The NHL trade rumors are stirring at the Vancouver Canucks are trying to trade Elias Pettersson and are even getting some interest, but teams are expecting a substantial discount on the scratch and dent model. The other big name in the trade rumors is new, Connor Hellebuyck. Early Friday morning, the Tampa Bay Lightning executed a sign-and-trade with defenseman Darren Raddysh going to Toronto. Elsewhere in the Daily, the NHL cleared Mike Babcock to divide and conquer the Edmonton Oilers’ dressing room as their new coach. And we looked at a few Pittsburgh Penguins draft targets and a couple of my gut feelings.

Lastly, Jonathan Toews will retire this morning. It was good to see him get one more go and not be sidelined by whatever illness took him away in the first place.

And away we go.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: My gut feelings are generally in the ballpark, but they usually wind up getting selected one pick ahead of the Penguins’ slot in the Draft. Such was the case in 2023 and 2025. In 2022, the player I tried to push was definitely the right pick, but a lot of teams passed. That was Lane Hutson. So, we took the final draft rankings from the large Canadian outlets and–if they’re right–the Penguins will have access to a couple of dynamic players at No. 22. I also revealed this year’s gut feelings for the Penguins Draft targets.

I should note that I fully expect Wes Clark and Kyle Dubas to do very well in the draft and perhaps do so with players I’ve not even looked at yet.

Steelers Now: Derrick Bell’s mailbag. Who will be the backup QB? What should T.J. Watt’s usage be? And what about a Joey Porter Jr. Extension? It’s a tour de force Steelers analysis.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

TSN: An early morning trade. The Tampa Bay Lightning dished pending free agent defenseman Darren Raddysh to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are signing him to a spiffy new contract.

Canucks Army: Pierre LeBrun was just having a chat on a podcast with Bob Stauffer in Edmonton. And LeBrun casually dropped the bombshell that teams are calling about Elias Pettersson and the Canucks are working toward a deal, but teams are also quite leery they can get EP back to full strength. It bears watching if the Canucks can pull off this trade.

I know what you’re thinking, but a firm no. ….When I kept an office downtown, my office neighbor was a humorous therapist with whom I’d become friendly. After meeting my then girlfriend for a few minutes, he quipped, “Some people should come with signs that say look but don’t touch.”

NHLtraderumors.me: Is Alex Tuch going to free agency to see what the Seattle Kraken will offer? That’s the rumor sweeping the land. The Kraken are desperate and could offer Tuch more money.

Sportsnet: He is cleared. Mike Babcock will become the next coach of the Edmonton Oilers after the league’s investigation found that “even in the worst light” his actions didn’t prohibit him from re-entering the league. However, Mark Spector doesn’t hold back on his thoughts and analysis of this bizarre situation.

Boston Hockey Now: Well deserved. The Boston Bruins will retire the No. 37 of Patrice Bergeron next season.

Philly Hockey Now: The Philly Flyers are a few years into the rebuild. Will James ranked their draft picks under GM Daniel Briere. It’s an interesting look at how tough the rebuild through the draft can be, but also how rewarding it is when a team gets it right. Here’s the Flyers’ draft rankings.

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