First Call: Penguins linked to 3rd Vancouver trade rumor; Taylor Lewan may now be targeting Steelers division rival

The Pittsburgh Penguins are being linked to a third Vancouver Canuck trade option. Free agent offensive tackle Taylor Lewan may have moved on from targeting the Steelers.

Two former Pirates pitchers have been injured in spring training. And Damar Hamlin is still searching for a way to get back on an NFL field.

All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.”

Vancouver vibes

Luke Schenn and J.T. Miller are both Vancouver Canucks that have been linked to the Penguins in trade talks.

Well, Schenn has been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Miller is out week-to-week with a lower body injury.

But fret not. There is yet another Canuck who may be on the block for Jim Rutherford and the rest of the Vancouver front office.

It’s Brock Boeser. That’s according to David Pagnotta of “The Fourth Period” and SiriusXMNHL.

Believe talk between VAN/PIT has progressed quite a bit. If this gets done, the Canucks are expected to retain part of Boeser's contract. https://t.co/QKyy24xXEG

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 28, 2023

By “part of” his contract that better mean “a lot of” his contract. The Penguins have $1.9 million of current cap space according to CapFriendly. According to The Athletic, that number could increase to anywhere between $4 million-$5.7 million depending on the fates of Mark Friedman and Brock McGinn, now that they have been put on waivers.

Boeser’s remaining cap hit is $1.58 million, and his cost the next two years is $6.65 million per season.

The 26-year-old right-winger has 11 goals and 27 points this year. He put up between 45-56 points five years in a row leading into this season.

That didn’t take long

Even before he was released, Taylor Lewan was using social media to flirt with Steelers fans about the prospect of wearing Black and Gold.

Those colors so go hard. https://t.co/KTtcnznA3L

— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) January 17, 2023

Now that Lewan has been cut by the Titans, that interest has remained unrequited. In fact, after admitting to spitting at T.J. Watt and striking him in the groin, Lewan can’t even get Watt to join him on a podcast.

So now perhaps Lewan is moving on to another team in the AFC North. On Wednesday, Lewan retweeted a photo of himself in Bengals gear.

It does look dope, nice edit. https://t.co/ZyzQJI58Ia

— Taylor Lewan (@TaylorLewan77) February 27, 2023

Hey, why not? The Bengals could use some offensive line help.

Now let’s see if any stories come out about Lewan spitting at Sam Hubbard or punching Trey Hendrickson below the belt.

Joe’s big toe

Former Pirate Joe Musgrove suffered a weight room accident that is going to keep him sidelined for a while.

Via CBSSports.com, the San Diego Padres All-Star has a fractured left big toe after accidentally dropping a kettlebell on it. A timetable is yet to be released for his return. But manager Bob Melvin has said it’ll be a “minimum of a couple weeks.” So Musgrove may not be ready for Opening Day.

Musgrove has been one of the game’s best starters since leaving the Pirates in a trade to his hometown Padres two years ago. He has thrown 362⅓ innings with a 3.06 ERA.

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That’s not all

Musgrove isn’t the only ex-Pirates pitcher dealing with an injury problem. Oft-injured right-hander Tyler Glasnow is going to be out six to eight weeks thanks to a left oblique strain.

That means the Rays aren’t expecting to have Glasnow until at least mid- to late April. Tampa’s Opening Day is March 30.

Glasnow was injured Monday throwing live batting practice. According to the Tampa Bay Times, a Tuesday morning MRI revealed a Grade 2 strain.

Glasnow is now 29. He returned to action in late September last year, having been sidelined since a June 2021 elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery.

On July 31, 2018, the Pirates traded Glasnow to Tampa along with Austin Meadows and Shane Baz for Chris Archer.

Hoping for Hamlin

Pitt product Damar Hamlin is recovering and still thinking about playing in the NFL. That’s despite his frightening cardiac event on “Monday Night Football” in January during a game between his Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said the Pittsburgh Central Catholic graduate wants to suit up again, despite nearly dying on the field during that game.

#Bills GM Brandon Beane says Damar Hamlin continues to see specialists. Has gotten good news to this point but has “two or three more he has to see.” Team medical folks going through the process with him. “Assuming he gets full clearance I know he’d want to play.“

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 28, 2023

“Assuming he gets full clearance, I know he would want to play,” Bean said via ProFoootballTalk.com. “I know that’s his end game, to continue playing. We want to make sure that we’re all in sync with, assuming the doctors say at some point he’s seen them all, that we’re in agreement that we’re OK putting him out there, too. But, so far, all is well with his testing and we’ll just let that continue.”

Beane said Hamlin is still traveling the country seeking out medical advice from various specialists. Hamlin has two years remaining on his entry-level contract with Buffalo. He has roughly $2 million in base salary remaining over those two years.