Penguins/NHL category, Page 296
Deep draft could be boon for prospect-depleted Penguins
Over the last decade-plus, the Pittsburgh Penguins have treated their first-round draft pick like a colonoscopy appointment. They know they should make it. They know it’s important for their long-term health. Ultimately, they decide to worry about it next year. Five times in the past six drafts, the Penguins traded...
Five names to remember on defense at this weekend’s NHL Draft
Here are five names to remember on defense at the NHL draft this weekend in Vancouver. — Bowen Byram: A dynamic all-around talent with great skating ability, Byram is the top defenseman in the draft by a large margin. A 17-year-old defenseman leading the WHL in playoff scoring is practically...
Newly acquired Dominik Kahun looking forward to teaming up with Penguins stars
When he heard he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the first thing forward Dominik Kahun did was pause the video game he was playing against his brother at his offseason home in Germany. The second thing he did was think about the teammates he was about to play with....
Penguins GM discusses why Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang haven’t been labeled untouchable
Looking to change up his roster after a disappointing playoff exit, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has yet to include Evgeni Malkin or Kris Letang on a list of untouchable players in any public comments he’s made this offseason. He still hasn’t, but in a radio interview on 93.7...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden talk Olli Maatta trade, Steelers running backs, Pirates quandary
In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden and I discuss whether Jim Rutherford did the right thing by trading Olli Maatta to Chicago. We also investigate the quality of the return in Dominik Kahun. Maatta took a lot of grief in Pittsburgh. We debate whether it was warranted. Another...
Tim Benz: Even Olli Maatta defenders should endorse this Penguins trade
My first reactions to Saturday’s trade of Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta to Chicago for forward Dominik Kahun were: • What am I missing? • Are the Penguins absorbing a lot of the salary? • Is this part one of a two-part deal? So far, the answers to those questions appear...
What Maatta trade means — and doesn’t mean — for Penguins future
After the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins bludgeoned their way to the Stanley Cup Final, there was speculation heavy hockey was back in the NHL. General managers all over the league soon would be reconstructing their rosters to copycat the way the big, bad Blues claimed the franchise’s first...
Penguins trade Olli Maatta to Chicago for forward Dominik Kahun, draft pick
Shortly after the Pittsburgh Penguins were swept out of the first round of the playoffs, general manager Jim Rutherford made headlines when he said all options were on the table when it comes to returning the team to championship-contender status. One of the items on his offseason to-do list wasn’t...
3 issues Penguins, Jim Rutherford must cope with in retooling
When he traded defenseman Olli Maatta to the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford jumped feet-first into the busiest time of the offseason. The NHL Draft is set for next weekend in Vancouver. On July 1, the league’s free-agent signing period opens. It’s prime time...
First Call: Strange Stanley Cup odds; Seth Meyers talks Pirates
Friday’s “First Call” features NBC’s Seth Meyers talking Pirates. Emmanuel Sanders actually saying something nice about Antonio Brown. And inconsistent odds for the Penguins and other NHL teams winning the 2020 Stanley Cup. Sliding scale The Penguins are usually one of the top offseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup....
Stanley Cup Final a hit in Pittsburgh TV market, but not as big as last year
A Stanley Cup Final matchup between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins was popular with local television viewers, but nowhere near as popular as last season’s meeting between the Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights. Wednesday’s Game 7, a 4-1 victory that gave St. Louis its first Stanley...
Penguins aren’t longshots to claim 2020 Stanley Cup
Despite an uneven season and a dismal playoff showing, the Pittsburgh Penguins remain in the top third of the league as far as bookmakers are concerned. The Penguins are an 18-1 shot to win the 2020 Stanley Cup, according to odds released by BetOnline.ag hours after the St. Louis Blues...
First Call: Sir Charles loves Sir Sidney, Mike Rupp eats his shoe
In Thursday’s “First Call,” Charles Barkley loves him some Sidney Crosby! Mike Rupp eats his shoe. And Jenna Fischer has the last laugh. Sir Charles on Sir Sidney For reasons still unknown, the NBC hockey crew decided it would spend the first intermission of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup...
