Dan’s Daily: Contract Rumors & Talks; McGroarty Speaks

Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty sidestepped a question about his stalemate with the Winnipeg Jets, which led to his Pittsburgh trade, but he doused rumors about his demands. By all rights, he seems like a pretty good kid with high energy. We also looked at the one very big thing that Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas must change. The NHL rumors persist around Leon Draisaitl’s and Jeremy Swayman’s contract talks. Also in the Daily, it’s Dubas vs. Daniel Briere– colleague Jon Bailey wrote an interesting piece comparing the Flyers’ rebuild to the Penguins’ path. And we’ve got a burgeoning problem in Detroit with a pair of high-level unsigned RFAs.

We had an interesting press conference with McGroarty on Wednesday. The Penguins don’t advertise them to the public for obvious reasons, but as soft and bland as the Penguins have been in the recent past, the team has some high-energy sandpaper wingers with some scoring touch on the way. Tanner Howe could be a nice bookend.

I think you’re going to like McGroarty. He’s got that contagious energy and enthusiasm. A couple of the other prospects came to have lunch with him before the presser. I could have gone a few different ways with our story, and I tried to provide a buffet of the various storylines, but the only question he didn’t answer directly was the Winnipeg situation. I suppose we’ll never get a good answer on that, though I think for an American kid, the prospect of playing in the ‘Peg isn’t so appealing.

It’s a real problem for Winnipeg, Edmonton, and, to a lesser extent, Ottawa. Quite frankly, I’d happily take all three of those cities over Long Island or Buffalo, but that’s just me. If you like a test of human endurance, take a walk in January around Winnipeg.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: There will be some cool bobblehead giveaways this season, but not everyone will get one–you have to get there a bit early. Here are the five dolls and the dates for the Penguins bobblehead giveaways.

Here is the McGroarty presser. He said the only promise the Penguins made to him was a spot in the Prospects Challenge. I’m starting to believe the narrative that he demanded an NHL spot in Winnipeg was a snow job. Here is the story and the video of Rutger McGroarty.

Here was our heavy hitter story on Wednesday–before you knock off for the holiday. Looking at this Penguins roster and what could be, there’s one thing that Dubas must change for the Penguins to be successful. I swear, the numbers get worse and worse. Check out the comprehensive Penguins analysis.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Leading 10-3 in the seventh inning. It’s been seven years and nearly 1200 games since any team had that kind of lead and LOST. Yet that’s exactly what the hapless Pirates did, losing 14-10. Manager Derek Shelton ripped his team afterward, and it’s time for a clean sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Steelers Now: It’s official. Russel Wilson is QB1 and will start against the Atlanta Falcons. Coach Mike Tomlin called it a “difficult decision.” Here’s the full scoop on the Steelers starting QB decision.

And more bad news for the offensive line–the starting guard suffered a potentially serious injury. Here’s the Steelers injury news.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: The latest buzz on Leon Draisaitl, Jeremy Swayman and even Thatcher Demko. There’s doubt about the Swayman reports, and wondering how much Draisaitl will get. The latest rumors and scuttlebutt will certainly shape the NHL.

Philly Hockey Now: I think you’ll enjoy this story from Bailey. Philadelphia is rebuilding, as are the Washington Capitals and the Penguins. How does Dubas’s performance compare to that of the Penguins’ rivals, Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers?

Detroit Hockey Now: Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider remained unsigned. Hmm. What to believe about the percolating drama of the Detroit Red Wings.

TSN Video: The insider egde. What are the over/under on goals scored by Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, and some guy named Sidney Crosby? Here’s what the Canadian media folks think.

Buffalo Hockey Now: Let’s finish off the Daily with a good laugh at Buffalo’s expense. When you’re rebuilding, every mistake is magnified, and things need to break right to get out of the vicious cycle. That has certainly not happened on the lake, and our Jason Moser ranked the five biggest mistakes of the Buffalo Sabres drought.