Latest Pending UFA Rumors; Brunicke Plan; Penguins Payback

STOCKHOLM — Our Day 2 in the foreign hockey capital was an off day for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Day 3 begins with an 11 a.m. practice, which is 5 a.m. Pittsburgh time. We’ll see if the players are yawning as they stretch. Despite an off day for the team, Pittsburgh Hockey Now dug into specifics and possibilities with the Harrison Brunicke plan, and examined if the team is paying off a debt to the hockey gods or facing a bad trend.

Sportsnet laid out the latest reports and rumors for the still-pending 2026 class of big-name unrestricted free agents. Connor Bedard is forcing the issue with Team Canada. The New Jersey Devils discussed trading their polarizing young defenseman, and the St. Louis Blues trade rumors are only getting louder.

Sweden update! I wandered closer to the downtown area for a later dinner last evening. By the time I finished three articles and the Live Chat, it was almost 8 p.m. here. I thought I was in Old Town, but apparently, I was not. I was in Skanstull, which suited me just fine.

I wandered into an inviting pub, Hallen Södermalm, because it was lively without being packed.

The crowd was deeply invested in the Women’s Europa soccer match. They were singing and chanting, and I so wanted to take some video for you (but Europe has much different laws on that than we do). I recognized just enough words on the menu to avoid the Caesar salad, but the rest was a guess.

I ordered Biff Pasta. So, I have no idea what I really ate, but it was GREAT. I later translated the menu to: Cushy steak with mushrooms, onions, garlic, and cognac.

That was my first cushy steak.

Let’s call it a hybrid of shawarma and Julia Child’s beef bourguignon. Spectacular. 10/10. Dinner with a beer and a small tip (Stockholm doesn’t encourage tipping) was $29.

And, a night after visiting the NYA Carnegie brewery, where they were out of their own lager, I did get to try the Carnegie Lager–it was serviceable, not great. Certainly not in the class of Gambit Brewing in St. Paul, or Propeller in Halifax (for which I would risk jail time for bootlegging to have a case delivered).

But if you’re ever here, watch out for the public steps. The left side is for pedestrians, and the right side is for … pain, or bicycles. No, I didn’t bite it, but a few more Swedish beers and it might have been a different story.

Ok, Ok, Kingerski, to the hockey we go…

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Harrison Brunicke. The rookie defenseman might return to being a prospect defenseman, or he could stay with the team through the season. We spoke with Brunicke about the plan the team has referenced, what’s going on in the meantime, as well as the scenarios facing Kyle Dubas as he makes the decision. We laid out the Harrison Brunicke plan.

PHN+ subscribers can listen to our conversation with Brunicke at the end of the article, too.

Consistency, energy, stealing wins, and giving away games. It’s been a wild ride for the Penguins. What is their reaction to giving away recent games against New Jersey and LA? We asked coach Dan Muse and the Penguins locker room.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: It was unanimous. Every vote. The Cy Young award went to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ oasis of talent, Paul Skenes.

There was also a report on Wednesday out of a New Jersey newspaper that an anonymous teammate said Skenes has said he’ll eventually play for the Yankees.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

NHL.com: The article on the league’s website is missing a player whom Team USA invited to this summer’s Team USA orientation, who fits the bottom-six description they’re looking for, but otherwise, this is a good layout of the potential choices next month for Team USA.

The forgotten player was Bryan Rust.

New Jersey Hockey Now: The site has also moved to our Sportsnaut host as a Hockey Now Franchise site as we try to raise the Sportsnaut brand’s credibility and visibility–James Nichols reports that Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald discussed a Simon Nemec trade.

The Athletic ($): It’s established that the St. Louis Blues are peddling their wares on the trade block, but who will go first? Also, if this is a lost season, would Gavin McKenna ease their pain?

Sportsnet: There are still some big-name UFAs headed to market for 2026; players in a walk year who could get a healthy payday, such as Adrian Kempe, Artemi Panarin, and more. Emily Sadler rolled through the top 12 and the latest on each.

Montreal Hockey Now: Ole Ole` no more. Marc Dumont scrolls through the former Habs players who have left the Bleu Blanc et Rouge and how the former Montreal Canadiens are faring.

Vegas Hockey Now: They need a hero. Holding out for a hero ’til the end of the night. Hannah Kirkell writes, the bottom six scoring has been hard to find, and the Vegas Golden Knights need a hero.

Philly Hockey Now: Edmonton has been struggling, but they got a much-needed win. Will James reports on a wild ending that had Philly’s winner overturned, but a step forward in their process. There’s a lot to unpack for the Philadelphia Flyers.

And we’re off to Penguins practice while most people in the Penguins universe are still asleep. My hotel clerk asked this morning as I poured my free coffee, “What state are you from?”

When I replied, Pennsylvania, he shot back in very broken English, “Best NFL team ever! The Steelers. RIP their defense, huh?”

I nearly spit out my coffee. Tell me again why the NHL is going to this expense in the middle of the season for a country that already loves and plays hockey, but has absolutely no idea we are here?? Truly, no one has recognized the team when I say the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not a soul.

But the Steelers travel this far. God bless ya.

Tags: links nhl rumors Pittsburgh Penguins