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Dan’s Daily: Free Nick Robertson; Malkin Speculation; Brazeau Update
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- Dan’s Daily: Free Nick Robertson; Malkin Speculation; Brazeau Update
Dan’s Daily: Free Nick Robertson; Malkin Speculation; Brazeau Update
WINNIPEG, Manitoba —The Pittsburgh Penguins lingered behind to practice in Minnesota , but their impending arrival in Canada spurred what the national hockey media does best: NHL trade rumors and speculation. Evgeni Malkin was front and center Friday. There's also chatter that the Toronto Maple Leafs have finally and truly made Nick Robertson available, but their asking price is prohibitive. The Devils re-upped goalie Jacob Markstrom , and the Ducks spoiled John Gibson's homecoming.
I am loathe to report news in the Daily, which is supposed to be a recap. Still, given the awkward travel arrangements in which the Penguins stayed behind for an extra day, and no such flights existed for me to do the same, it seemed there was a little consternation that Justin Brazeau did not practice Friday.
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A team source said it was simply a maintenance day for Brazeau, who lingered outside the small trainers' room in Minnesota Thursday following the Penguins' 4-1 win.
And I must tell you, Winnipeg is growing on me. No, it's not a swanky city, or even a fun city, but the people are salt of the earth. I'm staying in a decent enough hotel with a big TV in my room, but it was all streaming. So, I wandered to the big sports bar across the street to watch the Blue Jays.
As I watched the game, some locals adopted me. They had some old hockey stories to tell, including a story I'd only heard bits of before (so I could confirm the existence), in which a now Hall of Fame defenseman flattened a demonstrative coach for putting his hands on a young player (it was 40 years ago, but I still can't divulge names).
It was a good night. Before the game, I found a little Poutine spot on the backside of this small town. I went with the bacon special. It was solid, but I wanted the gravy to be bolder.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: I do enjoy work, and over the last few days, I had broken up a feature story I was writing about guys like Ryan Shea and Parker Wotherspoon into the analysis stories, so we did an impromptu Friday Q&A. We got some really interesting questions about Sidney Crosby vs. Mario Lemieux, Sergei Gonchar , and how Dan Muse is handling mistakes by the Penguins veterans. It's all in the Penguins Q&A .
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PHN+: There were some good locker room vibes over the last few days, Erik Karlsson really gave us some next-level insights into the new Penguins style, and … I swore subscribers to secrecy. You can know, but you can't share: I unmasked the practical joker who did the Wotherspoon chalk outline. I think it's going to become a regular feature–the Friday Penguins Insider .
Steelers Now: Welp, that bit of fun didn't last long. Just a few weeks ago, the Steelers were all but a sure-fire bet to win the AFC North. Fast forward, and they're not even favorites. Derrick Bell breaks down the Ravens' and the Steelers' best past to the AFC North title .
Sportsnaut
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The NASCAR results from Friday included a new Truck Series champion .
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Will the Cleveland Browns trade Miles Garrett? There are reports that the Philly Eagles are willing to offer THREE first-round picks for Garrett .
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Jerry Jones is admittedly neglecting the Dallas Cowboys, and Stephen A. Smith rightfully ripped him on ESPN. Jones told the Wall Street Journal that there's a gas well business deal he's working on, so the Dallas Cowboys have to wait .
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
TSN: The welcome NHL trade chatter is that Darren Dreger said the Toronto Maple Leafs are "exploring" the possibility of trading away David Kampf and Nick Robertson. But the bad news is that Toronto GM Brad Treliving doesn't want draft picks .
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Seriously, FREE NICK ROBERTSON! Robertson-Kindel-Koivunen?
New Jersey Hockey Now: Hello, Jacob Markstrom. Please sign here. It's a short extension, but a significant signing with a good AAV for the New Jersey Devils .
NHLTraderumors.me: Oh boy, the Edmonton media and fans came for Evan Bouchard . The point-blasting defenseman was epically bad, and his turnovers directly led to a loss against the Rangers. There are a lot of calls for Bouchard to get a pile of press box nachos for the Edmonton Oilers .
Sportsnet: We're up north, so it's time to try to trade all of the Penguins' veterans. I was watching live yesterday as the conversation started on Sportsnet, then it kept going. Should Evgeni Malkin be the next Brad Marchand and accept the trade ?
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I wish national outlets got Malkin's training camp quote correct. Malkin said the Marchand trade was weird, and he didn't know how he'd feel if Kyle Dubas came to him with a trade offer–but the context was not one of openness to the idea. Instead, if we translated Malkin to English, the quote would have been, "That's too hard to fathom."
Montreal Hockey Now: It's a mailbag from Marc Dumont. The Noah Dobson impact, needed upgrades, and Montreal Canadiens trade options .
Philly Hockey Now: A "pack mentality" as things are getting physical in Philly. It seems Rick Tocchet is bringing old school back to the Philadelphia Flyers .
Small rant: There are more "trade rumors" floating about, but I must tell you–far too many people are being called "insiders" or calling themselves insiders whose "sources" are second and third hand. Or each other. Sorry. I went through that stage of my career where people wanted to tell me things, a scout here, an assistant there. I eventually realized that a lot of it was them screwing with bosses, rivals, me, or otherwise trying to get their wants in the public sphere to will them into existence. There is a huge difference between good sources who are part of discussions and decisions, and the chattering people who orbit them. I learned and I adjusted. Otherwise, there are too many people being called insiders.
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The post Dan's Daily: Free Nick Robertson; Malkin Speculation; Brazeau Update appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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