Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

The NHL and NHL Players' Association announced in November of last year that the World Cup of Hockey will not be played in February 2024. This is an absolute travesty that the NHL and NHLPA can't see the value of having the NHLs best players playing against each other. It has been 7 years since the last World Cup of Hockey has been played and if there is no World Cup of Hockey tournament in 2024, it will be 8 years since this tournament hasn't been played. Now some articles are saying that the NHL and NHLPA are trying to work out something so that there is a World Cup of Hockey in 2025, but that is still two years away and by that point, some of the legendary players playing now might not even make the team for the respective countries. After the conclusion of the World Baseball Classic, in which Japan beat the USA to win the Championship, Superstar Connor McDavid praised the baseball because of the Ohtani vs Trout showdown, and stated that "It's what we've bee...

 The Pittsburgh Penguins currently hold the 1st wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference with a 19-8-5 record and 43 points through 32 games played. With the current team the Penguins have, they won't be able to make a deep run but if they make a few moves at the deadline, they could have one last Stanley Cup run with their current core. In this blog, I write about what the Pittsburgh Penguins need to improve on and what needs to be done to improve their Cup Chances. Issues w/ Pittsburgh Penguins: 1. Lack of Secondary Scoring 2. Goaltending  3. Lack of Offensive + Defensive Depth The Biggest issue that the Pittsburgh Penguins will have in the Playoffs if they do not add any players is that they lack secondary scoring. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust are seasoned veteran players with Stanley Cup pedigree, but the rest of the forwards have yet to prove themselves a scoring threat in the playoffs. If the Penguins are to make a deep playoff run ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have an aging core and might not be good enough to make the playoffs anymore, so I think the Penguins should seriously consider rebuilding. It would take some time, but if they rebuild correctly, the Penguins could be a playoff-caliber team in a few years. This is how the Pittsburgh Penguins should rebuild. At the 2022 Trade deadline, a few major trades are made: Pittsburgh Penguins trade Evgeni Malkin to the Dallas Stars for Roope Hintz, Denis Gurianov, Mavrik Bourque, and a 2022 1st round pick. With the addition of Evgeni Malkin, the Stars become immediate contenders, while the Penguins get three very top 6 caliber players and a 1st round pick. The Penguins also trade Kris Letang to the Nashville Predators for Dante Fabbro, Philip Tomasino, 2022 1st round pick. The Nashville Predators bolster their defense with the addition of Kris Letang, while the Penguins get two good young players and a 1st round pick. Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust are traded to the Edmonton Oil...

 The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a difficult offseason ahead of them because they have an aging core, limited cap space but have many issues to address with their roster. This is what the Pittsburgh Penguins should do in Free Agency. Before the free agency begins, the Pittsburgh Penguins need to free up some cap space because they only have about 3.2 million in cap space heading into Free Agency. When looking at the payroll for the team, the first thing that sticks out is that they have 3 LD getting paid over 4 million per season; the Penguins will need to move one of those defensemen in order to free up cap room. The player who is is easier to move is Marcus Pettersson because the Penguins aren't moving Dumoulin, and Matheson can't be moved without giving up other assets. Pittsburgh Penguins trade Marcus Pettersson to the New Jersey Devils for a 2022 4th round pick. This is a win-win trade for both teams because by trading Pettersson, the Penguins free up more than 4 milli...

 The Pittsburgh Penguins are far from being a contending team now, in fact they would be better off trading everyone except Crosby and going forward with a full rebuild. Two major trades are made by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2020 offseason: Evgeni Malkin is traded to the San Jose Sharks for Tomas Hertl, Ryan Merkley, Ryan Donato, 1st round pick '21. The Sharks get a superstar center in Evgeni Malkin to help propel the Sharks to new heights, while the Penguins get Tomas Hertl, a very good top 6 forward, Ryan Merkley, the Sharks top prospect, Ryan Donato and a 1st round pick. Kris Letang is traded to the Ottawa Senators for Erik Brannstrom, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, 1st round pick '21. The Senators get an elite puck moving defenseman in Kris Letang, which makes them a legit contender; the Penguins get 3 very good young players in Brannstrom, Norris and Batherson as well as a 1st round pick. With Malkin and Letang gone, the Pittsburgh Penguins finish the 2020-21 season wi...

The 2005 Draft was headlined by Sidney Crosby but there many other great players taken as well such as Carey Price, Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, Kris Letang, Ben Bishop. If the 2005 NHL draft were to be redrafted, the landscape of the league would be very different. *Check out my previous two NHL Redrafts before continuing with this one* 1. Pittsburgh Penguins-(C) Sidney Crosby Original pick: Sidney Crosby The Pittsburgh Penguins still select Sidney Crosby because he is widely reguarded as one of the best players of the decade. Crosby won the Hart, Art Ross and Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy twice and led the Penguins to 3 Stanley Cups, winning two Conn Smythes in the process. Sidney Crosby turned the franchise around from his first game in the league and is a first ballot hall of famer. 2. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim-(G) Carey Price Original pick: Bobby Ryan Its rare to pick a goaltender this high in the draft, but Carey Price is an exception because he is a goalie that...