Dan’s Daily: Yager Happy About Trade; Penguins’ Prospects Battle

The Pittsburgh Penguins of tomorrow put on a pretty good show over the weekend at the Prospects Challenge, and few of the players could be Penguins of today. We went over the details and surprises of who you could see in a Pittsburgh sweater much sooner than later. Former Penguins top prospect Brayden Yager was all smiles when discussing the Penguins trade, in which they shipped him to the Winnipeg Jets for Rutger McGroarty. Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet is experimenting with new slogans but otherwise warning his team that getting to the next level is going to be a lot tougher than they expect.

As for our trip to Buffalo to cover the Penguins prospects tournament, we were hoping to pick up 10 new subscribers but doubled that number. I appreciate you very much. The tech giants have turned against independent and smaller publishers like us, and some days, it feels like we’re rowing against gale-force winds, but you have kept us in the game. We will continue to return the favor by delivering as much Penguins insight, analysis, and interesting content as humanly possible.

Training camp starts Wednesday, and something seems off. I can’t believe they’re going to camp with this many prospects and veterans. I keep feeling like something is going to change (trade), and there are going to be a lot of unhappy players who came to Cranberry for a shot but didn’t feel like they got one.

Also, if anyone stayed up for the 1 a.m. edition of WPXI’s Final Word, I’ll give you a half-price subscription if you can answer a simple question. Drop a note in the comments.

Mondays are always a light day in the Daily because the hockey world seems to take off on Sunday, but we have a few interesting reads.

Pittsburgh Penguins

PHN+: A recap of what we saw over the weekend in Buffalo, including one prospect who completely flipped our opinion of him from concern to rosy outlook. Which three will arrive sooner than later? The Penguins prospects update.

Use coupon code Dan10 to save $10 off when you join PHN+. (Subscribers get access to the entire network and NO ADS!)

If you won a few pennies on the Steelers game (c’mon, the 36.5 Under was an easy bet), you can get the latest sports betting promos here.

Steelers Now: Here’s all the Steelers analysis you need. The offense looked pretty good in the first half, and except for Broderick Jones’s penalty fest, they moved the ball. Then, they were not so good and held on to win. We’ll start with Derrick Bell’s studs and duds in the Steelers win. Alan Saunders was/is in Denver for the game and took a more pragmatic approach. Hey, 2-0 is 2-0, and the Steelers should be happy.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: There is no turning back now. John Perrotto did what he does so well and digs into the real story and what’s going on–Oneil Cruz and his centerfield journey for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

NHL Rumors, News & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: Tocchet’s first attempt at a new mantra is “embrace the hard.” Yeah, we’re just going to whistle past that one and hope he reconsiders it before we see some colorful t-shirts and memes. The Vancouver Canucks were vastly improved last season, but Tocchet is warning them the next step is even harder.

NHL.com: Alas, Brayden Yager, we barely knew thee. Yager is pretty excited by the trade with Winnipeg because now he’s reunited with a few Western Canadian guys, and he’s much closer to home, so his family can see some games if he makes the roster.

There is a lot to like about the Penguins’ acquiring Rutger McGroarty, but if the Penguins misjudged Yager, losing a center at this stage of their “not rebuilding” rebuild will hurt. I’m pretty sure they got the better of the deal, but I only scouted him in person twice last season, including at one Penguins Development Camp.

TSN: Here’s some red meat for our guy Pete, who frequently comments the Penguins need to fire Mike Sullivan. The TSN Overdrive crew with Bruce Boudreau, here’s the secret to a new coach bump.

Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers’ late season fall netted them the 13th overall pick, and they selected Jett Luchanko. He’ll go back to juniors and set about his development, right? Maybe not. Luchanko wants to stick around, and the Philadelphia Flyers are open.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Early in the summer, I was told that Kevin Labanc was interested in coming to the Penguins because he needed a fresh start. However, when the Penguins hired former San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn as Sullivan’s assistant, it wasn’t a good fit. Our guys Sheng Peng and James Nichols broke the news—Labanc will try to resurrect his career on a PTO with the New Jersey Devils.

Washington Hockey Now: Look who is hanging around the rookie camp–goalies Olaf Kolzig and Braden Holtby. The pair of Capitals goalies are providing mentorship to the newbies and Capitals prospects.

“Ollie the goalie” was unbeatable.

Buffalo Hockey Now: The Penguins prospects face the Buffalo Sabres prospects today at 5 p.m. Jason Moser breaks down the top Sabres prospects for us.