There are some “insiders” by whom you can almost guarantee the opposite. As some begin to question if the NHL trade market will freeze due to tight standings, there is a definite increase in trade chatter, including Ryan O’Reilly. We’ve got those in the Daily, as well as PHN’s full Pittsburgh Penguins quarter mark report card, and conflicting reports on the potential Penguins sale.

Elsewhere in the Daily, the Team Canada roster construction has a few too close to call races. Analysts are essentially debating the most toxic team in the NHL, with James Mirtle of The Athletic shredding the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I hope everyone had a good turkey day. I can confirm that I ate about three days’ worth of food and for the first time had a true southern “dressing,” which is different than “stuffing” because dressing isn’t baked in the turkey and it’s cornbread. I might be changing my allegiance from stuffing to dressing.

I’m off to Columbus for the Penguins morning skate as soon as I finish this and our PHN+ Friday Insider column–I’ve got a nice little nugget from the Penguins room. The trip also means I get to bookend my Thanksgiving with a trip to Big Fun in Columbus on Black Friday (THE best toy store I’ve ever seen), and … WHITE CASTLE tonight.

The White Castle spot on the way home from Columbus was closed for renovations during the preseason, so it’s been since last season since I’ve rolled up for a box of originals. But every time I mention the greasy treat that is the White Castle slider, someone always has to tell me how terrible it is.

Would you like to know a secret? … I don’t care what anyone else thinks. White Castle, woohoo!

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Multiple reports indicated the potential sale was dead. However, on Wednesday night, Fenway Sports Group’s potential flip of the Penguins was revived. There are conflicting reports on the Hoffman Group and the Penguins’ sale.

As a regular viewer pointed out on our Live Chat Wednesday, PHN has been skeptical about the Hoffmans’ ability to make it happen, but I do think it is time for FSG to make a statement; they tamped down the Mario rumors pretty quickly back in May and June.

Now, we had some Thanksgiving fun by analyzing the Penguins top to bottom. From coach Dan Muse to the players, we delivered the quarter mark Penguins report card.

Steelers Now: The Steelers could not have gotten better results Thursday. Their wild-card competitor, the Kansas City Chiefs, lost to the Dallas Cowboys, then the Cincinnati Bengals absolutely took care of business against the Baltimore Ravens. For the moment, the Steelers are in first place.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & NHN

TSN: The Insiders concede they’ve discussed trades involving Steve Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, but Ryan O’Reilly is drawing a lot of interest, especially by the Montreal Canadiens. Nashville and Vancouver are the epicenter of the trade rumors.

Sportsnet: In Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts Column, there is the nugget about the Penguins sale, but the lede is that the Vancouver Canucks are ready to begin shaping their future.

There is also a counteroffensive to the trade rumors beginning from Quinn Hughes’s camp. As he stated, he has a great relationship with Jim Rutherford. And friends of his are speaking to the media to affirm his commitment to Vancouver. I tend to believe the positive in this story rather than the blockbuster negatives. I mean, Vancouver is one of the most spectacular places to live.

Also on Sportsnet is Nick Kypreos’s Trade Board 1.0.

NHLTraderumors.me: Which team is the most toxic, Nashville or the Toronto Maple Leafs? While Frank Seravalli hammered Nashville, James Mirtle absolutely swung away on the Maple Leafs. A pair of ugly situations is unfolding.

Barry Trotz really came into his own as a coach after he left Nashville–his work with the Capitals and the Islanders, both of which had better players, was quite good. But as a first-time GM, he made the oft-repeated mistake of chasing the shiny veteran toys on the UFA market. Now he’s stuck. See Also: New York Rangers 1998-2004. Pittsburgh Penguins 2005-06.

Florida Hockey Now: Matthew Tkachuk has resumed skating. You can almost hear the Jaws theme song. He’s not yet with the team, but Tkachuk is on his way back for Team USA and the Florida Panthers.

Detroit Hockey Now: A team for Penguins fans to keep an eye on is in Detroit. Coach Todd McClellan chided his team for their defensive work, or lack thereof. As Bob Duff pens, the math is not adding up for the Detroit Red Wings.

Vegas Hockey Now: I like Hannah Kirkell’s work (that’s why she’s our Vegas beat, duh). There are three reasons for the Vegas Golden Knights to be thankful.

Tags: links nhl trade Penguins sale Pittsburgh Penguins

Categorized: Links NHL Trade Rumors Pittsburgh Penguins