Penguins Practice: Crosby Prepared; New D-Man Puts Past Behind (+)

LAS VEGAS — “He had a great 30 minutes,” joked Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.

Sullivan was asked about his first impressions of the newbie defenseman Conor Timmins. Perhaps it was the Las Vegas sunshine, but even Sullivan cracked up at his answer.

“That was pretty funny, huh,” he said, joining the assembled laughter.

Make no mistake, the season since the Four Nations Face-Off has been abysmal for the Penguins. They have just one win and three points in eight games (1-6-1). The team has said goodbye to very popular teammates who were whisked away via Penguins trade, and more than a few were just short of exasperation Friday night in the team’s 4-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

However, the NHL trade deadline fury is over. The team is what it will be, at least for the next five weeks, and players can begin to rebuild their situation without external distractions.

“The players in the room, it’s an uneasy time for all of those guys. So, once you get past the trade deadline and you have what you have, you move forward with that group,” Sullivan said pregame Friday. “I think there’s a comfort with that for players. It’s never an easy time of year. It’s the business side of the game.”

Conor Timmins

One player who got the call from his general manager was defenseman Conor Timmins. He woke up Friday as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, looking forward to a playoff run, and went to bed late Friday night in Las Vegas as a member of the Penguins, who will not be going to the playoffs.