Yes, there were two wildly exciting Stanley Cup Playoff games Tuesday night, but the hockey world split time watching the games and talking about Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas’s press conference. Dubas was a transparent tour de force Tuesday, even as those who were in the presser or watched from the start came away with different beliefs regarding what comes next with Evgeni Malkin than those who didn’t view the entire presser. Dubas was quite open and deftly recruited “impact players” in their 20s. And Penguins first-round pick Bill Zonnon made quite a splash. Oh, it was a day.

Elsewhere in the Daily, Charlie McAvoy got a six game suspension for whacking Zack Benson. The VGK won their OT thriller over Anaheim, but Vegas is also being quite petty with Edmonton. The Ottawa Senators have a shopping list on the NHL trade market, and Buffalo is a step away from the Eastern Conference Final.

The design for our new web layout unfortunately doesn’t have space for the video section, but we’ve been doing a lot more live and video podcasts. Yesterday, we did 30 minutes on the Evgeni Malkin situation and Dubas’s statements before switching to a live chat with viewer questions. When we put the statements side by side, it really showed the complex picture. Follow our YouTube page for everything, and we have a lot more we have coming.

I forget how emotional this time of year can be for some, and I enjoy the discourse as we try to figure out what the team will do, but the only thing that will draw a negative response from me is when folks try to impugn me as a way of deflecting from the story. Hey, I’m telling you what I see, hear, and how the math adds up. Sure, I can be mistaken, but insisting I have a narrative, an agenda, or otherwise aren’t trying to call a fair game are the things that get a Bud Moonshine putdown.

And here we go…

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Let’s start at the beginning of the presser. Dubas laid out all the ways in which the team was falling short and needed to change, but then dropped the most quoted line of the press conference regarding Evgeni Malkin: “We would love to have him back.” So here’s the news from the Kyle Dubas news conference.

However. But. Yet. Still. In totality, Dubas seemed to provide a lot more negative context on bringing back Malkin, but also expertly chummed the water regarding the Penguins trade hopes this offseason (a bit of a bombshell, really), and did some big-player recruiting, too. The NHL trade rumors are going to follow the Penguins all summer. In the Full Dubas, here’s the between the lines stuff, and the Penguins trade talk.

Dubas opened a lot of doors for discussion, and I think that was the idea. Maybe, just maybe, that blockbuster trade this summer is possible.

Some really good news for the organization was the outstanding performance by Bill Zonnon in his pro debut for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He scored the game winner, and it was a dandy. You can watch the highlights and the postgame media video in the story. The WBS Penguins won Game 1 of their Atlantic Division Final series, and the Penguins’ prospects looked really good.

Sidney Crosby is now headed to the Worlds.

Here is the direct link to the Penguins Podcast/Chat. Boy, some people get so angry.

And Dubas was snubbed Tuesday when he was not nominated for GM of the Year. I’m sure he’s just fine without that honor, but Minnesota’s Bill Guerin, Anaheim’s Pat Verbeek, and Colorado’s Chris MacFarland got the noms. A 42-member panel that includes all 32 general managers, five NHL executives, and five media members vote on the award.

MacFarland? That one was a surprise.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: So, the Edmonton Oilers are shopping for a new coach before firing Kris Knoblauch. Frank Seravalli broke the news that Edmonton reached out for permission to speak to fired coach Bruce Cassidy, but Vegas said no. Now, it’s a huge story and Mark Spector hammers both sides, as they look bad, very, very bad.

Vegas does business its own way. They are cutthroat and don’t let humanity or doing the right thing get in the way. See also: Marc-Andre Fleury and disassembling the Misfits. But, c’mon, you don’t deny permission for a fired coach. That’s bush league. But if Edmonton wants to fire Knoblauch, then do it. Don’t sneak around, pitter-patter, let’s get at ‘er.

Montreal Hockey Now: The Buffalo Sabres are rolling. A sagging power play was the deal breaker in Game 4, and now the Montreal Canadiens face elimination in Game 5 of losing Game 4, 3-2. Tight game, but a rough night for the Canadiens.

Sportnset: I suppose it’s now time to start watching the NHL trade chatter surrounding Auston Matthews. Last week, Chris Johnston reported Matthews wasn’t sure if he would be back in Toronto next season. Nick Kypreos lays out what comes next for the Maple Leafs and Matthews.

In one answer, Dubas became the large black shadow just off the shoreline, lurking.

Philly Hockey Now: The exit interviews are over. Dressing stalls and equipment cleared out. Coach Rick Tocchet imprinted a summer message on the boys: More. Will James was front and center for the Flyers’ clean out day.

The Ottawa Senators qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but didn’t stick around too long. Now, GM Steve Staios is going shopping. Here is Ottawa’s list, including some top-six help.

Boston Hockey Now: Mike Sullivan’s son-in-law, also known as Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy didn’t like Zack Benson’s slew foot in Game 6 of the Bruins-Sabres series. There wasn’t going to be a Game 7, so McAvoy chased Benson and delivered a baseball bat-type slash. The NHL reacted harshly Tuesday, and McAvoy will miss the first couple of weeks next season. Here’s the Bruins news.

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