Live Wire: Penguins skating in Cranberry ... Fleury's charity work ... Adam Johnson signs in Sweden

Inspired by Hot Button, a round-the-clock feature that summarizes the non-Pittsburgh sports world, we're starting a Penguins-based Live Wire. Similar vibe, similar speed, only it's focused squarely on the city's hockey team. And at the same time, it offers our readers a single commenting platform committed to anything you'd prefer to discuss related to the Penguins, NHL, or hockey in general.

Older Penguins Live Wire updates can be found here.

The wire continues below ...

PENGUINS SKATING
IN CRANBERRY

7 p.m. Tuesday: Penguins players have been slowly trickling back into town and joining informal player skates in Cranberry. The Penguins shared this look at the skate on Tuesday: 

The Penguins said in a release that players participating in the skats are tested daily, screened upon arrival and only permitted to skate in small groups at this time. The skates are closed to media and the public.

From the pictures sent to media, it looks like the players in town include Guentzel, Dumoulin, DeSmith, Trotman, Pettersson, Matheson, Rust, McCann, Ruhwedel, and Sceviour. -- Taylor

FLEURY STEPS UP
FOR CHARITY

5 p.m. Tuesday: Marc-Andre Fleury and Vegas coach Pete DeBoer were busy Tuesday doing some work for the HELP of Southern Nevada charity. -- Taylor

JOHNSON SIGNS
IN SWEDEN

1 p.m. Tuesday: Adam Johnson has signed with the Malmo Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, Malmo announced on Tuesday.

"We look forward to bringing Adam here," said Malmo sports manager Patrik Sylvegård. "In him we get a forward who has played at a high level in North America in recent seasons, including in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins. We have got a very good picture of him and see him as a (winger) in one of our top lines. He will be able to contribute a lot, not least with his speed."

"My biggest strength is my skating, with it I can create a lot offensively," Johnson said. "... At the same time, I have worked a lot on my defensive game and want to be a two-way player who does my job in the defensive game."

Johnson, an unrestricted free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2017, appeared in 185 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over three seasons, scoring a combined 39 goals and 69 assists. He led Wilkes-Barre in scoring last season with 10 goals and 24 assists in 48 games. 

Johnson made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh in 2018-19, and recorded two assists in six games. He played seven NHL games last season and recorded one goal and one assist. -- Taylor

CROSBY'S HOLIDAY
MESSAGE

7 p.m. Monday: Sidney Crosby recorded a holiday message for Hockey Nova Scotia. -- Taylor

BOSTON COLLEGE
HIRES ORPIK

1 p.m. Saturday: Boston College has hired Brooks Orpik as an assistant coach for its men's hockey team. He'll continue serving in his other role as a Capitals player development coach. 

“He’s got a great teaching aura about him,” Boston College head coach Jerry York said. “He can explain things very well. The little nuances of playing defense at a high, high level. All our players want to go to the next level so they understand this is a great segue into that.”

“This is a great opportunity for me,” Orpik said. “I’m definitely grateful for Coach York letting me come in. In terms of a coach and a person, he really, 20 years later, is the exact same guy. I still marvel at his enthusiasm and his energy. I was kind of unsure if I would like to do it or how much I’d like doing it, but maybe I’m surprised. I’ve enjoyed it more than I anticipated.” -- Taylor

CLANG MAKES SWEDEN'S ROSTER

11:40 a.m. Saturday: Penguins goaltending prospect Calle Clang made the final cut for Sweden's World Junior championship roster. He'll likely be Sweden's third goaltender in the tournament.

In case you missed it, last month I spoke with Clang about his goals for this season and more.

"I hope to make the team and be an important player for Sweden," he said of World Juniors. "For sure, it's big. I'm an underage goalie, so it would mean a lot to me if I make the team. To make the team this year would be unbelievable, I would be so proud and honored." -- Taylor

BLOMQVIST MAKES FINLAND’S ROSTER

2 a.m. Saturday: As expected, Penguins goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist made Finland’s final roster for the World Junior championship.

The tournament begins Dec. 25. — Taylor

POULIN CUT BY CANADA

1 p.m. Friday: Penguins prospect Samuel Poulin was among the final cuts from Canada's World Junior roster. He didn't make the team.

The move really wasn't that surprising. Various early pre-camp projections had him making the roster as an extra forward if he made it at all. During Canada's camp intra-squad games (two teams with four forward lines each), he was usually playing on one of the fourth lines. Canada is stacked at forward, even with Alexis Lafreniere not getting permission from the Rangers to play in the tournament. 

