Penguins/NHL category, Page 100
Metro free agency: Blue Jackets boost defense through trades
In his introductory press conference after being named Penguins director of hockey operations, Kyle Dubas explained how he evaluates his team against its opposition. “I think that the major focus, No. 1, is inside our division. That’s the way I always looked at things,” Dubas said. “Rather than try to...
Erik Karlsson tells Swedish outlet he has spoken to Penguins, and he’s not OK with staying in San Jose
We still don’t know if the San Jose Sharks are going to trade defenseman Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins. But now we do know that he has spoken to the Pens, and we know he doesn’t want to stay with his current franchise. Karlsson confirmed both angles to the...
Metro free agency: Hurricanes add impact forward, defenseman
In his introductory press conference after being named Penguins director of hockey operations, Kyle Dubas explained how he evaluates his team against its opposition. “I think that the major focus, No. 1, is inside our division. That’s the way I always looked at things,” Dubas said. “Rather than try to...
San Jose Sharks reporter still thinks ‘it will be Karlsson to the Penguins’
If it feels like the trade speculation surrounding Erik Karlsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins has dragged on for a long time, that’s because it has. The Penguins first seemed to crop up as a potential trade target for the Norris Trophy-winning defenseman at the outset of free agency on July...
Former Penguins forward Derek Grant signs in Switzerland
Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Derek Grant has signed with the ZSC Lions of Switzerland’s National League. Per a release from that team, Grant’s contract is for one season. A native of Abbotsford, British Columbia, the left-handed Grant spent part of the 2018-19 season with the Penguins, appearing in 25 games...
A Penguins-specific setlist for The Eagles to play at PPG Paints Arena
We found out Wednesday that The Eagles are going to headline a concert at PPG Paints Arena. Don’t worry, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a bye that week. It’s part of the band’s Long Goodbye tour. So I thought we should continue the tradition we began at “Breakfast With Benz” when...
First Call: Biggest potholes for Erik Karlsson trade for Penguins, Hurricanes; Kevin Colbert’s thoughts on Kenny Pickett
Wednesday’s “First Call” has the latest on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ alleged pursuit of Erik Karlsson. We give you some thoughts on Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett from the man who drafted him. Plus the Vezina Trophy odds are out, and the Pirates are the latest victims of one of the hottest...
Defense is what brought Ryan Graves to the Penguins
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, isn’t very close to a lot of places. Including the rest of Nova Scotia. Situated on the southwestern tip of the province, Yarmouth is nearly a four-hour drive from the capital city of Halifax. It’s actually closer to Maine (by boat). Living in such a remote locale...
Penguins to participate in prospect tournament at Buffalo
The Pittsburgh Penguins will participate in the Prospect Challenge tournament that will be staged at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y., Sept. 15-18. Six teams will participate in the tournament, including the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators. All teams will play three...
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins sign former NHL goaltender Garret Sparks
Former NHL goaltender Garret Sparks has signed an American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the 2023-24 season. Sparks, 31, joins an organization that has six goaltenders signed to NHL contracts entering next season, including incumbents Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry, newcomers Magnus Hellberg and Alex Nedeljkovic,...
First Call: Steelers QB Kenny Pickett promises ‘bounce back year’ for Diontae Johnson; Najee Harris rips RB pay
Tuesday’s “First Call” features Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris ripping the NFL’s pay structure for players at his position. Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett endorses the use of play-action and promises bigger things from Diontae Johnson. Plus, rookie tight end Darnell Washington is being tied to a college payment scandal...
Madden Monday: On Erik Karlsson trade talk, ‘everybody … is just waiting to see if San Jose cracks’
After a week off, “Madden Monday” is back at “Breakfast With Benz.” And two things haven’t changed at all since I last spoke with Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE. The Pittsburgh Pirates keep losing, and we keep waiting to see what’s going on with the Penguins’ pursuit...
Former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma finds home in the California desert
It still stings for Dan Bylsma. And even a salmon fishing trip in a rural portion of his native Michigan won’t provide sufficient salve. But then again, it’s only been a few weeks and time heals all wounds. In the last professional contest of the 2022-23 hockey season, the Coachella...
