In what became one of the iconic images of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, Phil Kessel yelled down the bench, slapping his hands and demanding the puck while Evgeni Malkin yelled back and Chris Kunitz laughed hysterically. Former Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet talked about the moment and some other cross-bench yelling as he had a laugh and made a bigger point on a recent podcast. We also took some reader suggestions to project the fallout of the Penguins’ overstuffed roster, including the blue line and in goal. Elsewhere in the Daily, Sportsnet laid out the latest rumors on the remaining unsigned restricted free agents, and it took about two days after signing a new contract for Nick Robertson to hit the NHL trade chatter again.

Well, here you go. We’re going to put the Dan curse to the test.

I am taking a trip to New York from Wednesday through Friday. I suppose I’ll get a look at the ballyhooed Pittsburgh airport renovations that I walked through for a couple of years, but a dear friend is doing her first off-Broadway play, and I’m going for opening night. I’m counting this as a vacation, and I’m doing something I’ve never done before–going to Coney Island. Hint, hint, I’ll be doing my customary things and away from my laptop.

I don’t think you’ll get your wish of big Penguins trades while I’m trying to enjoy a few moments away, but if they happen this time, we’re going to canonize the curse.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: So, let’s do this. We’ve done it in pieces before and also tried to project the lineup, but when I flashed the bat signal to ask what you wanted to talk about this week, all of the questions were some variation of what will happen with the jammed roster. So, with a good idea of what will happen in some battles and impossible projections for others, we tackled the question: What happens with the Penguins’ roster?

Instead of a Daily yesterday, we used the time to update the Penguins’ ownership chase. Yes, Mario Lemieux is “probably” interested, as we and others have reported. However, Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts podcast seemed to highlight the problem we’ve noted from the beginning–Lemieux’s bid to buy back the team “isn’t close.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see Mario walking the hallways again. He brings an aura of success, but it’s not like FSG is doing a bad job and penny-pinching or wrecking the place with bad decisions, either. And it’s not like FSG is going to read the comments section and sell for less just because fans want Mario back.

Steelers Now: The Latrobe portion of training camp is winding down with the first game this Saturday, and Alan Saunders puts the roster through the ringer to project who will make it and who won’t. Some surprising cuts highlight his 53-man Steelers roster projection.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: It’s been 22 months since Johan Oviedo pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates after Tommy John surgery and a strained lat in Spring Training extended his recovery time. Oviedo made his return last night with a bit too much adrenaline in the Pirates’ walk-off win.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Let’s start with Tocchet’s story on Kessel. As a make-good for ruining some of your Mondays with the Lemieux story, here’s a good laugh. Tocchet almost veered into his Kessel impersonation, too.

The Athletic ($): It didn’t take long after Nick Robertson’s new contract for the NHL trade chatter to start. And yes, the Penguins have been mentioned, though not yet reported to be interested. Both Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts and Chris Johnston opined that Robertson could be on his way out.

Sportsnet: Nine RFAs remain unsigned. The latest rumors and reports from the NHL battlefield.

Forever Blueshirts: Rangers analyst Dave Maloney thinks head coach Mike Sullivan and assistant David Quinn are already steps ahead, and there is an X-factor to hiring them for the New York Rangers.

I suppose Penguins fans no longer need to root for the Rangers to lose so the Penguins get a better draft pick in 2026, no, you can just root for them to lose for pure hockey spite–the purest hockey emotion!

NYI Hockey Now: Those hated Fish Sticks have improved from last season. Russ Macias takes some pointed questions on the roster, and the readers want to know what’s going to happen between now and training camp, and if a blockbuster Islanders trade for more scoring is possible.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Simple question that is having big ramifications for the New Jersey Devils–is Jack Hughes’s contract signed in 2021 now negatively impacting their negotiations with Luke Hughes?

Florida Hockey Now: It was one of the worst days in American history–The 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting shocked a desensitized country. Mackie Samoskevich was a year removed from attending the school when the tragedy occurred, and to pay honor to the school and community, that’s where Samoskevich spent his day with the Stanley Cup.