Dan’s Daily: Will Penguins Get Aggressive? Bergeron Getting 1-Year Deal

Ladies and gentlemen, the $1 million question. Will the Pittsburgh Penguins and GM Ron Hextall get aggressive in the next couple of weeks to solve the vague puzzle of their roster construction? In the words of Hannibal Lecter, tick-tock Clarice. The Boston Bruins will get Patrice Bergeron back on a short deal heavy with incentives. The final TSN Draft rankings are out, and Pierre-Luc Dubois could, or should, hit the NHL trade block this summer. And Tyson Barrie’s is out there, again.

I have to chuckle when I catch flak for putting names onto the trade block (like Barrie), and then a week later…

NHL Trade Chatter, Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Dave Molinari did a little more digging into the Penguins offseason, including what at least one long-time acquaintance said of Hextall’s style. Will they, or when will they get aggressive? Can Hextall meet the many challenges of this extraordinary offseason? Pittsburgh Penguins analysis.

Edmonton Journal: Tyson Barrie. Don’t take my word for it that he would be a solid contributor capable of a poor man’s No. 1 slot and PP1 QB, Dave Staples of the Edmonton Journal examines Barrie’s bonafides on the NHL trade market.

The more I consider Barrie… At $4.5 million, he could also allow a team to move other right-side assets and be a legit second-pairing defenseman.

Montreal Hockey Now: Pierre-Luc Dubois didn’t like Columbus too much, so they shipped him to Winnipeg. Oops. Dubois is again entering the NHL trade rumors; Elliote Friedman reports he informed Winnipeg that he wouldn’t sign an extension. Enter the Montreal Canadiens.

NHL News & National Hockey Now

TSN: Craig Button’s final NHL draft rankings. I think you can look at the players ranked from about 15-30 and safely assume the Penguins will snag one of them–though Isaac Howard is 32nd (our Marco D’Amico really likes him for the Penguins). Check out the final draft board.

Colorado Hockey Now: Jared Bednar rebutted the “too many men” charge on the Game 4 winner, “I thought it was nothing,” said the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche.

Boston: Not sure if this has any Evgeni Malkin implications, but I’ll be pondering it. Bruins center Patrice Bergeron will play at least one more season and reportedly sign a one-year deal with heavy incentives. Boston Bruins news.

NHL.com: The sides may be far apart, but the Nashville Predators have offered Filip Forsberg an eight-year deal.

I’m not sure if you all care about the progress of our new network, but I spent about seven hours in interviews and meetings on Thursday. I forced myself to enjoy a few beers with Steelersnow.com reporters Chris Carter and Nick Farabaugh. A 30-minute chat with each became an overlapping three-hour get-to-know-you for all of us. If you haven’t made Chris one of your go-to Steelers peeps, I suggest you do so. Sooner than later, Nick will be “the man” on Steelers coverage, too. They have both have “it.”

Farabaugh is in his early-20s. He sheepishly tried to order a cheap lunch because he thought he had to pay…I thought that was pretty funny. It took me back to the beginning of my career, with 10 cents to my name. Carter gave him the elbow and nodded. It’s OK, kid. You get the steak on a stone when you’re at Mike’s by PNC Park, and the boss is buying. I can’t believe how much we’ve done in just a few days. When our new platform folks (finally) finish up, we can pull the tarp off the new Ferrari.

If you’d like you can get the new DraftKings promo for Game 5. Bet $5, win $150! I don’t think Colorado can close it out on home ice. Remember the 2016 Penguins crowd? It even freaked out the players. I’d go Tampa Bay in game 5. And take the deal. DraftKings Promo.