It took a while on a Saturday morning, but we found enough hockey stories to fill the Daily. First, we imagined three ways the Pittsburgh Penguins can speed up their turnaround, from a wink and nudge to Sidney Crosby to holding firm on trade prices. Also, one writer is reporting that the trade price for Mason McTavish is high, perhaps past the point of ridiculous. Matthew Tkacuk is weighing the option of surgery to fix his torn adductor muscle and figures to be out for months. And we’re still producing some fun content across the Hockey Now network.

I must confess that since the National Hockey Now merger last month, life is getting better. After meeting with my new partners in New  York for a couple of hours on Friday, I sat in Central Park and read a book, or at least the first 50 pages, before I wandered into the little Columbus Circle chocolate shop and took the subway to the airport an hour early. The lack of extreme pressure to make payroll every month has lifted a weight off me that I cannot describe, and the lack of personnel turnover in NHN this summer has been extremely nice. Our competition can no longer sell the fake promises they used to lure a few of ours away, and quite frankly, we’ve established a solid roster that knows what they’re doing.

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I also see why our species may be extinct in a few generations. In the little wine bar across the street from my hotel, single women under 30 poured in on Thursday evening, and everyone was engaged in conversation … on their phone. No one was actually talking to the other people there. I quickly decided it wasn’t my scene and only had one, but in the meantime, I sat at the far end of the tiny bar watching the spectacle with the curiosity of Jane Goodall, as the bartender–apparently an actor of some local note–worked the bar, seeing whose attention he could get. Sometimes, he couldn’t even get the patron’s attention to order another drink. Oh, New York…

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: What could speed up this stealth rebuild the Pittsburgh Penguins are undergoing? We tackled big issues and small, as well as I had to rewrite one of the three items when I realized I disagreed with myself. Three things to make the Penguins’ future better, faster.

Steelers Now: Six things to watch in the Steelers’ preseason opener.

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Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Bryan Reynolds was swinging a noodle this season. However, the moderately paid outfielder has finally begun to turn it around. His triple Friday was the difference, and he’s salvaging his season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

RG.org: I have some thoughts, but first, the story. The gambling outlet that’s big on hockey rumors reports that the Anaheim Ducks have set a cost of a top-four right-shot defenseman and a top prospect defenseman in exchange for Mason McTavish. Yep, that’s the ask.

Sorry, I’m not buying it. That’s an extreme pay for a 50-point center, even if he’s just 22. Anaheim will never get that.

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Florida Hockey Now: Matthew Tkachuk went through hell for his second Stanley Cup. A sports hernia at the Four Nations in February, and a torn abductor muscle that was clean off the bone. He’s still weighing surgery, and he told Greg Wyshinski that he could miss the first few months of the coming season for the Florida Panthers.

Vegas Hockey Now: Hannah Kirkell liked our Penguins feature so much, she applied it to the VGK. The five most underappreciated Vegas Golden Knights of all time.

Forever Blueshirts: It’s trending in the right direction, at least according to NHL analyst (and former player) Stu Grimson. It’s improving, but he doesn’t know if things will change overnight for the New York Rangers.

The post Dan’s Daily: McTavish Trade Cost; Tkachuk Injury; Penguins Turnaround appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.