Penguins to open NHL season vs. Mike Sullivan, Rangers
The next Pittsburgh Penguins season is officially on the horizon.
Monday, the NHL announced that the Penguins will play the season opener against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 7. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m.
Advertisement
Of course, the NHL is not only leaning into the longstanding rivalry between the Penguins and Rangers, but also the coach swap that happened over the summer. After nine-plus seasons and two Stanley Cups, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas fired coach Mike Sullivan, though it was termed a mutual parting of the ways.
Click here to read more from PGHHockeyNOW.com.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Bruins Award-Winning Goalie Calls It A Career
After 17 seasons in the NHL, former Boston Bruins goaltender Jaroslav Halak has officially announced his retirement. Halak confirmed the news to Tomas Prokop of Dennik Sport. With the Bruins needing to lower star goalie Tuukka Rask's workload, the Original Six club signed Halak to a two-year, $5.5 million contract during the 2018 NHL off-season. This proved to be a very good move by the Bruins, as Halak ended up working marvelously as the Bruins' backup during his time with the club. In 90 games over three seasons with the Bruins, Halak posted a 49-23-14 record, a .918 save percentage, and a 2.40 goals-against average. He also won the William M. Jennings Trophy with Rask during the 2019-20 season. In 19 games that season for the Bruins, Halak had an 18-6-6 record, a .919 save percentage, and a 2.39 goals-against average. While Halak won the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2019-20, this was not even his best season as a Bruin. During the 2018-19 campaign with Boston, he had a 22-11-4 record, a .922 save percentage, and a 2.34 goals-against average in 40 appearances. With numbers like these, Halak was an excellent pickup for the Bruins and gave them one of the league's best goalie tandems in the process. Halak's time with the Bruins ended after the 2020-21 season, as he signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks that following summer. From there, he spent his last season in the NHL with the New York Rangers in 2022-23. Overall, Halak was a very good goaltender during his time with the Bruins and provided them with some much-needed insurance between the pipes. NHL Trade Rumors: Bruins Have New Intriguing Target To Consider The Boston Bruins have made multiple additions to their roster this off-season. A few of them include Viktor Arvidsson, Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, Matej Blumel, and Alex Steeves. With this, they have given their forward group a bit more depth, which was needed. Photo Credit: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Grading Ryan Reaves trade between Maple Leafs, Sharks
The post Grading Ryan Reaves trade between Maple Leafs, Sharks appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, in exchange for Henry Thrun. Reaves is 38 years old, and has played over 900 NHL games across 15 years. The forward has spent the last two seasons with the Maple Leafs, and has one year remaining on his contract, at $1.35 million. Thrun, on the other hand, is a 24-year-old left-handed defenseman. Thrun has spent the last two seasons with the Sharks, since making the jump to professional hockey from the NCAA. He has one year remaining on his contract at a $1 million cap hit. Below is a look at what each team is getting with the trade. Why the Maple Leafs moved Ryan Reaves Signed in 2023, Reaves was brought to Toronto to help add some physicality and toughness down the lineup. While he won't provide any offense, Reaves is a hard-hitting, fourth-line forward who adds an intimidation factor. With the Maple Leafs though, Reaves struggled to be a consistent member of the lineup. The forward played just 84 games with the team over his time in Toronto and ended up on waivers last season. As a result, he wasn't likely to factor into the team's plans heading into the 2025-26 season. With Reaves unlikely to crack the lineup, there was a good chance he was going to end up in the AHL this season. However, his cap hit was too high to bury, meaning the Maple Leafs would still have a bit of it counted towards the salary cap regardless. In trading Reaves, the Maple Leafs shed a bit of salary, and part with a forward who wasn't likely to have much of a role this season. How Ryan Reaves helps the Sharks While Reaves may not have factored into the Maple Leafs' plans, he could get a better opportunity in San Jose. Whereas the Maple Leafs are still trying to contend, the Sharks are clearly building for the future. While the Sharks are putting the pieces together to be a powerhouse down the road, they're still a very young team. With the likes of Macklin Celebrini, William Eklund and Will Smith leading the way, adding Reaves gives the team's young stars a bit of protection. Plus, the Sharks aren't really concerned about salary cap implications at this point. In fact, the focus is more so on making sure they reach the cap floor than the cap ceiling. So Reaves' $1.35M cap hit really doesn't have any negative consequences. As it stands, the Sharks' bottom-six also wasn't poised to create much offense anyways. Bringing Reaves into the lineup doesn't necessarily take away much in the form of scratching someone else. Ultimately, if Reaves can make the Sharks a bit tougher to play against, then he'll have done his job in San Jose. Why the Sharks moved Henry Thrun On the surface, this trade could be a bit of a head-scratcher for the Sharks. They're parting with a 24-year-old defender with some upside for a fourth-line, 38-year-old forward who won't produce. At the same time, like Reaves in Toronto, Thrun likely didn't factor into his team's plans. He's gotten an opportunity to solidify a spot for himself in San Jose over the last couple seasons, but the results were mixed. Thrun didn't necessarily take major offensive steps and couldn't establish a big role on a weak blue line. This offseason, the Sharks brought in some veterans. The team signed Dmitry Orlov and John Klingberg, and then claimed Nick Leddy off waivers. Meanwhile, Mario Ferraro and Timothy Liljegren will also return, taking two of the remaining spots on the blue line, and Vincent Desharnais remains under contract. Plus, the Sharks have several other young defensemen who will be looking for a larger role. Jack Thompson and Shakir Mukhamadullin both played 30 games with the Sharks last season, and will be vying for regular playing time. Sam Dickinson also likely isn't far off from making the jump to the NHL. So while Thrun certainly has more upside than Reaves, he wasn't likely to get much of a role in San Jose. How Henry Thrun