The NHL trade market might be quiet, but it seems the Buffalo Sabres are pushing for a blockbuster deal to solve their goaltending question. Also, Shayna Goldman at the Athletic evaluated the trade value of Carolina Hurricanes RFA Alexander Nikishin. On the free agency front, Patrik Kane has narrowed his teams to homecomings of different sorts. And in anticipation of the next Pittsburgh Penguins alternate jersey, our Vince Comunale rolled through the recent spate of one-and-done sweaters.

‘Twas a good weekend. This is annually the worst week for sports, by far, but that’s a good thing. I pondered this yesterday while gently sipping on fermented beverages: there used to be offseasons. We had time away from a sport. But now with social media hanging over us, 24/7 channels, and billionaire owners trying to raise every dollar possible to cover the costs of a hundred millionaire players, every sport is every day.

From inside the bubble, I can’t tell how many of you check out for months, but one reply on X humbled me on Sunday. I will be doing the top 20 Penguins prospects list this week, but I’m having trouble figuring out a rating system for such a diverse group.

One person simply replied–It doesn’t matter, they’ll only read the top five. It cracked me up, but this prospect group is interesting and deep. I just don’t know how to rank it because the Penguins have some very good players who are a few years away (Liam and Markus Ruck), and some who are on their last chance (Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty), and others who are closer, but still only pure potential (Bill Zonnon).

And as soon as I finish the Daily and pack my backpack, the three-day excursion to Wellsboro begins. The annual trip reliably brings a Penguins transaction, a ride through the Appalachian hills, lunch at the chrome Wellsboro Diner, a hike through the PA Grand Canyon, a $7 movie and $2 popcorn at a 100 year old theater, a couple of nights in the 150-year-old hotel where Groucho Marx stayed up for a spell, and with any luck, an afternoon wine tasting on the Finger Lakes, but only if I have extra time. I’m genuinely excited for the trip into the little town with well-cared-for tree-lined streets and original gas lamps instead of neon street lights. I even bought some AI glasses to record part of the trip (don’t worry, I won’t shove it down your throats).

Any predictions on this year’s Penguins transaction that diverts my attention?

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: From the three stripes of the sister bridges to the Pittsburgh script, we’ve been through a lot of alternate jerseys over the last decade. What’s next? Comunale rolls through the Penguins jerseys.

And if you missed it on Saturday, I teed up the current state of the Penguins rebuild and advocated for … an about face. Instead of chasing the big names on the NHL trade block, embrace the “boring” rebuild. Take a look at the Penguins opinion.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: All righty then. The Pittsburgh Pirates were treading water at exactly .500 with the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers coming to town. And now, the Pirates are three games over .500 and right back in the wild-card chase. Danny Demilio writes–THAT was a Pirates statement.

Now, can anyone pitch in relief?

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

NHLtraderumors.me: The Buffalo Sabres are in pursuit of Connor Hellebuyck. Kind of? As always, with certain pundits trying to get headlines without reporting, pay attention to the exact words. Buffalo wants Hellebuyck. Will they pay up?

The Athletic ($): The value of Alexander Nikishin. Goldman examined the stats, the charts, the new contract ask, and the extrapolations.

Our old (capital O-L-D) buddy Mark Lazerus writes that Patrik Kane’s free agent fits are down to two teams, his hockey home in Chicago or his real hometown of Buffalo.

The Detroit Red Wings are ready to take yet another hit when losing Kane. I don’t understand why fans in Detroit aren’t frothing mad and using social media like a baton on an unruly organization. There’s just no reason that Detroit has so poorly squandered a solid core of talented players.

Dylan Larkin is still a Red Wing. As Kevin Allen writes, a return of draft picks and futures just won’t cut it. No, Detroit needs, and Detroit is demanding a full boat NHL trade package.

Philly Hockey Now: The post-Carlsson fallout. There’s a lot that comes next for the orange and black, but Will James carried a heavy mailbag of questions from Philadelphia Flyers fans … some of whom didn’t write in crayon.

I kid, I kid.

DFO: Every Wednesday, a few fans gather to drink beer in Alex Ovechkin’s honor (huh?!). Well, after signing his new contract, Ovechkin got wind of his fans and beer. You can guess what happened next as the Great 8 downed a couple with the boys.

Colorado Hockey Now: Joe Sakic wasted little time making tweaks and changes to the Colorado Avalanche after he resumed general manager duties. Aarif Deen answers the important question–yeah, but are the Avalanche better?

Tags: connor hellebuyck nhl trade Pittsburgh Penguins

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