Dan’s Daily: More Canucks on Trade Block, Malkin-Mania Runs Wild

I must confess the Hockey Now crew produced some fantastic content. I spent a couple of hours reading everything this morning and did so as a fan. So, here we go — It seems like rats off a sinking ship as another big-name Canucks player is headed for the NHL trade block or free agency. A loophole could allow the Montreal Canadiens to win both draft lotteries this summer. There are positives to the Flyers losing, Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren gives a chill-inducing quote, and Evgeni Malkin propelled the Pittsburgh Penguins to their sixth-straight win.

Maybe I’m becoming a sap for the holidays? I also loved Malkin’s game against the Stars. He was dangerous on every shift without ever giving up the high ground. In a game that probably bored some of you to tears (trust me, I, too, was getting annoyed with the patience of both teams), Malkin’s performance was the one thing that provided the excitement.

Pittsburgh Penguins / Steelers, Pirates:

Who else provides this much postgame coverage the night of the game?!

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins win 2-1 with a minute goal to beat the Dallas Stars. The terminally fun read — Dave Molinari’s Penguins recap.

Go inside the Penguins’ room with Evgeni Malkin, P.O Joseph, and Tristan Jarry. I asked Malkin about that last shift. It was aggressive, not just to run out the clock. He gave a very good answer. Penguins locker room.

PHN+: The report card. Let your hockey geek run wild with this one. It was a playoff-style win. Not everyone played well, but the game had a larger significance. We detailed the bigger picture and dished Pittsburgh Penguins player grades.

Our YouTube channel’s five-minute PHN Penguins postgame.

Dallas Hockey Now: From the flip side, plenty of disappointment. Get the Dallas Stars postgame.

Steelers Now:

• ‘Tis the season? Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide the sleigh tonight? Will Mason Rudolph be the Steelers QB on Sunday?
• Alan Saunders writes there is one BIG thing missing from the Steelers run defense.
• How about this for symmetry — Could the Steelers draft Joey Porter Jr.?

***Pittsburgh Baseball Now: John Perrotto didn’t choke up on this one. He swung away. The New York Mets’ luxury tax payment will EXCEED the Pirates’ payroll. Are the rich paying the Pittsburgh Pirates to be cheap?

Baseball is just broken. Profiteering owners pillage the wallets of fanbases without remorse or return. The Superwealthy are making it a playground. Big city teams with silly levels of TV money are throwing it around like a drunk at the bar who is buying shots for everyone. And you think Gery Bettman is a bad commissioner? Manfred is the worst by miles. Someone please hand him a fiddle to play while baseball burns. Read the article by JP.

NHL Trade Chatter, News & National Hockey Now:

TSN Video: Yet another Vancouver Canucks player rejects a contract and is likely headed to the NHL trade block. Bo Horvat is the next contestant on the price is wrong.

Washington Hockey Now: Goalie Charlie Lindgren has had to fight his way to the NHL and fight to stay there. Our Sammi Silber had a chat, and the quote he read to her resonates loudly with me. Washington Capitals feature.

Montreal: The NHL has two lotteries — One for each of the top two picks. Through shrewd dealings and good luck, the Montreal Canadiens could win BOTH lotteries.

Calgary: Good news for Chris Tanev. He suffered a scary injury over the weekend but was able to fly home with the team. Here’s the full story for the Calgary Flames.

Colorado: Evan Rodrigues is on the mend and skating again. The latest on the former Penguins, now Colorado Avalanche Swiss Army Knife.

Boston Hockey Now: The Pittsburgh Penguins will face the Bruins at the Winter Classic in a couple of weeks. On Sunday, the Bruins took care of family business by beating the Vegas Golden Knights. I love the Corleone reference from Joe Haggerty — here’s the story as the Boston Bruins beat Bruce Cassidy.

And lastly…

Philly Hockey Now: I know you enjoy it, but there are five other good things about the Philadelphia Flyers losing?