Dan’s Daily: 2OT McHero, Bruins Rumors, NHL-Ready Penguins Prospects

We’ll start today with the Pittsburgh Penguins and how their prospects could fill a couple of holes in the lineup. Which prospects are NHL-ready ready, and which might find themselves in a make-or-break situation? Elsewhere in the Daily, Connor McDavid played the hero in double overtime, the Boston Bruins management promised an aggressive offseason, and the NHL rumors include some big names. The Hurricanes GM might bolt for the open gig in Columbus, and Gabriel Landeskog hopes to end a two-year absence by returning next season.

The conference finals might not involve the NHL’s biggest media markets, but these teams are good. The quality of hockey has never been better. I still can’t get over the fact that McDavid played in Erie for a few years, and I never made the trip. What the hell was I thinking?!

For those of you who don’t come straight to the website, you should know that the tech giants are again wreaking havoc on the internet. The brightly-lettered overlord hasn’t hurt PHN too much, but they’re swinging a sledgehammer that is supposed to crush smaller publishers in favor of supposedly more reliable, older outlets. That’s fine, but their attempt has somehow prioritized a lot of irrelevant outlets that don’t use actual reporters.

Google decided 2024 was going to be the year they fixed the internet, but for every change, they create a lot of unintended consequences. For example, a hockey site that simply rewrites everyone else’s work shouldn’t rank near the top, but several often do. It’s up to you to be selective and bypass those sites that aren’t doing the work. You can also bypass the big-tech control and create a direct link to PHN on your phone, with our pretty icon included. Here is the PHN “app.”

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins actually have some prospects. No, really. A handful or more could claim NHL jobs next season, thus filling a couple of the open spots at near-league minimums. From Sam Poulin to Brayden Yager and the guys in between, here’s a full accounting from the only person to see them all in person–a look at who is NHL-ready among the Penguins prospects.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

We’ll start with the rumors instead of the game.

Boston Hockey Now: There’s a new twist in the NHL rumor mill. Our Jimmy Murphy was the first to catch former Penguins tough guy Georges Laraque on a French-speaking Montreal radio station report that Leon Draisaitl was interested in coming to the Bruins. Now, there’s a new wrinkle in the Bruins rumors.

Bruins GM Don Sweeney bristled at a question regarding Jake DeBrusk’s future, essentially swatting back responsibility for stalled negotiations to DeBrusk’s side. It’s getting a bit contentious for the Bruins free agent.

The Bruins front office promised an “aggressive” offseason. Buckle up.

New Jersey Hockey Now: “The players will love him.” Our James Nichols dug into Sheldon Keefe’s hiring by talking to those who covered him for years in Toronto. How will he fit with New Jersey, and what is he like? What to know about the New Jersey Devils coach.

TSN: The Carolina Hurricanes gave GM Don Wadell permission to interview with other teams, and he promptly interviewed with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s a quickly unfolding story.

Colorado Hockey Now: Captain Gabriel Landeskog wants to play next season. Despite missing two seasons after knee ligament replacement/transplant, he’s still pushing toward returning to the NHL. What about Valeri Nichuskin’s status, Jonathan Drouin, and more? It was a nearly hour-long press conference. Here’s what you need to know about the Colorado Avalanche.

Vegas Hockey Now: The offseason has begun, but next season doesn’t figure to change much–the VGK roster is already stacked. Here are the five reasons the Vegas Golden Knights are still contenders.

Sportsnet: It was a wild overtime. And then two OTs. Connor McDavid was the McHero, and the Edmonton Oilers won Game 1. Here are the highlights and the game story if you didn’t stay up for the drama.