Penguins/NHL category, Page 216

The Pittsburgh Penguins are going heavy on goaltenders with their early picks in the NHL Draft. After selecting Finnish-born Joel Blomqvist in the second round, the team chose Calle Clang, a native of Olofstrom, Sweden, in the third round with the No. 77 overall pick. Clang, 18, spent most of...

Using the pick they acquired from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for goaltender Matt Murray, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected another goaltender. With the 52nd overall selection in the second round, the Penguins chose Joel Blomqvist of Karpat in Finland’s Liiga. During 2019-20, while playing for Karpat’s junior team in the...

The Matt Murray era has come to an end in Pittsburgh. On Wednesday, the Penguins traded the goaltender who led them to two Stanley Cup titles to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a second-round pick (No. 52 overall) and forward prospect Jonathan Gruden. Murray, 26, is a pending restricted...

Defenseman Jack Johnson will no longer play for the Penguins. His contract got bought out. That solves all their problems. The Penguins would have won the last two Stanley Cups if Johnson wasn’t on the team. That’s what social media thinks. That’s what analytics geeks think. Johnson was the root...

Wednesday’s “First Call” outlines some offensive line problems in Philadelphia as the Eagles get ready to face a fearsome Steelers pass rush. The Vegas Golden Knights are struggling to trade Marc-Andre Fleury. And Ex-Pirates aplenty put their stamp on last night’s Yankees-Rays playoff game. More problems up front In advance...

The NHL and NHLPA announced on Tuesday a new target date of Jan. 1 to open the 2020-21 season. Previously, the NHL had identified Dec. 1. The NHL calendar has been impacted dramatically ever since the NHL halted play March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic. After the remainder of...

In August, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford let it be known he didn’t want to utilize any buyouts while crafting his roster in advance of the NHL’s 2020-21 season. They were a last resort. “That’s the fallback position, buyouts, if we have to get to that,” Rutherford said. “I don’t...

I’m not sure about much when it comes to the 2020-21 Pittsburgh Penguins. I’m not sure who will be on the roster. I’m not sure if they’ll make the playoffs. I’m not even sure if head coach Mike Sullivan will make it through the season. But I am sure that...

After the NFL postponed a Steelers game in Nashville this Sunday due to coronavirus concerns, the Tennessee Titans appear to be turning the corner when it comes to controlling the spread. But will they get disciplined for protocol violations after failing to take proper measures to prevent its introduction to...

Patrik Allvin, the Penguins’ director of amateur scouting, could be forgiven if he is a little jealous of his peers. While his counterparts with organizations such as the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators are scheduled to have multiple first-round selections in the NHL Draft...

Jack Johnson’s time in Pittsburgh has come to an end. On Monday, the Penguins placed the veteran defenseman on unconditional waivers for the purposes of buying out the final three years of a five-year contract he signed in 2018. The man who extended and ultimately ended that contract wishes it...

In the latest retransmission dispute impacting local viewers, Verzion’s FiOS TV dropped AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. A Verizon spokesman said its agreement to carry AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh expired Sept. 30. Verizon released a statement saying, “AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh has demanded a significant increase to an already high rate so fans can...

No Steelers content to discuss for our “Madden Monday” podcast this week, as the team is coming off its surprise bye weekend. That’s thanks to the postponement of their scheduled game against the Tennessee Titans. Mark Madden and I start the show talking about how the NFL is handling their...

Patrik Allvin has an interesting way of describing the NHL’s entry draft. “It the same for the players, and it the same for the scouts,” said the Pittsburgh Penguins’ director of amateur scouting. “This is the graduation. This is the thing you really work hard for. This is excitement. Every...

When the NHL’s free agent signing period opens up on Friday, it’s a safe assumption the Penguins won’t be going after any All-Stars scheduled to be available. “It’s not going to be any of the big free agents,” general manager Jim Rutherford said in a telephone interview with the Tribune-Review...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed their long-time goaltender of the future. Now, they just have to figure out the future of their goaltender with two Stanley Cup rings. On Saturday, the team re-signed Tristan Jarry, a pending restricted free agent, to a three-year contract that carries a salary cap hit...

Penguins defensive prospect Antti Palojarvi has been loaned to Hermes of Finland’s second-tier Mestis league. A native of Finland, Palojarvi was loaned by KooKoo of that country’s top league, the Liiga. Palojarvi, 21, was the Penguins’ sixth-round pick in 2017 (No. 186 overall) and has yet to sign an NHL...

In this week’s “U mad, bro?” Pittsburgh sports fans are mad about how the NFL is handling the Steelers-Titans postponement. They are also mad at attempts to qualify the Steelers’ 3-0 start. Mad at the Penguins for trading Patric Hornqvist. And mad about the presidential debate. I’m mad, too. Because...

The Penguins and Aramark announced a series of renovations related to dining at the decade-old PPG Paints Arena. According to a release from the team, these changes are purported to create a contactless experience in a post-coronavirus environment. Some of the changes include self-checkout scanners, self-ordering kiosks, mobile ordering, a...

The NHL finalized the order of its upcoming draft, which be Oct. 6-7. The entire order can be viewed here. Barring any further transactions, the Penguins’ first selection will be No. 77 overall in the third round. They also will have the 108th (fourth round), 139th (fifth round) and 170th...

The 2019-20 NHL season is over. Thanks to coronavirus, it only took 11 months. But the Tampa Bay Lightning finally pulled the curtain on the campaign by winning Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final 2-0 over the Dallas Stars. For me, that makes the bubble exercise a bit more...

It’s the day after a Steelers home game, so, obviously, Mark Madden and I are talking about their 28-21 win over the Houston Texans to begin our “Madden Monday” podcast. But we dive deep into the Penguins and Pirates as well. There were lots of standouts for the Steelers on...

When Jim Rutherford makes a trade, the analysis comes thick and fast. Occasionally, some of it is even worthwhile. Rutherford has made 51 trades since becoming Penguins general manager in June 2014. How many of those deals made legit impact? His first certainly did, namely the acquisition of gritty Patric...