Oh boy, the clickbaiters were out in full force over the last few days, mangling and misquoting our Pittsburgh Penguins trade analysis and projections. We took it all a step further by delivering a big slice of nuance regarding the Penguins’ future trade limitations. Newly acquired defenseman Connor Clifton also spoke to Pittsburgh media for the first time, and he proved to be a pretty good talker with a couple of good anecdotes, cute and serious. It seems the sides have entrenched in the battle of Marco Rossi against the Minnesota Wild in contract negotiations. Canadian media is digging deep to project the 2026 Team Canada Olympic roster, Sportsnet dropped five potential Erik Karlsson landing spots, and the St. Louis Blues paid tribute to one of their most famous fans, Ozzy Osbourne.

I’m not sure why Ozzy’s passing particularly saddened me. I don’t have a stack of Black Sabbath vinyl, and I’m not steeped in his solo career, but he was a pillar of rock, which is ever increasingly weak sauce, and a beacon of the wild era. Even if he was just as famous for biting a bat, snorting ants, and partying like members kicked out of Animal House, back when we had a shared pop culture not divided by endless options and not obsessed with results in D.C., Ozzy was a poor postwar British kid who rose to unimaginable stardom. He and his family even created an entire genre of reality TV that was mainstream before such shows were, and his appearances on Stern that led to the show were a riot.

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Somehow, he became a St. Louis Blues fan, and the team properly paid tribute yesterday.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Connor Clifton is a good interview. He felt he had lost himself in Buffalo, and he battled coach’s decisions and a bad situation. The story of him getting the trade call for the Penguins was pretty good, too. Here’s a bit more about new Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton.

Are the Penguins the team holding up the rest of the NHL off-season? There’s a good bit of circumstantial evidence that’s the case, but we also looked at one of the significant limitations facing general manager Kyle Dubas and how next year’s CBA changes will add a bit more confusion, too. The latest notebook was part analysis, part explanation, and part Penguins trade talk.

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Steelers Now: It’s training camp day. Our Derrick Bell looked at the four veterans who are fighting for their football lives. We’ve got more in-depth coverage of Steelers training camp.

There will be a Live Chat today at 1:05 p.m. Make sure to join our YouTube page so you get notified and can join in the fun.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: Thus far, the trade talk has been almost exclusively speculative, with just a bit of stage one trade talk. We’ll let the big Canadian outlet get the first crack at laying out five potential landing spots for one Mr. Erik Karlsson.

TSN Video: Let’s debate who gets dumped from Team Canada and who might be on the team for the Olympics who didn’t make the Four Nations roster. The chatter has begun.

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Daily Face-Off: More from Michael Russo’s podcast appearance. It seems things have not only gone cold, but are getting icy between the Minnesota Wild and Marco Rossi. It’s been weeks since the team and player even talked about a new contract.

Philly Hockey Now: To hell with dump and chase hockey! Matvei Michkov had some strong opinions on giving up the puck and looked sideways at the first coach who demanded he do it. Here’s the Philadelphia Flyers winger’s takedown.

New Jersey Hockey Now: It’s been a week since Yegor Chinakhov’s agent let rip with his public trade request, but there’s been nothing doing so far. James Nichols lines up Chinakhov as a perfect fit for a Devils trade.

We’re getting down to it, but feel free to tweet some secondary or off-the-beaten-trail stories to me. You know me, I’m still working every day, and we’ll keep pushing the Daily stories and columns as long as I can.

The post Dan’s Daily: Wild vs. Rossi Battle; Karlsson Spots; Penguins Trade Limits appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.