Dan’s Daily: Coyotes Deny Sale/Moving, Disputed Evander Kane Gun Video Surfaces

There’s more smoke around the idea that the Philadelphia Flyers could shake up their team and put some big names on the NHL trade block. The Flyers and Boston Bruins struggles are keeping the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoff race. The Penguins had an off day after head coach Mike Sullivan benched Kasperi Kapanen. We looked at why the Penguins aren’t scoring, and Marc-Andre Fleury stuffed Alex Ovechkin in the shootout to do what Fleury does best–beat the Washington Capitals.

Also, a disputed gun video surfaced on the same day that Evander Kane won sole custody of his child. What a soap opera.

Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher did a lot of work this offseason to build a better team. The early NHL trade rumors are a result of struggling. I can only wonder if the Penguins will soon fill the NHL trade rumors, too.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins report card was less about the micro and more about the macro. In detail, we explained–Why can’t the Penguins score?

NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now:

San Jose: What a day. Evander Kane won full custody of his daughter, and his ex-wife was ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. And Kane’s ex-wife released a video showing Kane with a gun she claimed was loaded, but his lawyers claimed it was part of a photo shoot. Full story. 

Sportsnet: Claude Giroux to the Ottawa Senators? It’s not the first time Giroux’s name has appeared in NHL trade rumors, but the Flyers might make more moves to change the course of their season. 

Vegas: Jack Eichel! Not long after Eichel’s disc replacement surgery, he’s back on the ice. Video of him on the ice in North Carolina–in full Vegas Golden Knights gear. 

AP: Marc-Andre Fleury stopped Alex Ovechkin. Daniel Sprong and Evgeny Kuznetsov hit posts, and the Blackhawks beat the Capitals. 

Washington: Oh those posts. The Capitals lamented the iron, though their third line with Carl Hagelin sparked the team.

TSN: Montreal Canadiens trade rumors, Ottawa prefers in-house solutions to the NHL trade market, and the Arizona Coyotes vigorously denied being for sale and moving to Houston. 

Reading tea leaves and nothing more, the Forbes reporter who broke the story did so because of banking contacts. Follow me here, the Coyotes are most likely not for sale, but a sale process could take a year or even two. As the Coyotes try to save their desert roots, they have to also plan for the worst-case scenario–that they don’t get a new arena development. But that’s purely my conjecture.

Boston: We’ll keep watching the Bruins in the wild-card race. Jake DeBrusk, who is blowing in the NHL trade breeze, was big on Thursday night, and the Bruins shut out Nashville, 2-0. 

NYI: The New York Islanders are quickly falling out of that wild-card race. They lost again on Thursday night but gained a point. Their winless streak hits nine…

Detroit: Team Canada is delivering invites for the World Juniors. Sadly, the Pittsburgh Penguins won’t be well represented in the tournament, but unsurprisingly, the Detroit Red Wings will be…