The pitter-patter of the NHL trade chatter has become more than a smattering as the Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for a center, and Marcus Pettersson’s name comes up often as interest grows in the latter. We laid out the pain that the Pittsburgh Penguins are about to go through because the worst is yet to come, and it’s going to take time. Alex Ovechkin filled the net in the last two nights but left the game Tuesday with an injury. He’s closing fast on Wasyne Gretzky. And the Boston Bruins fans booed the boys out of the building after the Bruins got crushed by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
I’m not sure I know what tact to use in covering the Penguins at this point. Management’s words and deeds do not line up. The team’s hopes are being dashed more and more every day. And it’s creating the very abyss that general manager Kyle Dubas said he was going to avoid because it takes years to escape.
My podcast, No Pucks Given, is growing quickly in downloads and followers. I guess I’ve decided to keep the name for now and not call it Press Box Nahcos. I record at such variable and sometimes spontaneous times that getting guests is difficult, but I want to move in that direction, too. We’re on Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, and Apple.
We’re also launching the Spare Parts Podcast Network. So, sports podcasters definitely hit us up!
After all, we’re just spare parts, aren’t we?
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The hardest part of the Penguins rebuild–and make no mistake, that’s what it is becoming–is still to come. And it could take quite a while to even get to rock bottom. Yep. The hardest part awaits the Penguins.
Owen Pickering is a refreshingly honest talker. I hope age doesn’t spoil that, as he’s around more. He gave an honest assessment of his game. We also asked Sidney Crosby about the kids in the lineup and his role. It’s in the Penguins’ notebook.
Vasily Ponomarev still has a bit of a language barrier. I’m not sure he understands the questions yet. But if he plays well, I suspect you won’t care if he talks to the media.
NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now
Sportsnet: Marcus Pettersson and the NHL trade block. His name is out there, and it’s getting louder–though not everyone is enthusiastic. There are certainly teams interested in the lanky defenseman.
One of those who are not very enthusiastic people is a beat reporter in Vancouver, one of the spots rumored to be interested in Pettersson. Patrick Johnston writes, no on Pettersson, the Canucks should aim higher.
ESPN: Alex Ovechkin has been filling the net. He’s scored five goals in the last two games to close within 27 goals of Gretzky, but he also left the game with an injury last night. Ovechkin and Crosby are still in the headlines 20 years later—what a ride—but here’s the latest on the Great 8.
Philly Hockey Now: Beaten by “stupid stuff.” It was a good start, but things didn’t end well. A referee was taken off on a stretcher, and the Colorado Avalanche took it to the Philadelphia Flyers. And here is an update on the ref taken off the ice.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Oh, James Nichols, no. No, no, no. There is a former Penguins forward on waivers that James thinks could help the lack of depth in New Jersey. He makes a good case, but Penguins fans might put up the stop sign, too. Here’s whom the New Jersey Devils should target.
Boston Hockey Now: The boo birds became a mob by the end of the game. The team is struggling, and the fans let them have it after Columbus boat raced them on home ice. Yeah, the latest Bruins takeaways.
Intensity is building as general manager Don Sweeney is working the phones hard and looking for a shakeup in the form of a Bruins trade. The negative is only getting worse as a coveted free-agent center admitted he’s stunk for the Bruins. Elias Lindholm was brutally honest.
Huge game for the Penguins Tuesday. They believe, or at least they want to believe, that they can turn things around. They have to start winning games, and one against a really good team would help. Of course, if they get skated out of the barn, they’re toast.