The weekend questions included the Pittsburgh Penguins’ trade potentials, but also the immediate future of the players who are their past and will be their future. The Q&As were especially well populated with shrewd questions. Elsewhere in the Daily, the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens are dealing with Game 7 nerves as one team’s season will end today. The first NHL trade board of the offseason has some interesting names, pressure is already rising on Quinn Hughes to give an answer on his future, and Toronto did more organizational house cleaning by firing Kyle Dubas’s salary cap wizard and an AGM who spent 14 years with the Penguins.

I hope you enjoyed the first great Sunday of the year (at least, that I can remember). It felt good to get some real sun whipping through the mountains, even if I didn’t get as far as I wanted. It was a good ride north for a steam beer at Trails to Ales in Franklin, and then a better ride home. I notice that I’m much less cranky after two-wheeled therapy. That’s good, right?

I assumed there would be breaking Penguins news as soon as I took off, but I guess that jinx only applies for days off.

So, here we go.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Q&A Part II. Some good questions about the past and future, including Kris Letang and Bill Zonnon. We also got into trade targets and free agents in the latest Penguins Q&A.

Steelers Now: Shocked? Surprised? Nah, but here’s the full details as Aaron Rodgers (Rodgers!) once again signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Our Derrick Bell is one of the most underrated Steelers analysts. He has the biggest winners and losers from the Steelers offseason.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: It’s a shame, but the Buccos are already racing toward irrelevance, and it’s not even June. Sunday, the Phillies overpowered Paul Skenes. Danny Demilio has what you need to know about the Pittsburgh Pirates from the three-game series.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Daily Faceoff: Matt Larkin has the first big offseason NHL trade board. It has your usual suspects, but also Jonathan Marchessault, Blake Coleman, and Mason McTavish. Here you go.

Leafs Nation: New Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka purged a few more front office folks, Bradon Pridham who handled the salary cap, and long-time Penguins exec Derek Clancey, whose expertise is in scouting.

Sportsnet: Just days after the Minnesota Wild both showed they were a really good team, but were shown the door by a great team, there is already some pressure on Quinn Hughes to decide if he is truly willing to re-up in Minnesota or if he’s going to play out the last year of his contract and hit free agency.

Minnesota Bill Guerin knew what he was getting into with that trade. I hope Hughes stays in Minnesota rather than trying to force some sort of brotherly thing in New Jersey, but we’ll see.

TSN Video: “If you aren’t nervous, you’re not human.” Buffalo vs. Montreal tonight. Game 7. Buckle up. Here’s what the Buffalo locker room is saying.

Mayor’s Manor: Despite not being a Stanley Cup contender, the LA Kings are in a bad way with the salary cap. They won’t spend to the cap next season, according to Scott Coffman, so their salary cap will be lower, and they’re already up against it–so will they trade goalie Darcy Kuemper to make room?

Philly Hockey Now: This season, the Penguins played a dozen rookie, but by the end, only Ben Kindel and Arturs Silovs had stuck. The Philly Flyers had the opposite happen, and the rookies kept showing up and sticking around. Will James has the Flyers prospect philosophy.

Florida Hockey Now: The Pink Panthers?! Those new alternate jersey leaks are happening again, and perhaps Matthew Tkachuk will take warmup with Henry Mancini playing in the background next year. They sweaters are pink? Here’s what George Richards know about the Florida Panthers’ jersey.

Boston Hockey Now: Oh, Jack Studley is learning. The Boston Bruins will play their first six games without Charlie McAvoy, who will serve a six-game suspension. So, Studley asks with come incredulity, who else was suspended for six games, why, and seriously why did McAvoy get that many?!

Tags: Montreal Canadiens nhl trade Pittsburgh Penguins

Categorized:Links NHL Trade Rumors