The Pittsburgh Penguins shed the unforgivable gaffes, set aside the ghastly turnovers, and looked like coach Dan Muse found a couple or even a few players who should become fixtures in the lineup as the team submitted a vastly improved performance in a 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers. Of course, PHN has the insights and analysis of the win, as well as some exclusive locker room reaction. And we’ve got updates on Ben Kindel and Bryan Rust.

Elsewhere in the Daily, the NHL trade chatter is taking a left turn. The Dallas Stars have scheduled negotiations with Jason Robertson, the Detroit Red Wings could be changing their asking price on Dylan Larkin, and the Winnipeg Jets are getting extra time to figure out the Connor Hellebuyck situation with a little help from the player. Nick Kypreos has his trade board 2.0, and the Edmonton Oilers are trying an important experiment that could keep McDavid on a Mario pace.

This isn’t really hockey-related, but Austin Lemieux had a solid day in his first PGA Tour event, and his parents were there. It’s quite weird seeing a kid I saw run around the NHL locker room at the Civic Arena when he was four and five years old, then saw as a player at Penguins development camp (respectfully, hockey wasn’t going to be his calling), is making his way in the golf world:

“I know they’re proud of me … we’ll see what we’ve got tomorrow.” ❤️

With his parents Mario and Nathalie on hand, Austin Lemieux shot 72 in his first PGA Tour round @Bermuda_Champ with an eye on making the weekend. https://t.co/T3iRQGADQ4— PGA Tour (@PGATour) October 22, 2026

The next U.S. Open at Oakmont is in six years… Let’s get to the hockey…

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Let’s start with the postgame. The goals and how they came to be in the Penguins’ win.

And then we dug into the nuts and bolts of the game. The reconfigured roster, due to injuries, shuffled around every line, and it all worked. Here’s why and how, and perhaps as importantly, who, in the Penguins’ report card.

**Florida Hockey Now: The flipside of the game from the FLA perspective. ** Coach Paul Maurice was not a happy camper and sent a warning to his players after the Panthers’ loss.

It really was an enjoyable game to cover and watch because…it was hockey. Professionally played and well structured. Read the report card. I didn’t have to criticize anyone or use sarcasm to address subpar performances or be critical of the inexplicable for another abysmal game.

Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas provided the Ben Kindel update.

It was scary. The Penguins locker room recounted the scary situation and their reaction to the entire scene, too.

And oh, by the way, Bryan Rust is on injured reserve for at least the next six weeks. He will be re-evaluated then.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

TSN Video: I find this an enjoyable storyline to follow. Connor McDavid is chasing history to join Mario and Gretzky as the greatest scorers ever. Edmonton coach Mike Babcock is trying to create a second line to keep McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together on the top line and that ridiculous pace going. Is Ryan Nugent-Hopkins the answer in the middle?

NHL.com: Dec. 1. The Dallas Stars don’t want distractions like last summer, so they’ve scheduled contract talks more than a month away to (try to) lock up Jason Robertson.

I think we know the Penguins don’t have the horses to run that race, but I’m also quite sure the trade rumors will percolate if he doesn’t sign a whopper of a deal quickly.

Detroit Hockey Now: A sad story. Former Penguins, Rangers, Kings, and Red Wings forward and famously good-looking hockey player Ron Duguay passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was in a long-term relationship with Sarah Palin. Duguay was 69.

TSN Insiders: Darren Dreger had an update on Hellebuyck, but also made an offhand comment about the Penguins in the latest Insiders segment, claiming Dubas not only has the salary cap but also a hard cash budget. That’s the first anyone has said that.

I asked Geoff Hoffmann at the introductory press conference about that issue, and he gave a wordy positive answer without actually affirming Dubas can spend to the cap. Dreger could be under that impression from all of the chatter last spring about the Hoffmanns finances. So, we’ll be investigating. So many more questions arise if Dubas does have a budget.

NHLtraderumors.me: Elliotte Friedman uncorked a game-changing revelation. The Detroit Red Wings are changing their asking price for Larkin and Edvinsson.

Sportsnet: And Kypper’s new trade board is out. Three Penguins made the list, including a name we haven’t discussed in a minute.