Of Canada's 22 skaters to make the final roster, 20 are first-round picks. Every single forward is a first-round pick. Poulin is good, but he wasn't good enough for this team.

The two remaining World Junior hopefuls in the Penguins' system are goaltenders Joel Blomqvist (Finland) and Calle Clang (Sweden), both drafted this year. Clang will likely be Sweden's third goalie, but Blomqvist could actually play for Finland. Even making the roster as an 18-year-old in a U20 tournament is a great achievement. -- Taylor

HORNQVIST SKATES
IN FLORIDA

8:20 p.m. Thursday: The Panthers tweeted some pictures from the informal player skates happening in Florida, and we got a first look at Patric Hornqvist in Panthers gear. -- Taylor

NHL LOOKING INTO
ADS ON HELMETS

3:40 p.m. Thursday: The NHL is looking into putting ads on helmets as an additional revenue stream for next season, Elliotte Friedman reported on Thursday.

Honestly, ads on stickers aren't too intrusive, in my opinion. Some minor-league teams have them. Instead of the team's logo on both sides, it might only be on one side, with an ad on the other. Or for some teams, it might replace where a number sticker would go on the front of a helmet. -- Taylor

LIIGA MOVING TO 
FULL FACE SHIELDS

3 p.m. Thursday: The top Finnish league is currently on pause due to coronavirus concerns. The league announced Thursday that when it returns, players will be required to wear full bubble face shields to reduce the chance of spread.

Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reported that the  NHL/NHLPA negotiations do not include the possibility of full face shields. -- Taylor 

ECHL EXPANDS ROSTERS

12:12 p.m. Thursday: The ECHL has approved a temporary expansion of rosters to accommodate players on NHL and American Hockey League contracts. ECHL clubs will be permitted to dress 18 skaters -- that's two more than usual -- and two goaltenders for each game. -- Molinari

POTENTIAL DIVISION
ALIGNMENT

5:40 p.m.: Per Pierre Lebrun, the division alignment for next season could look like this: 

The Penguins would play with several of their Metropolitan Division rivals, plus the Sabres and Bruins, under this plan. -- Taylor

SWEDEN'S WORLD JUNIOR
GOALIE COACH TESTS POSITIVE

11:45 a.m. Wednesday: Sweden's World Junior team has been hit with a coronavirus outbreak with now four members of its coaching staff testing positive. The latest to test positive was goaltending coach Nizze Landen. It's worth noting that Penguins goaltending prospect Calle Clang is at Sweden's World Junior camp and has been working with Landen.

The only remaining member of the coaching staff who will be able to travel to Edmonton for the tournament this month is assistant coach Joel Ronnmark. The team brought in U18 coach Anders Eriksen to assist Ronnmark in the camp, but the team said in a statement that it isn't clear whether Eriksen will be eligible to travel and coach in the tournament because of testing requirements. -- Taylor

FORBES NHL 
TEAM VALUES

11 a.m. Wednesday: A report from Forbes on Wednesday said that the average NHL team value dropped two percent as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the league's first decline in value since 2001.

The Penguins were ranked as the 11th most valuable team at $650 million, a two percent decline from the previous season. The Penguins' operating income was $14 million. -- Taylor

EXPANDED ROSTERS,
POTENTIAL CAMP DATE, MORE DISCUSSED

8 p.m. Tuesday: The NHL's executive board had a meeting on Tuesday to discuss more details regarding next season, and TSN's Frank Seravalli reported some of the details discussed in the call:

• Rosters could be expanded from 23 players to 26 players, with four more "taxi squad" players who aren't on the official roster and still get paid their AHL salary but travel and practice with the team.

• Of the seven Canadian NHL teams, four have AHL affiliates in Canada and three have AHL affiliates in the U.S.. The current plan is to have the AHL affiliates remain in their usual cities, with the four in Canada playing in their own division. That creates an issue of what the protocol will be if any of the Canadian NHL teams with U.S.-based affiliates (Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton) need to recall a player across the border. The issue does not exist in the inverse, no U.S. NHL teams have Canadian AHL affiliates.

• Some NHL teams have told players to begin testing on Dec. 26. Seravalli said it is "sounding more and more like" camps will open Jan. 3, 10 days before the anticipated season start date of Jan. 13. 

