After a day off, the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Montreal Canadiens Thursday. In the meantime, we used the day to look at what in the world is going on with the Penguins, and allowing goals against an empty net, as well as a second flaw that Erik Karlsson alluded to Tuesday. Elsewhere in the Daily, the rumors are beginning to take their toll on the Vancouver Canucks , Sportsnet did their best to project Team USA and did pretty well. The NHL is discussing World Cup hosts for next year, and there's more big Trouble in Little Toronto .
Injuries really seemed to pile up over the last few days, too. Jason Zucker is out long-term. Jared McCann and Simon Edvinsson were injured Wednesday night.
And a news note, Robby Fabbri signed a two-way deal with the St. Louis Blues , who also signed Dillon Dube to an AHL PTO. While Dube awaited trial as part of the Team Canada scandal, he played in the KHL last season.
Lastly, the Penguins returned Sam Poulin to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was here for just a couple of days this time. I hope these quick trips don't mess with his confidence. He has played very well this year and looked competent in his brief NHL showing. There are a lot of people rooting for him.
I must tell you, I don't do days off well. I planned to get a Christmas tree. Nope, didn't do that. I planned to cook myself dinner. Nope, didn't do that either. It took me no less than five hours to book my January travel because I've tried in vain to find a way to avoid the soulless drive to Montreal and from Ottawa later this month, and I could not find what I consider a reasonable price to fly to Chicago on Dec. 27 or 28.
So, then, I had to search for Chicago parking, find a hotel near the affordable parking, and make sure that the hotel is close to the blue line or green line of the L, so I'm not driving all over Chicago… This is what takes forever. Also, getting from Seattle to Calgary wasn't easy. For some reason, I was able to create my own hacker fare (after about 90 minutes of research), allowing me to jet out of Seattle to Vancouver after the game and catch the Air Canada red eye to Calgary.
One less night in Seattle is one better day for me. I've seen things there that I never want to see again.
The short lesson is that I'm better than AI or Kayak. It just takes a minute. And, I have too much respect for my wallet and not enough respect for my health.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Let's dig into what is happening with the Penguins' late-game collapses. It's happening in a few different ways, but there's also a structural issue that is either a flaw or needs to be executed far better. And there's another issue at the other end of the ice. So, here's the breakdown of the Penguins' breakdowns .
Steelers Now: Pittsburgh's "Look at me!" renovations for the 2026 NFL Draft have been a pain. Did we need a new Market Square?! Or to refurb W. North Ave on the North Side (I mean, doing a bit more to stem the enterprising souls who conduct business in the park across from the hospital would have been far better). However, the NFL is making a few tweaks, too. The first round of the 2026 NFL draft will be a lot quicker .
***Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The Buccos made a Rule 5 pick but aren't keeping him long. A source told Danny Demilio of the impending Pirates trade .
Great job, Danny.
Canucks Army: Coach Adam Foote said the boys can hear it. Some days it takes a toll. There's more strife and more tension in the Canucks room as the Quinn Hughes trade talk adds another level of distraction and pressure .
I love Jim Rutherford's forthright attitude, but he kicked open that door.
Sportsnet: USA! USA! The boys in blue are ruffling Canadian goose feathers with the latest NBC ad demanding Canadian tears. So, what will Team USA look like? Here's one pretty good roster projection .
I wasn't overly impressed with Cutter Gauthier Tuesday, but Jackson LaCombe made a big impression.
TSN Video: Ok, there's the written story that examines coach Craig Berube dropped William Nylander to the third line. But the discussion is deeper–"Berube has had enough of him." Big trouble in Toronto .
The Athletic ($): The NHL trade chatter in Vancouver isn't just Hughes. Get this–It appears the Canucks got so much interest in Keifer Sherwood, they have raised the price. After Minnesota matched their price, they upped it .
Philly Hockey Now: A high-intensity practice with some contact. It was about sending a message, but trying to get their mojo rising. Another upstart team that wasn't supposed to compete for a playoff spot is Rick Tocchet's Philadelphia Flyers .
Montreal Hockey Now: There's not a succinct way to sell this good work by Marc Dumont. The Canadiens slammed through the rebuilding wall and looked to be years ahead of schedule, but things are catching up with them and now they're fighting through adversity. Tales of a rebuild with the Montreal Canadiens .
The post Dan's Daily: Team USA Projections; Distracting Trade Rumors; Penguins Breakdown appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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