Dan’s Daily: Canucks Hire Penguins Allvin, Pens Keep on Trucking

Oh, for gosh sakes, just give Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan the Jack Adams. Perhaps no coach in decades has been so thoroughly praised and so thoroughly ignored in that voting. The Penguins won their sixth in a row, 17 of 19, and PHN still grilled Sullivan and others about winning ugly. After weeks of waiting, Jim Rutherford finally hired Penguins assistant general manager Patrik Allvin to be the Canucks GM, while the Washington Capitals are poking around Marc-Andre Fleury on the NHL trade front.

Was it October or November that I told you Fleury to the Capitals? The only things that stop it are Fleury’s limited no-trade clause or Dallas coughing up Braden Holtby. But this might make you feel better–the Philadelphia Flyers set a franchise record for losing.

Pittsburgh Penguins…

Pittsburgh Hockey Now Video: Get the five-minute scoop on the Penguins 6-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Tactical insights, player chirps, and praise. PHN Pittsburgh Penguins wrap.

PHN+: Get the full monty. The report dives into what the Penguins didn’t do for much of the game, what changed in the third period, and the player grades. Pittsburgh Penguins report card.

I worked on a bit of a story yesterday. I don’t often do “theme” stories where I ask several players the same question, but that’s what I did this week. It’s been a wonder of mine because I’ve seen teams get derailed by “bad” winning. Bad habits get rewarded. A false sense of security creeps in. It sounds counter-intuitive to fans. How can winning be bad, but head coach Mike Sullivan and Bryan Rust knew exactly what I was talking about…

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: They’re winning, but it’s “not our best.” Bryan Rust said, “don’t get a big head,” and Sullivan addressed the topic head-on. The dangers of winning without the Penguins best.

NHL Trade Chatter, News & National Hockey Now

Philly: This is just getting ugly. Thirteen in a row. The Philadelphia Flyers losing streak is 13.

NYI: The flip side and happiness. It was the New York Islanders who got to dish the record-setting loss.

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman’s 32 Thoughts are a must-read this week. He tackled the alleged racist taunts in the ECHL and AHL. Were they not what we thought?

Washington: Friedman also confirmed your worst fears in three bits: Marc-Andre Fleury. NHL trade rumors. The Washington Capitals.

Vancouver: Goodbye, Patrik Allvin. Hello, Patrik Allvin. The Vancouver Canucks have a new GM, and Jim Rutherford plucked his former Penguins protege.

TSN: Based on the game against the Penguins, it does appear Jeff Chychrun is a bit affected by the NHL Trade chatter. Daren Dreger reports there are five teams hot and heavy after the defenseman.

Montreal: The list of suitors is growing for Artturi Lehkonen. The winger has been more engaged this season and is an RFA at year’s end. The wheeling and dealing are just beginning for the Montreal Canadiens.

Boston: How Boston Bruins great Ray Bourque influenced Brad Marchand’s viral cell phone video.

Florida: You remember Patric Hornqvist, eh? The crazy Viking suffered an undisclosed injury and has been out of the Florida Panthers lineup.

Vegas Video: Owen Krepps breaks down the Vegas 4-3 loss to the Penguins division rival, Carolina Hurricanes. I think we have to get Owen some snazzy blazers to cover the Vegas Golden Knights.