Let's hit the holiday weekend with some gusto. Is the Pittsburgh Penguins' overstuffed forwards depth chart the result of unsuccessful trade talks? That's one of the topics in our latest Three Penguins Thoughts. Elsewhere, in the Daily, Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet is sorry about his criticism of Matvei Michkov, Canadian players are coming to their country's defense as American players want out, and the Alex Nikishin trade rumors remain focused on one team.
Well, those were some fun storms last night, eh? It's not often I can look out my large window and see the trees in the alley swaying sideways, sheets of rain slamming against my windows, and strobe lightning illuminating the scene.
We'll see if I find some time to step away from the websites this weekend. Frankly, it was easier to blow off an afternoon when I owned the entire joint; I didn't feel worried about productivity.
I did find some pretty good sirloin steaks on Amazon's grocery for about $6 each (a great deal). Dan's secret steak recipe: Set your oven to Broil (high). Add some oil and butter to a cast-iron skillet. Rub down the steak with some Montreal seasoning. When the skillet is hot, sear the steak on one side for 30 seconds, flip it and sear the other side for 15-30 seconds, then place the skillet in the oven for about 3 minutes for medium-rare. If you like your steak well done, keep it in the pan for an extra 3 minutes … then eat a hamburger instead.
Pittsburgh Penguins
PHN+: Yep, PHN+ is back. The Penguins have about 20 forwards who could play in the NHL this season. That's a lot and far more than most teams, but is that glut the result of unsuccessful trade talks? Also, some prospect changes, and one is in an unfair spot. Three Penguins Thoughts .
Steelers Now: Despite some missteps, Alan Saunders cautions against giving up on Roman Wilson. Also, what's the plan at safety? After a week of prep for Game 1, Alan Saunders has the Steelers takeaways .
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The Pittsburgh Pirates are not going quietly. They're still under .500 and outside the playoff picture, but they're fighting back. They relied on small-ball and the bullpen to win the series against the SF Giants. The scrappy Pirates .
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: Ten bold predictions for the St. Louis Blues. So, who cares? As part of his story, Jeremy Rutherford predicts the still-unsigned RFA defenseman Alexander Nikishin will indeed be traded to the Blues .
In fairness, if Ville Koivunen is worth $4 million per year for octo annos, then Nikishin is indeed worth $8 million per year.
TSN: It's a bigger issue than anyone wants to discuss. MacKenzie Weegar is Canadian and playing for Utah, but is sticking up for Canada as American after American either won't be traded to Canada or wants out .
Sportsnet: The big boys up north have been running a series for each division—one player who must step up for each team. Yesterday was the Metro Division. So, here's one player for each Metro team, including the Penguins, who needs to deliver the goods .
Also from Sportsnet, the Rucks had a big preseason night for Medicine Hat. We posted the picture of Markus and Liam posing with their new teammate, younger brother Landon. Here's the game story—the boys had a big night, and Liam had a hat trick .
TSN: Rick Tocchet was rough on Matvei Michkov last season. He pushed the rookie publicly and privately, but now he regrets roughing up the uber-talented rookie .
New Jersey Hockey Now: The big trade this week was the somewhat surprising New Jersey Devils swap of first- and second-round picks to the Nashville Predators for Luke Evangelista. The player spoke with the media on Thursday and was also taken aback, but the Devils are on the way.
Related Headlines


