Pens Points is here to ring in your Thursday as the Penguins are wheelin’ and dealin’ with the deadline near.
Months of trade rumors are about to come to a head with the NHL trade deadline just over 24 hours away. Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins decided to start dealing early with a pair of trades late Wednesday evening, meaning we already know the team will look a difference when they return to action on Friday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Pens Points…
A pair of trades from the Penguins on their trade deadline a little less than 48 hours before the cutoff. First up was moving the recently acquired Vincent Desharnais to the San Jose Sharks for a fifth round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft. [Penguins]
Shortly after the first trade was announced, Dubas made a big splash, shipping Michael Bunting and a fourth round pick off to the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Tommy Novak. [Daily Faceoff]
A stat the Penguins goalies will likely want to forget as soon as the season ends is how many goals they have allowed on the opponent’s first shot of the game. As of now, that numbers stands at 13 with six weeks still left in the season. [Trib Live]
Playing in Colorado on Tuesday night opened up a fresh can of trade speculation surrounding Sidney Crosby. The Penguins captain reiterated his desire to play in Pittsburgh while praising his fellow Nova Scotian on the other side. [Athlon Sports]
Max Talbot joined up with Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney to talk about a variety of old Penguin stories, including Evgeni Malkin going into beast mode. [Spittin Chiclets]
It’s been tough sledding for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins over the last week, losing three of four including a blown 3-0 lead to the Hershey Bears on Saturday followed up by losing 4-1 at home last night to Bellville. [Pensburgh]
NHL News and Notes…
No one is safe from the ongoing United States/Canada trade war apparently. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about the impacts the new tariffs could have on the league and admitted it could cause some issues. [Sportsnet]
Tough news out of New Jersey, star center Jack Hughes is out for the regular season and playoffs after undergoing shoulder surgery. Hughes is expected back for training camp in September. [Devils.com]
Winners of nine of its last 10 games, the Tampa Bay Lightning are right in the thick of the Atlantic division race and are loading up for another Stanley Cup run with the additions of Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Seattle Kraken. [Lightning]