The Pittsburgh Penguins now know their travel schedule and the big games coming this season. From California to Sweden and all points in between, the train will soon leave the station. We’ve got the full Penguins schedule and continued our Top 25 prospects countdown with surprising depth that has NHL dreams from 20 to 16. Elsewhere, a viral story popped up regarding Sidney Crosby recommending an equipment manager for a job with a division rival. Nazem Kadri steered into the skid and embraced the NHL trade rumors, Sportsnet dug through the schedule to find all of the great revenge games this season, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are goalie shopping.

So, what happens when Dan goes to wing night and there’s a Taylor Swift fan? Does he veer away from the topic or cannonball into the pool with the gusto of a spring breaker in a belly flop contest?

Yeah, I think you know the answer. My friends introduced me to a great little spot in Millvale: Sidelines. Of course, at any new place, I have to try THE hottest wings, and I must admit, their insanity sauce made me work a little bit. I still don’t get the Swiftie thing, but a fan rattled off her best qualities with a fervent passion. It was all in good fun, but I realized that not since the heyday of KISS has there been an artist or band with such loyal fans, but whose success doesn’t really transcend that fanbase. If you’re a fan, you own EVERY song, but if you’re not, you own nothing. Right?

We had a blast, and my friends made plans to go to the first Penguins preseason game in Montreal. I promise, you’ll want to find them, sit near them, and enjoy the heckling. They’re pros who have cracked the steely veneer of a few security guards in their day … and now I can write off those wings and beer as a business expense!

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Let’s start with the schedule– Shelly Anderson was waiting on the NHL drop. We knew the home opener and the season opener, but here is the full monty–the 2025-26 Penguins schedule.

Now, some found this an interesting story–I should have saved it for today, but there’s been a lot of national and local media analysis of the recent Penguins trades. What do Arturs Silovs and Matt Dumba’s arrivals mean? I think there are a few schools of thought that probably overplayed the consequences on the roster or went down the wrong path. For what it is, I think these are the real Penguins trade consequences.

Let’s keep the countdown going. We did 25 to 21 on Monday and 20 to 16 on Wednesday. Truthfully, I can’t believe how quickly Kyle Dubas is stocking the prospect pool. From a big goalie to some scrappy hopefuls, here are the latest PHN Penguins prospect rankings.

And, we got through a Live Chat relatively unscathed. There was a moment early in the show when the sound got wonky (and we’ve isolated that to internet/software), but things quickly got back to good, and we had a pretty healthy show. Lots of questions about trades and values, but some other good questions, too. We started with Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell. Here’s the Penguins Live Chat on our YouTube channel.

 

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

New Jersey Hockey Now: Remember the shock when Jim Rutherford quipped that Quinn Hughes might want to play with his brothers in New Jersey? That set off even more trade rumors, but there’s some inside chatter–perhaps Quinn Hughes would prefer Vancouver to the New Jersey Devils.

Calgary Sun: I love this. Perhaps more players should embrace the insanity and enjoy being wanted? Nazem Kadri appeared on a podcast, which only spurred more trade rumors, but shrugged off the noise with a basic, “Why not discuss it?” Fans in Calgary are piqued.

Montreal Hockey Now: Speaking of Kadri and those trade rumors, there are two teams at the center of the chatter. Toronto and Montreal. Our Marc Dumont writes that Habs fans shouldn’t get too pumped because Kadri doesn’t fit. Here’s the Montreal Canadiens trade analysis.

The Athletic ($): Oh, Vancouver. Always wheeling and dealing. Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin are now trying to shed some salary cap space so they can add a free agent or two. That means more trades up north.

More Athletic ($): Aaron Portzline reports the CBJ are hunting for goalie depth. Or a real starter. But also depth. GM Don Wadell is looking for a second or third goalie who can hide in the minors but spring into action.

That report only adds to the success of Dubas snaring Silovs.

Sportsnet: The games are set. Mitch Marner playing in Toronto. Trevor Zegras going back to Anaheim. There are some juicy storylines to enjoy this season, and Sportsnet laid out the calendar to watch.

TSN: I didn’t do a story on this–I thought it was cute, but TSN did the full story with quotes from Rick Nash. Sidney Crosby called the Columbus Blue Jackets to advocate for Paul DeFazio as the new head equipment manager.

Sid. He’s one of a kind.