Tim Benz: Is Penguins GM Jim Rutherford kidding us? Or himself?
When it comes to Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, one question needs to be asked. Who is he kidding? Us? Or himself? Right now, I’d say it’s the former. By the time the 2019-20 season starts, it may end up being the latter. Over the past three weeks, the...
Kevin Gorman: Penguins GM playing with poker face on trading Phil Kessel
Phil Kessel pulled a page out of the playbook of another Pittsburgh sports superstar, using his leverage like Antonio Brown to kill a trade before it could be finalized. Difference is, Jim Rutherford didn’t cave like Kevin Colbert. Where the Steelers general manager stayed true to his word about trading...
Tim Benz: 10 years after 1st Cup, expectations change for Crosby, Malkin
Penguins fans have had a lot of fun anniversaries to celebrate lately. • The 35th anniversary of drafting Mario Lemieux was Sunday. • The end of this season marked the 30th anniversary of Lemieux’s 199-point campaign in 1989. • Today is the 10th anniversary of the 2009 Stanley Cup championship...
With trade nixed, Penguins GM Jim Rutherford says he’s content keeping Phil Kessel
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has found trading winger Phil Kessel to be a difficult proposition. So for now, he says he’s given up. “It looks like he’ll stay here,” Rutherford said Tuesday. According to reports, Rutherford worked out a deal to send Kessel to the Minnesota Wild for...
Penguins coaching staff pays visit to Steelers sidelines for minicamp
Not every coach on the practice field at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for the start of Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp on Tuesday was blowing a whistle or barking orders. Mike Sullivan and the entire Penguins coaching staff, including assistants Jacques Martin and Mark Recchi, goalie coach Mike Buckley and video...
Paul Steigerwald reflects on Penguins drafting Mario Lemieux
What did you do for “Happy Mario Day?” Did you go down the YouTube Mario Lemieux highlight rabbit hole? Wear a No. 66 jersey to Sunday dinner? Maybe place a bouquet at the statue in front of PPG Paints Arena? Those are all completely appropriate responses, by the way. However...
Mark Madden: 35 years later, Penguins’ drafting Mario Lemieux No. 1 was both easy, complicated
Sunday was the 35th anniversary of the Penguins drafting Mario Lemieux. That might sound like an easy decision to make. Ultimately, it was. But there were a few complications. General manager Eddie Johnston had to quietly maneuver the Penguins into finishing last overall in 1983-84. OK, so maybe he didn’t...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Mario Lemieux memories, Pirates problems, state of Steelers
Well, what do you know? It’s a “Madden Monday” podcast … on a Monday! Will wonders never cease? Between holidays, vacation days and our mutually busy concert schedule, Mark Madden and I haven’t been able to connect on a Monday for the past few weeks, pushing our usual post back...
As clincher grows closer, Stanley Cup ratings rise in Pittsburgh market
As the Stanley Cup gets closer to being awarded, local hockey fans are paying more attention to the final series between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins. The Pittsburgh market ranked fifth in the country with a 6.0 rating for Thursday night’s 2-1 Blues victory on NBC, behind Boston,...
First Call: Penguins trade chip besides Phil Kessel?; blown call stings Bruins
In “First Call” Friday, there may be a trade chip on the Penguins besides Phil Kessel. The Bruins got screwed in the Stanley Cup Final. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge should be fantastic. Who else besides Phil? The Athletic listed its top 20 trade candidates. Two Penguins made it. Writer Craig...
Phil Kessel trade talk reminiscent of summer of 2014, James Neal deal
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Pittsburgh Penguins are shopping an incredibly productive winger in the hopes that the move will improve not their skill level or goal scoring but their overall style of play. It describes the summer of 2019, with Phil Kessel on the block....
On defense, Penguins now paying price for prior pursuit of championships
Last weekend, the Pittsburgh Penguins relinquished the NHL rights to 2017 second-round pick Zachary Lauzon, who has battled post-concussion problems. Last year at this time, they gave up the rights to 2016 third-round pick Connor Hall, who has suffered recurring shoulder problems. While the Penguins can’t be blamed for the...
