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The start of Olympic hockey was everything we’d hoped and more, with some heroic performances in an upset, and an Italian goalie who nearly engineered the biggest single-game upset since 1980 in the other game. The NHL trade chatter is back in the Metro Division on Philadelphia and Columbus, though Columbus might sign players instead. And we dug into the biggest surprises of these Pittsburgh Penguins.
Please accept my apologies. I planned to do the PHN+ Q&A on Wednesday, but when I went to pull up the questions, they were trapped in the abyss between our old site and the new. I got a few of the old questions, but the first 11 were merely previews.
So, we’re doing this again. I saw some good questions–click here to resubmit.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Surprises. There have been a few, and we ranked them. We cracked open the book on this season’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
Steelers Now: Alan and the boys are getting a good headstart on next season. Here’s what the 2026 Steelers depth chart looks like.
And there’s now a back-and-forth amongst former Steelers players. Joey Porter ripped Ben Roethlisberger to shreds, professionally and personally. Said he wasn’t a good person. Former teammates began to weigh in on the old Steelers drama.
I have no idea what’s true and what’s not, but Pittsburgh is a small town. Bad gas travels fast. It’s kind of sad, really.
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: OK, this is kind of interesting. Remember Jacob Stallings? He joined the Pittsburgh Pirates front office.
It’s just about baseball season (Sorry, I won’t pay too much attention until after hockey, eh?). Here are the five key storylines to follow during Pirates spring training.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic ($): The coaching change in Columbus has changed the playoff race in the Eastern Conference and probably the NHL trade deadline. The Columbus Blue Jackets have some very tradeable pending free agents, or they have several players to sign. Aaron Portzline took a critical look at what comes next.
Philly Hockey Now: The Philly Flyers also have some trade chips, including one on whom I wonder if the Penguins should kick tires. See if you circle the same player that I did among the Flyers trade chips.
The Olympics!
Slovakia pulled the massive upset, dishing a big loss to the mighty Finns. Juroslav Slafkovsky was a bulldozer in the win. Then, Italy almost pulled it off with a goalie standing on his head.
Sportsnet: Why Canada MUST win, but they need to enjoy the ride. Yes, a media outlet in Canada is also demanding that they have fun doing it while under intense pressure.
Boston Hockey Now: The other surprise team in the East is the Boston Bruins. They weren’t supposed to be very good, but a new coach, a couple of rebound seasons, and here they are. Jack Studley details everything going right for the Bruins retool.
Jack is a newbie, but is absolutely getting better every day and working his butt off, so give him a follow on X here.
New Jersey Hockey Now: Next season will be another year for some wild retro jerseys. James Nichols has the, oh god not that one, New Jersey Devils retro sweater.
Categorized:Links NHL Trade Rumors