Penguins re-sign defenseman Ty Smith
The Pittsburgh Penguins re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Ty Smith to a one-year contract worth $775,000. Smith, 23, just completed a three-year entry-level contract. Last season, Smith appeared in nine NHL games and scored four points (one goal, four assists) while averaging 20 minutes, 12 seconds of ice time per...
Penguins re-sign restricted free agent forward Jonathan Gruden
The Penguins re-signed restricted free agent forward Jonathan Gruden to a one-year, two-way contract that carries a salary cap hit of $775,000. Gruden, 23, just completed an entry-level contract. During the 2022-23 season, Gruden (6-foot-2, 172 pounds) made his NHL debut in January, appearing in three games with no points...
Penguins sign defensive prospect Emil Pieniniemi
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed defensive prospect Emil Pieniemi to a three-year entry-level contract Friday. According to Cap Friendly, the deal carries a salary cap hit of $870,000. A third-round selection (No. 91 overall) in last month’s NHL Draft, Pieniemi, a native of Finland, is the first member of the Penguins’...
Former Penguins coach Kevin Constantine joins WHL’s Wenatchee Wild
Former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Kevin Constantine was named as the first coach of the incoming Wenatchee Wild, an expansion team at the junior level in the Western Hockey League . His hiring was announced by the team, which is based in Wenatchee, Wash., via release Thursday. Constantine, 64, served as...
After signing deal to stay ‘home’ with Penguins, Tristan Jarry says injuries are behind him
Alberta is home for Tristan Jarry. Having won a Memorial Cup championship in 2014 during his junior days with the Edmonton Oil Kings, Jarry has planted roots there and spends his summers near the provincial capital. He has a second place where he lays his hat … er … mask...
Former Penguins defenseman Kevin Czuczman signs in Czechia
Former Penguins defenseman Kevin Czuczman has signed a one-year contract for the 2023-24 season with HC Litvinov of the Extraliga ledniho hokeje in Czechia. That team announced the transaction Thursday via release. A native of London, Ont., the 32-year-old Czuczman spent parts of four seasons with the Penguins and was...
First Call: Minkah Fitzpatrick finally tops best-safety list; Saquon Barkley to ‘pull a Le’Veon?’
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick had spent most the offseason so far picking up plenty of figurative silver medals in the ultimately meaningless realm of “Best Of” lists. • In May, it was Pro Football Network that rated Fitzpatrick as the NFL’s second-best safety behind the Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin...
Former Penguins goaltender Thomas Greiss retires
Former Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Thomas Greiss has retired following a 14-year career in the NHL. A native of Germany, Greiss revealed his plans Wednesday to Stefan Herget, a freelance journalist who covers the league for that country. Greiss, 37, spent one season, the 2014-15 campaign, with the Penguins. Appearing in...
Being a bottom-6 forward is personal for new Penguins center Noel AcciariVideo
Brandon Tanev’s tenure lasted only two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Claimed in the 2021 expansion draft by the Seattle Kraken, Tanev became something of a cult hero in Western Pennsylvania despite only playing 100 regular-season games for the Penguins. His frantic, energetic, all-gas, no-brakes style of play — to...
Lars Eller embraces Penguins’ 3rd-line center role
This isn’t anything new for Lars Eller. He already has been a third-line center behind two high-end All-Stars on the depth chart. For parts of seven seasons, he inhabited that station as a member of the Washington Capitals with Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov in front of him. So joining...
Former Penguins defensive prospect Josh Maniscalco signs with AHL’s Rockford IceHogs
Former Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Josh Maniscalco has signed an American Hockey League contract with the Rockford IceHogs, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. Maniscalco, 24, just completed a three-year entry-level contract with the Penguins. He entered the offseason as a pending restricted free agent, but the Penguins...
First Call: Could Penguins still hit jackpot with Erik Karlsson trade? What rock star, in town tonight, was a Steelers fan?
Is Penguins director of hockey operations Kyle Dubas holding a pocket pair or is he just drawing to an inside straight? In an appearance on NHL Network on Monday night, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said he believes the race to acquire Norris Trophy winning defenseman Erik Karlsson from the San Jose...
