The Pittsburgh Penguins made more changes to their blueline at practice Friday, but coach Dan Muse is rolling the dice by again pairing Kris Letang with Sam Girard. Shelly Anderson had a one-on-one conversation with Letang Friday, and she put the hard questions to him.

Elsewhere in the Daily, we know why the New York Rangers pulled back on a Vincent Trocheck trade, but could the summer’s desolate market force teams into paying up?Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube had a chat with William Nylander. Sportsnet has the latest top 12 RFA rumors, the Ottawa Senators are the latest team to make a charge toward the wild card spots, and TSN debates who will miss the playoffs?

Sometimes, the universe is speaking. Literally as Shelly was talking to Letang, I was planning out my next batch of stories (OK, sometimes I take a long hot shower and hope ideas come to me), and today I decided I wanted to approach Letang to talk about the criticisms and challenges he’s faced this season.

Low and behold, Shells beat me to it. Sometimes, I forget what a pros pro she is and always has been. It’s a great story, and you should check it out below.

My streak of 221 consecutive games is in danger. As of publishing, I haven’t yet determined if I’m healthy enough to attend the game today. If I cover it from home, Vince Comunale will be there to rep PHN.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Let’s start with the shuffle. Sam Girard appears to be ready to return, but Muse seems ready to reunite him and Letang. Here are the new pairings from Penguins practice.

Shells was on fire Friday. She posed the direct question to Sidney Crosbsy, too. After Connor McDavid spoke out, what are Crosby’s thoughts on inconsistent player suspensions?

And here are the tough questions and responses from Kris Letang.

Sportsnet: I thought you might like to see how the national folks see the Penguins’ success and how they got here. Michael Amato laid what he viewed as the keys of the Penguins’ season.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

TSN Video: At Maple Leafs practice Friday, William Nylander was not on the ice, but had a meeting with coach Craig Berube. Berube was publicly critical of Nylander’s recent games and ended with, “We need him to shoot the puck.”

TSN Video: It’s a big question, and one in which I definitely have an opinion–Is this season a blip or the start of a downward trend for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Toronto has a nice core, but GM Brad Treliving has a lot of work to do this offseason. They need to replace Mitch Marner in earnest, revamp the defense, and a bit more character would go a long way. Other than that, eh?

NHLtraderumors.me: Why is Vincent Trocheck still a New York Ranger, and will he be a Ranger after the summer? Elliotte Friedman had some ideas on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast and the dry market this summer. Did the Rangers intentionally punt to the summer when teams might be desperate?

Detroit Hockey Now: One team in the playoff hunt who could quickly be in or out is the Detroit Red Wings. They’re also one of a few teams trying to end a long playoff drought. Kevin Allen put them on the operating table–How are the Red Wings having success?

New Jersey Hockey Now: At the NHL trade deadline, one player who surprisingly took center stage in the trade chatter was Toronto’s young forward, Matthew Knies. After a couple of weeks, info is leaking out that the New Jersey Devils had and still have a big interest in a Knies trade.

Boston Hockey Now: You thought the Penguins had a bruising schedule from here to the end, but the playoff contender with the toughest schedule is the Boston Bruins.

Sportsnet: With an arid trade market this summer, perhaps poaching restricted free agents will become a delicacy for which GMs finally have a stomach. The top 12 RFAs and the latest news and rumors surrounding them.

Tags: Kris Letang New York Rangers nhl rumors vincent trocheck

Categorized:Links NHL Trade Rumors