Big contracts, subterfuge, and behind the curtain with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Daily today has plenty of heavyweight stories as money is being tossed about like billionaires in Cannes, but there are accusations that a team tampered with the Kirill Kaprizov negotiations. The Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets awarded heft contracts to star players, and the Penguins are getting one of their best players back in the lineup.

It was nice to sleep on my own couch, er, my own bed last night. We get a few days at home before the week-long trip through California.

My apologies for the ill-fated Live Chat attempt yesterday. I always try to stuff too much into the day, so when the train was 20 minutes behind schedule, things got tight. Then, it looks like 5G service wasn’t good enough for the software, and the video and sound were garbage. We’re using one of the big brand-name companies in live streaming, but I’ve about had it with that software–even in the home studio, it sometimes has problems.

I tried. I did 45 minutes from the car, even pulling over to read comments, before I saw people telling me the video quality was awful. I ended the video, threw a good temper tantrum, grabbed a quick lunch at a Sheetz, and then took the long way home through the mountains with the windows down and the sunroof open.

Quick story. I had a good laugh as I drove through central PA. My first radio “mentor” is still at it, and still the same guy 30 years later (I started at 18). He was one of those FM jock types who says his name four times every 30 seconds, and everything is branded with his name, just in case you forget.

Thank God I escaped small market radio. This is Dan Kingerski with Dan’s Daily on PHN. Don’t forget tomorrow, the Dan’s Daily with me, Dan Kingerski, will be right on time. All of the news, rumors, and Penguins coverage. That’s Dan’s Daily with me, Dan Kingerski.

I’ll try to do another Live Chat this week, with Dan Kingerski, but with the schedule, that’s probably not going to happen. Maybe tomorrow a Live Chat … with Dan Kingerski?

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins looked pretty good against the New York Rangers, and they will get a little better, soon. Bryan Rust rejoined Penguins practice. Shelly Anderson has that story, as well as the lines and notes from Penguins practice.

The yin and yang of the Penguins’ defense? Is the counterbalance to Erik Karlsson going to be Parker Wortherspoon?

First, if you’re one of the affected subscribers who is having trouble logging in, let me know. Now, there are some ads showing up for subs, and that’s on the list for the tech folks. They’re in the process of porting the entire network to a new server, and it’s quite an undertaking. Imagine reframing all of the pictures in the Met. The new subscription will be ad-lite, like the Wall Street Journal and others, but it’s all a work in progress (I think the new folks are continually shocked at how much we built; it’s cities on top of cities of infrastructure…which is kind of why we needed them).

PHN+: On the train ride home, I decided to empty the vault. Everything I’ve seen, heard, and my gut impressions on a few things, too. I tried to pull back the curtain on the Penguins’ new beginning.

NHL News, Rumors, and National Hockey Now

NHLrumors.me: If you’re not listening to 32 Thoughts, here’s a write-up of the big issue discussed. It seems generally accepted on the inside that some team got word to Kaprizov that he could get $20 million if he waited for free agency. Minnesota is justifiably angry and looking for hard proof of tampering.

There are only two, maybe three people on the planet who know which team it was. The team, the agent, and maybe the player. And no, they aren’t going to say. It will be interesting if the player one day slips, if he even knows.

Sportsnet: I’m not sure this was a good move, but Commissioner Gary Bettman commended Connor McDavid on taking a team-friendly deal.

Vegas Hockey Now: Very fitting. After McDavid signs, so, too, did Jack Eichel. Hannah Kirkell had a great headline: JACKPOT! Eichel signed an eight-year extension with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Then Vegas hit the ice last night and shone like the strip on a holiday weekend. Mitch Marner, Eichel, and Pavel Dorofeyev were on point in a shootout loss. Hannah’s got full coverage and the seven takeaways of the Golden Knights game.

Hannah is out in Vegas, at the games, at practice. I hope everyone gives her a follow and some attention. The funny thing is, she has to dial down her hockey intensity for VGK fans. She can really sink her teeth into a hockey game. Glad to have her around.

News: Cam Atkinson will sign a one-day contract and retire with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kyle Connor inked an eight-year, $96 million deal with the Winnipeg Jets. Jack Roslovic signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Edmonton Oilers.

And Kevin LaBanc signed with the Shanghai Dragons of the KHL. The Dragons play their home games in the very Chinese city of Moscow.

TSN: I think this is Penguins connected because Wes Clark takes big swings in the draft, and he’s been hitting some home runs. His first-round pick in 2023, while with the Toronto Maple Leafs, was Easton Cowan, 28th overall. Cowan has already been called up but was scratched last night. The Toronto universe is anxiously awaiting his debut.

When Kyle Dubas lured Clark from Toronto last year, someone grilled me on why I termed Clark a draft guru. Well, Matthew Kniews (second round, 2021), Fraser Minten (second round, 2022), and Cowan are his last three first picks. Go ahead and add Ben Kindel to that list, too.

Yeah, I’ll stick with guru. Some people just have “it.” Right now, he does.

Washington Hockey Now: An ugly 3-1 loss. It was a stinker for Alex Ovechkin and a stinker for the Washington Capitals.

Philly Hockey Now: Preseason is over and done with. The real hockey is beginning, but Will James puts the patient on the operating table, what he learned from camp about those hated Philadelphia Flyers.

Tags: Jack Eichel Kiril Kaprizov tampering nhl rumors Pittsburgh Penguins

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