helps the Maple Leafs The Maple Leafs' blue line is already set, but Thrun can act as a seventh or eighth defender. Plus, at just 24 years old, there's the chance he can still grow his game. While it seems less likely that he'll be an impact defender, if there's an injury on the blue line, he could potentially get an opportunity. On the flip side, he comes with a slightly cheaper cap hit. At just $1 million, it's a bit lower than Reaves' number and Thrun is a more likely bet to take a roster spot than Reaves would have been. Plus, if Thrun ends up not factoring into the team's NHL roster, the Maple Leafs would be able to bury the full cap hit. As a result, both from an upside and salary basis, the deal makes sense for the team. Trade Grades While neither team is getting substantial value from the trade, it's a move that works for both sides. For the Sharks, they get a player in Reaves who can add a different element to their forward group. He won't factor in long-term, but can help to protect to Sharks' young stars. San Jose Sharks Grade: B For the Maple Leafs, they move on from a player who likely wouldn't have cracked the roster. Meanwhile, they get back a cheaper, younger defender who could still possibly grow his game in the coming years. Toronto Maple Leafs Grade: B+ Related: Grading Matt Dumba trade between Stars, Penguins
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Grading Matt Dumba trade between Stars, Penguins
The post Grading Matt Dumba trade between Stars, Penguins appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins have completed a trade in this NHL offseason. The Stars have traded Matt Dumba to the Penguins. This was a necessary trade for Dallas, but one that could have benefited both teams. Dumba was the seventh overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild. He would break into the NHL for the first time in the 2013-14 season, but spent part of the next year in the AHL as well. The Canadian became a top-two defender in his time with the Wild. His best campaign was in 2017-18, when he played all 82 games and had 50 points. He also developed into a leader with the franchise. The defender would win the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership on and off the ice in 2020. Still, the Wild would not re-sign him in the summer of 2023, and he signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes would trade him to the Lightning during the season. After his contract expired, he signed a two-year deal with the Stars last offseason. Now, Dumba will be playing with his fifth team in his NHL career. He was sent along with a second-round draft pick in the 2028 NHL draft to Pittsburgh. In return, Dallas received Vladislav Kolyachonok. Kolyachonok is a defender who was drafted by the Florida Panthers but spent time in the NHL with the Coyotes/Utah Hockey Club and the Penguins. The Stars dump salary After Dallas traded away Mason Marchment, it was rumored that general manager Jim Nill would be making more moves. He has lived up to that rumor. The Stars were in a precarious cap situation. They were nearly $2 million over the cap and needed to make a move to get back under before the start of the season. Trading away the $3.75 million contract of Dumba puts them back under the cap, and gives them just under $2 million to still work with. Further, the Stars may have upgraded long-term. The former first-round pick of the Wild is not the same level of defender as he used to be. He still stops the rush well, but many of his other defensive stats are down. He had become a top-four defender in the NHL, but is not anymore. His shots blocked and hits have both declined. He is also taking more hits, while he had the most giveaways of his career this year. His offense has also been on the decline. He was once a 50-point scorer and regularly scored in the high 20s. Over the past three seasons, he has not scored more than 15 points in a year. This year was one of his worst, with just one goal and nine assists. Meanwhile, the Stars snag a player on an expiring contract in Kolyachonok. Still, he is just 24, and if Dallas chooses to keep him around, he could develop into a solid defender. He is not a major offensive threat, but he has improved year over year in that category. Further, he has shown he can block shots and create takeaways. This past year, he had 32 shots blocked in just 35 games. If he can develop into a bottom-four defender, Nill may have pulled another steal. The Penguins make a confusing move The Penguins lost a prospect who has been moved around a fair amount. If he does not develop into a regular NHL player, general manager Kyle Dubas will not be praised for the move. Still, they only got back a second-round pick for helping the Stars with their cap situation. While a second-round pick can be great in a deep draft, such as is expected in the 2026 NHL draft, he got a 2028 selection. What makes this deal more confusing is that Dumba is a declining defender and regularly plays on the right side of the defense. That is the same position as Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and Connor Clifton. Letang or Clifton could move to the left side, but, like their new acquisition, they are aging as well. Karlsson, Letang, Clifton, and Dumba are all 30 or older. If the Penguins were trying to reach the salary cap floor, this would have made more sense, but they are well above that. Further, if they were getting a pick in next year's draft, it would have been a more valuable trade. Instead, they bring in a declining defender for a 2028 pick. The only saving grace is the fact that his contract is expiring this year. Final thoughts and grade on Matt Dumba trade The Stars needed to make this move. They no longer needed Dumba on their roster, and they needed to make room under the salary cap. The Stars did lose a second-round draft pick, but that is not until 2028. That will give them time to recover that pick as the class gets evaluated closer to their draft time. Meanwhile, they get a prospect that may or may not work out. The Penguins lost on this trade. They still have some solid players, although contention for the playoffs seems unlikely. Pittsburgh will be finishing off the final years of Sidney Crosby, looking towards the future without him. They may be in the running for Gavin McKenna, the top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, but a pick in this upcoming draft would have been more valuable than one three years from now. Overall, Nill showed why he has won the GM of the Year award three times, while Dubas may have shown the Penguins' plan on tanking. Dallas Stars Grade: A Pittsburgh Penguins Grade: D+ Related: NHL Draft rumors: 2026 prospect Gavin McKenna makes final NCAA decision Related: NHL rumors: Jack Roslovic linked to 4 teams in free agency
