Philadelphia Flyers’ Carter Hart, right, cannot stop a goal by Pittsburgh Penguins’ Rickard Rakell during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Pittsburgh Penguins are right on schedule to have some upheaval and a bit of turmoil. We included a few inside nuggets, some history, and a lot of context for the current state of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Elsewhere in the Daily, the possibility is increasing, but could we see star players start changing teams? The Chicago Blackhawks are dangling a talented young player on the NHL trade block, Corey Perry got some bad luck in a captain’s practice, the Vegas Golden Knights bailed on a verbal promise, and it seems a few teams are going to make an offer to goalie Carter Hart when he is eligible to sign.
Two more days in Buffalo. I wasn’t going to stay for the Monday game, but I also just realized that today’s game is a 3:30 p.m. game and if I’m to provide you with the full analysis of the kids, I’ll be here until after 9–and I didn’t feel like riding back in colder weather (it seems the second game was always at noon in past years).
So, if anyone has any Buffalo recommendations–Let me have ’em! I thought about heading up to the falls, but for some reason, I have no motivation to visit this time.
Also, yes, we’re still working on the email issue. I’m surprised how important the emails were to many of you. I know the techies are trying.
So, let’s do this.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: A little more inside nuggets from top to bottom, but that’s not the full story. These Penguins are a mess right on schedule. Here’s the complete Penguins column.
Steelers Now: You should just go straight to the SN homepage every day. The boys turn out more original Steelers stories than any other. Sure, there are websites with more stories, but they’re aggregating everyone else’s work. Here’s everything you need, from the announcers to the analysis, for today’s Steelers game.
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The mirage of being a competitive team is gone, a seven-game losing streak chasing away those thoughts faster than hopes that owner Bob Nutting would one day keep his promises to adequately invest in the team. John Perrotto writes, THESE are the real Pittsburgh Pirates.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Philly Hockey Now: The teams are starting to get serious. Goalie Carter Hart is a true No. 1 goalie in a league that is goalie-poor. There will be some PR blowback because of Hart’s acquitted charges for sexual assault, but Chris Johnston reports that Hart is expected to agree to a deal in a couple of weeks. It won’t be with the Flyers, but Hart will sign when he’s officially able on Oct. 15.
Chicago Sun-Times: Lukas Reichel. A former first-round pick isn’t succeeding in Chicago, and reports suggest that Reichel is readily available on the NHL trade block.
Sportsnet: Instead of shrinking, the All-World 2026 free agent class is growing. It seems more and more of the top players in hockey (*ahem) are open to switching teams.
I think this year is a make-or-break year for the Detroit Red Wings. I’m not sure the Illitch family agrees, but it has to be–a GM can’t spend seven years building a team, amassing draft picks, and then have nothing to show for it but a middling team and keep his job. Is this the year that the Yzerplan works in Detroit?
NHLRumors.me: The Vegas Golden Knights agreed to a contract with defenseman Nic Hague, but the player wanted to focus on the playoff run before heading into the offices to sign the deal. The player and team verbally agreed on the term and value, but after the playoffs, the Golden Knights realized that Mitch Marner would be available and said–nah, never mind, and renegged on the deal.
Vegas runs a ruthless operation. As the Misfit energy fades, it will be interesting to see how well that works. They have a great team on paper, but it’s all mercenaries and no homegrown talent and no youth. They haven’t made a long playoff run since winning the Cup in 2023.
Montreal Hockey Now: I’m not sure why he’s in the prospects tournament, but the Canadiens put Ivan Demidov on their rookie team, and the electric Russian absolutely stole the show for the Canadiens’ prospects.
Chicago Hockey Now: Spencer Knight got a new lease on his young career when Florida traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, the Blackhawks have paid up, and Knight has a new contract.
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