offseason gets a little jolt. Last year at this time, we had the Erik Karlsson sweepstakes. In 2022, we had the mid-July deal between Florida and Calgary that involved swapping Matthew Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau.

In August, we’ll probably do a lot of contextual stuff, top 5 lists, and player analysis stories. But my kingdom for a bit of activity. Hopefully, you’re enjoying a picture-perfect weekend.

Pittsburgh Penguins News

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Penguins one-timers. So, who will be the first Penguins prospect to stick in the NHL lineup? And what of the different paths available to president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas–could Dubas have towed both lines to acquire draft picks AND improve the Penguins lineup?

PHN+:  You might be surprised to see the NHL talent on the prospects list. I was. We rolled out prospects six through 10, including one exciting longshot and at least one who figures to make his NHL debut this season. These are No.’s 6-10 of the official PHN Penguins prospect rankings.

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NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now

Buffalo Hockey Now: There could be a little bidding war for Laine. Jason Moser also jumped on the Laine news and laid out how it would work—a Laine to the Buffalo Sabres trade.

Sportsnet: I thought this was fun, but I don’t think this is who the Penguins would lose in a hypothetical expansion draft.

Florida Hockey Now: George Richards is on top of the 2025 offseason. The defending Stanley Cup champions already lost defenseman Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Could they lose Aaron Ekblad, too? Tough decisions loom for the Florida Panthers.

TSN: Should a player play for one team for his entire career? Steven Stamkos was heartbroken about leaving Tampa Bay. Former teammate and current Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis didn’t mince words–he said its good to play for different teams and Stamkos will be glad he did.

Awful Announcing: It’s still a mystery. Jeff Marek left Sportsnet in the middle of the 2024 NHL Draft. Everyone is still mum about the situation, but Marek broke his public silence, confirming he’s fine and he’s no longer with the hockey giant.

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers cost themselves a goalie prospect by not taking good enough care of him. Alexei Kolosov was assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and basically had to live in a hotel for a month, solo. To no surprise, he told the Philadelphia Flyers goodbye.

My day in Allentown during the AHL playoffs wasn’t bad, but it is not a city where I’d like to be isolated, either.

Washington Hockey Now: I did a similar list several years ago and had a lot of fun putting it together. Our newest beat writer, Nathan Moser, had some real fun, too. There are some big names—the top five American Washington Capitals.

USA! USA!