Dan’s Daily: DeSmith on Trade Block; Penguins in a Pickle

The Montreal Canadiens are trying to trade a goalie, and it’s likely Casey DeSmith on the NHL trade block. The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a bit of a pickle. They may be interested in adding more talent, but the salary cap is figuratively wagging its finger, and we examined whether the team can trade Jeff Carter. The Boston Bruins landed the season’s first significant college free agent, and Philly is still grousing about Rick Tocchet playing for the Penguins.

Coudersport/Wellsboro Road Trip Day 1.

Just a crazy day. I finally saw elk as they sauntered across the road, disinterested in the approaching motorcycle. I found a great little mountain pass with streams and amazing vistas. A turkey vulture got a little too close, forcing me to duck behind my windshield, but later a bald eagle glided above the creek parallel to the unmarked state road. On Rt. 6, a pair of police officers pulled over the car in front of me for speeding (WHEW), but then chased me down a few miles up the road to chat about my license plate position. I had an amazing summer pasta with feta and basil at Beck’s Bistro in Wellsboro. When the folks beside me heard I was from Pittsburgh, they added another tall glass of wine to my dinner.

I’m pretty sure I died on the way up here, and today will become a weird episode of Lost. I don’t want to go all Vanilla Sky, but it was almost too good.

But … the clouds and fog beat me to Cherry Springs State Park last night. I didn’t get to see the galaxy as I’d hoped. Win a few, lose one. Not a bad record.

To the pucks …

Pittsburgh Penguins:

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Alternatives to Tomas Tatar. One in-house and one option to clear salary-cap space. Can the Penguins trade Jeff Carter?

San Jose Hockey Now: I know Penguins fans have a few thoughts. Here are Sharks coach David Quinn’s first thoughts on Mikael Granlund.

Detroit Hockey Now: Jeff Petry spoke to the media Wednesday after Montreal traded him to his hometown. Petry said the Detroit Red Wings were his first choice.

Montreal Hockey Now: The Canadiens don’t want to stash Casey DeSmith in the AHL, so they’re trying to trade him or one of their other netminders. The Montreal Canadiens trade hopes.

We’ll hopefully have a bit more on Canadiens GM Kent Hughes’s press conference. We’re awaiting official translations.

Steelers Now

Training camp takeaways: Kwon Alexander shined on Wednesday. Steelers training camp.

Alan Saunders is sorting out the Steelers sub packages.

And Joey Porter Jr. is nearing 100%.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now

Danny Demilio takes the Pirates to task. Their words haven’t matched their actions with Henry Davis.

And Oviedo wasn’t so good Wednesday. The Mets roughed him up, and the Bucs had a bad time. Get the quickie Pirates recap.

NHL News & National Hockey Now:

Philly Hockey Now: Still upset that Rick Tocchet played for the Penguins? The five players who looked really bad wearing uniforms other than the Philadelphia Flyers’.

Boston Hockey Now: The first big college free agent signs. The Arizona Coyotes drafted John Farinacci in the third round of the 2019 draft (76th overall), but he didn’t sign after four years at Harvard. Instead, he chose the Boston Bruins.

Vegas Hockey Now: Mark Stone admitted playing Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final with a broken wrist. Vegas Golden Knights warrior.

Sorry, there’s not much else today. I tried, but couldn’t get the stream picture right. It was a winding stream through the trees, but the iPhone focused too much on the foreground. Otherwise, it was the kind of day that lightened the load just a bit. It’s great to see a few small towns thriving. Has anyone been to the Eliot Ness Museum?

We’ll see what trouble Thursday brings…