Dan’s Daily: Former Penguin Revives Career; Goalie Trade Talk

The Pittsburgh Penguins need some goals beyond just their top line and they have a few options beyond the current NHL roster. Dave Molinari noticed a significant Sidney Crosby statistic or anomaly that should benefit the Penguins but hasn’t yet paid dividends. Elsewhere in the Daily, the Ottawa Senators, who are the Penguins’ chief competition for the second wild-card spot, are joining a few other teams on the NHL trade market for a goalie and a former Penguins winger who cost a lot but has bounced around is resurrecting his career with the Edmonton Oilers.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s quest to cover all 82 games for you is in full swing. We finished booking our California trip later this month. Whoa boy, it’s not easy, nor is it cheap. I understand why the newspapers have ceased to travel regularly, and the job of daily coverage is left to the two independents, including us.

I haven’t decided if I risk our 82-game coverage by flying in and out of Seattle on the same day. If anyone is headed on the Penguins’ West Coast trip, I found a few solid hotel deals in LA,  San Jose/San Fran, and Salt Lake City. I’ll be happy to help.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Podcast–No Pucks Given. Some angry locker room reactions, some roster talk, an honest assessment of the Jesse Puljujarvi situation and more—here’s the No Pucks Given show. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. If I’m missing one, let me know.

Where is Rutger? The Penguins are a winger short of a clicking top-six. They do have some options, including a trade. But more accessible and easier, there are some internal options to help the Penguins roster.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: Kasperi Kapanen. He washed out with the Penguins. Washed out in St. Louis. Now, he’s getting his groove back with the Edmonton Oilers. Here’s the full story on Kappy, though he dodged questions on the past.

Ottawa Sun: Linus Ullmark is out with an upper-body injury, and the prognosis is more mysterious than short term. Ottawa is essentially the second-wild card team (winning percentage), but that might not be the case for long without Ullmark. So, it’s time to crack open the goalie trade market.

The best option for Ottawa? Yeah, it would be Alex Nedeljkovic. Wouldn’t that be an interesting phone call?

Hockey back in Arizona?

BREAKING: Newly elected Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Tom Galvin announces the formation of a committee of political & business leaders to bring the NHL back to Arizona.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman confirmed that he met with Galvin before Christmas via Zoom.

— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) January 6, 2025

No. Dear God, no.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Holy glove save, Jacob Markstrom. The Seattle Kraken couldn’t put a dent in the New Jersey Devils.

Philly Hockey Now: Elias Pettersson. The trade rumors are picking up even as Vancouver tries to tamp them down. There’s one rebuilding team that could jumpstart that rebuild pretty quickly with a trade for Pettersson, and it’s the Philadelphia Flyers.

Detroit Hockey Now: Another team has needs and top prospects. If you watched the World Juniors, you saw some special Red Wings prospects. Is Detroit willing and able to pull Axel Sandin Pellikka in mid-March?

Forever Blueshirts: We’ll never know if the Penguins would have claimed Arthur Kaliyev, the New York Rangers sent Matt Rempe to the minors and snagged Kaliyev off waivers.