From home base, it was a whirlwind day for NHL news and sifting through the enormous volume of information we obtained in Wilkes-Barre. We’ve already done a couple of stories on the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects, and I’m struggling to decide how to deliver the next few stories as we spoke with Sergei Murashov, Ville Koivunen, Owen Pickering, and Tanner Howe. I don’t think all of them will be with the Penguins in a few weeks, and we’ll push the pause button there. Travel and becoming a customer service agent pushed back our content by a day or so.
The NHL trade winds are blowing, but the wind is shifting as the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens are changing course. The knock-out bracket for the Men’s Olympic hockey begins today, and Sweden is in trouble. Jeff Skinner wanted out of San Jose and got his wish. The US women steamrolled their way to the gold medal round.
And sometimes, I’m just a jerk for my own amusement.
Sunday night, as I enjoyed a little dive bar in Wilkes-Barre that had great BBQ (Anthracite), the full bar was watching ski jumping. Since I had just come from the WBS Penguins game, I was dressed up–perhaps an important note–and the topic of those little trees sticking through the snow became a hot debate at the bar.
The woman and her boyfriend to my left decided to ask the professional-looking man destroying some burnt shoulder and pulled pork, if those really were trees on the hill where they land. And I couldn’t help myself.
“Yes. Actually, what happened was–because they’re in Italy without enough space to really hold these games–they had to build the ski ramp on top of a local tree farm,” I began, only to realize I now had the rapt attention of the bartenders and other patrons. So, I leaned into it, “But just like they screwed up the hockey rink, they couldn’t put down enough snow to cover all of the trees.”
Everyone nodded in acknowledgment until I started laughing and conceded that my story was absolute bull(crap). It’s all about the serious tone and verbal pacing, you know? Fortunately, most got a kick out of the rouse, but then I heard the guy to my right trying to impress his date by repeating part of my story…without the swerve ending.
Whoops!
Pittsburgh Penguins
In case you missed our coverage from Wilkes-Barre, here is the free story–Overall thoughts on the prospect roster and the Penguins rebuild.
PHN+: And for subscribers, I moved the free preview back to the subscriber zone. The report card after two games of who is ready, who regressed, and the Penguins’ prospects are becoming interesting.
I’ve got a lot more, including some on Howe, who I will not grade for a while because he hasn’t played hockey in nine months, Melvin Fernstrom, and a deeper dive on guys who should be here–Owen Pickering and Ville Koivunen.
Sometimes, Ville slips deep into his Finnish accent. I might need your help figuring out what he said when I asked him about Kirk MacDonald’s colorful compliment on Sunday.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic ($): It’s making the rounds on the trade blogs, but the source material is Chris Johnston tying the Ottawa Senators to the Minnesota Wild goalie, Jesper Wallstedt, and why it’s important for the future of both clubs.
TVA Sports: It’s a sea change, and perhaps a big one. Renaud Lavoie reports the Montreal Canadiens are not going to pursue Nazem Kadri, and will look elsewhere, if at all, for a center.
Sportsnet: France and Germany dropped the puck at 6 a.m. this morning, but the games today are winner-take-all, loser goes home. Here is the schedule and how to watch.
San Jose Hockey Now: It’s a big day for news in San Jose. Jeff Skinner is on waivers for termination, Joe Thornton is coaching, and one of Patrick Marleau’s sons made his OHL debut. Lots of Sharks news.
Yahoo: The Team USA women look unbeatable. No one has yet scored a goal on them, and they humbled Sweden en route to the gold medal game.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Stock up and stock down at the Olympics. One player in particular might be hurting his stock for the New Jersey Devils.
Detroit Hockey Now: Follow this situation. Two goalies on the NHL roster in Detroit, but the hot prospect is ready to make his move from the AHL to the NHL. Here’s the Detroit Red Wings situation.
Boston Hockey Now: Czechia is also in dire straits today. Their sultan of swing, David Pastrnak, could be better. The Boston Bruins winger called out … himself.
Categorized:Links NHL Trade Rumors