Dan’s Daily: Top 5 Trade Targets; Penguins Get Physical

The Pittsburgh Penguins got after it at practice on Thursday. The bodies collided and fought for pucks, and the guys vented some of their frustration on the ice as coach Mike Sullivan held an intense practice. Our Shelly Anderson went one-on-one with Sidney Crosby about how he is holding up with the changing tides and losing while I put Sullivan and Kyle Dubas under the microscope as part of a hard look at why the Penguins can’t hold leads. Elsewhere in the Daily, Elliotte Friedman released his 32 Thoughts with more on Jim Montomgery’s canning, as well as a couple of NHL trade targets, and Frank Seravalli at Daily Faceoff put out his big trade board, including Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson in his top five.

I am really proud of the work Pittsburgh Hockey Now did yesterday. A few folks inside hockey read the Dubas-Sullivan work. I’ve got more, too, but I’m waiting for some reactions. Thus far, I’m told others agree, at least somewhat, on my assessment. (Hey, even the folks who love to hate me on the message boards were discussing it positively.) Also, Shelly talking to Sid about personal stuff related to the Penguins’ fall is a must-read.

Every day. All day. 365. I’ll sleep when I’m dead, but in the meantime, I hope to give you the very best hockey coverage possible. Oh, and we’ve got another Live Chat. In the first 30 minutes, coach Francis Anzalone and I discussed much of the above, but without holding back.

And what the hell, Steelers?! How many brain cramps can a head coach have in one game?

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: So, here’s the deal. One of the, if not the biggest, reason the Penguins cannot hold a lead is personnel. But how did they get here? Take a look at a real examination of coach Mike Sullivan’s system, GM Kyle Dubas’s personnel moves (that Kris Letang may have very subtly called out), and the concoction that has become the Penguins’ situation.

Battle drills! The boys went at it Thursday at UPMC Lemieux as part of the hour-long practice. How the guys reacted, why Sullivan let loose yesterday, and the Penguins injury updates.

PHN+: I think Shelly Anderson is one of the best to cover the Penguins in the last 40 years, but she never got her due because of institutional caps regarding how women were treated in sports. Shelly got personal with the story as she talked with Sidney Crosby.

Use code Shelly10 to save $10 and join this wagon for a full year here.

PHN Video: You can go directly to the YouTube page to watch. Thus far, the time spent viewing this week’s Live Chat is off the charts. People are watching, on average, for over a half hour! You can stop whenever you like, but the flood of viewer questions and comments, combined with some pretty good inside nuggets and analysis, made this one enjoyable to do. Take a look–like, and subscribe to our YouTube page to be notified of the next one–Penguins Live Chat.

If you have a little hate in your heart this morning, check out Alan Saunders’s coverage from Cleveland. All of the Steelers analysis you can handle.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Daily Faceoff: Seravalli put Marcus Pettersson near the top of the trade board. We’ve passed 20 games, and it is Go Time for GMs, who have a chance at the Stanley Cup and sell time for those without. You can guess where the Penguins lie as the NHL trade season is now upon us.

Sportsnet 32 Thoughts: The weekly must-read from the venerable and insightful Elliotte Friedman (I’m a big supporter of his work … and his jackets). There are a few little trade nuggets regarding why Boston fired Montgomery, and Elliotte shot back at Bettman, who dismissed his report about a potentially larger salary cap.

Boston Hockey Now: Boston shutout Utah 1-0. It was Joe Sacco’s first win behind the Bruins’ bench, but there was also a pretty good scrap. Mark Kastelic knocked the stuffing out of former Penguins defenseman Robert Bortuzzo. Here’s the video and story behind the Bruins fight.

Detroit Hockey Now: You might see similar stories in several years with the Penguins. After being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, he was in Detroit to sign a one-year deal, drop a few wisecracks, and sign a one-day contract to retire as a Detroit Red Wings icon.

Philly Hockey Now: It’s part of being on a bad team or a rebuilding team. Several Flyers made the NHL trade bait list.

That more Penguins did not make the lists should tell us a little something about the pickle the Penguins are in—it goes back to my column last week: the hardest part of the retool/rebuild/or whatever Dubas wants not to call it is coming up next.