It is all about Leo Carlsson and the Anaheim Ducks this week. The will they or won’t they crescendo has surpassed Ross and Rachel, but the fallout will have a far-reaching rippling effect. The NHL trade market is standing still, though Anaheim is rumored to be trying to move out salary to blunt the Philadelphia Flyers’ swipe. The deadline to file for arbitration was 5 p.m. Sunday, and the Pittsburgh Penguins splashed cash on four of their RFAs, including Egor Chinakhov, but Nick Robertson filed.

And without enough forethought, we published a Penguins trade piece Sunday evening. It was quite well read, but we could have waited until this morning. There is indeed a trade package available that would be best suited for the Penguins, instead of a monster deal or monstrous offer sheet.

Did anyone do anything on Sunday but rest, vegetate, and just soak up nothing? Although I guess we all learned that really humid nights are not great for fireworks–all I could see on Saturday after a few minutes was the smoke. I sort of laughed and walked home.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Let’s start with the news. The Penguins got four restricted free agents to sign new contracts, including Egor Chinakhov’s healthy four-year deal. Arturs Silovs and two more also put their names on a new Penguins contract.

Believe it or not, there could be some benefits, but they didn’t reach a deal with Nick Robertson.

And let’s get into it. Sure, I wrote that in this environment of silliness that the Penguins could indeed deliver a bonkers offer sheet to Connor Bedard, and that it would make sense. But there is a much simpler and cleaner path forward for GM Kyle Dubas on the trade market. Two players, one team, available as a package for a perfect Penguins trade.

NHL Trade Talk, Free Agency, NHN

Chicago Sun-Times: Here’s the deal, while Philly waits on Anaheim, two other RFAs are watching intently as they’re also waiting for big-time money. In one of the unheralded fallouts of the Carlsson offer, one of those affected players is Connor Bedard, whose asking price to Chicago just went up, big-time.

Sportsnet: While Anaheim decides to match or take the four Philly first-rounders, they did take one player off the NHL trade market by signing Pavel Mintyukov to a surprisingly expensive new deal, which only adds to the intrigue.

ESPN: One of 15 players to file for arbitration, in addition to Nick Robertson, was his brother, Jason Robertson. That doesn’t preclude a trade, but it probably tells you where we’re at.

NHL.com: For your shopping list, here are the 15 players who filed for the potentially ego-bruising, soul-crushing experience of letting an arbitrator decide how much you get paid after the team shows all of the ways you’re not worth what you think.

Cole Perfetti and Kirby Dach were among the filers. I wrote that simply to chum the comments section. I think the same as you’re thinking.

NHLtraderumors.me: More fallout of Carlsson is that Anaheim has to shed some salary, and perpetual Penguins killer Frank Vatrano and his unhealthy $4.57 million cap hit are on the market.

Detroit Hockey Now: One of the many things that needs to change in Detroit is the feeling. The culture. Steve Yzerman has been largely quiet in free agency, but one of his small trades might pay big dividends in changing the Detroit Red Wings.

Florida Hockey Now: We’ll finish this off with an unsung hero in Florida. While the Tkachuk brothers will get headlines, and Sasha Barkov will get the awards, one of the least discussed underpinnings of the Florida Panthers’ success has been the infusion of homegrown young talent. Our boys down in Florida took a good look at why and the person responsible for the Panthers pipeline.

Tags: leo carlsson nhl trade Pittsburgh Penguins

Categorized:Links NHL Trade Rumors Pittsburgh Penguins