• One proposed plan has Wilkes-Barre/Scranton playing in the North Division, along with Lehigh Valley, Binghamton, Cleveland, Hershey, Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica. -- Taylor

NHL, NHLPA 
NEGOTIATION UPDATES

11 p.m. Monday: Elliotte Friedman reported on Monday night that the NHL and NHLPA agreed to stick with the economic framework set in the June CBA extension for next season. The agreement comes after it was previously reported that the NHL was seeking a higher escrow cap and more deferred payment.

The NHL and NHLPA still have to negotiate on further details for next season, including training camp protocols, division alignment, schedule length, and more. 

Pierre LeBrun reported that both sides are targeting a Jan. 13 start date and a 56-game season.-- Taylor

MORE ECHL TEAMS
OPT OUT OF SEASON

12 p.m. Sunday: Three more ECHL teams -- the Kalamazoo Wings, Cincinnati Cyclones, and Idaho Steelheads -- have opted out of playing the 2020-21 season, making it now 11 of the league's 26 teams to opt out of the season.

The entire North Division -- Worcester Railers, Maine Mariners, Reading Royals, Newfoundland Growlers, Adirondack Thunder, and Brampton Beast -- have already opted out. The Norfolk Admirals and Atlanta Gladiators opted out in October.

Two more teams -- the Fort Wayne Komets and Toledo Walleye -- will begin play in January, while the other 13 participating teams will begin play next week.

The result makes for a pretty rough (and probably expensive) travel schedule for the Nailers. The only other team in their division set to begin play next week is the Indy Fuel. The first month they're set to play Indy 5 times, host the Orlando Solar Bears twice, and travel down to play the Greenville Swap Rabbits and South Carolina Stingrays. -- Taylor

LAPIERRE RETIRES

10:25 a.m. Sunday: Feisty center Maxim Lapierre, whose 10-year NHL career included 35 mostly forgettable games with the Penguins in 2014-15, has announced his retirement. Lapierre had two points, both assists in those 35 appearances. -- Molinari

PATRICK'S ANNIVRSARY

2 p.m. Saturday: Today marks 31 years since the Penguins hired Craig Patrick. The team put together this video package to mark the occasion. -- Taylor

WBS SIGNS TWO-TIME
CUP CHAMP NOLAN

1 p.m. Saturday: Wilkes-Barre signed 31-year-old forward Jordan Nolan to an AHL contract for the 2020-21 season. Nolan, who is entering his 11th professional season, won the Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012 and 2014. Last season was Nolan's first full year back in the AHL, and he scored 11 goals and 16 assists in 60 games as captain of the San Antonio Rampage. 

Wilkes-Barre will need a new captain after David Warsofsky was traded to Toronto this offseason, and Nolan is a strong candidate. -- Taylor

WBS SIGNS
FORWARD OLSON

3:30 p.m. Friday: Wilkes-Barre signed forward Kyle Olson to an AHL contract for the 2020-21 season. He'll report to Wheeling to start, since the Nailers' season begins on Dec. 12. 

Olson was a fourth-round pick of the Ducks in 2017 but went unsigned. He's coming off of his fifth WHL season.

For more on Olson and some video from his time in juniors, you can read this story. -- Taylor

GUENTZEL STEPS UP
FOR CHARITY

3 p.m. Friday: The Penguins Foundation announced the launch of its own Penguins-branded "WubbaNub", a baby pacifier-and-plush combination for babies aged 0-6 months. The plushes will be sold for $20, with all proceeds benefiting UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Guentzel kicked off the charity drive with a donation of 100 WubbaNubs and $5,000.

"I wanted to do something to stay connected and still benefit the patients at UPMC Children's," Guentzel said. "The WubbaNubs are a great way to give our tiniest fans some comfort right now."

WubbaNubs can be purchased here. -- Taylor

NAILERS TO ALLOW FANS
AT GAMES THIS MONTH

2 p.m. Friday: The Nailers' season will begin at Dec. 12, and the team will allow season ticket holders (and only season ticket holders) in the building for the first three home games. Fans must wear masks at all times in the building.

"We've truly missed our fans over these past few months and are excited to welcome them back into the arena," said WesBanco Arena executive director Denny Magruder. We have taken every possible precaution to ensure everyone's safety, as we are utilizing the latest and greatest disinfectant equipment, and we have brought in extra staff members to keep the arena clean."

There will be distance markers on the floor, hand sanitizing stations around the building, and plexiglass installed at concession stands. -- Taylor

BLOMQVIST MAKES PRELIMINARY
WJC ROSTER FOR FINLAND

10 a.m. Friday: Team Finland announced its preliminary roster for the World Junior Championship that will begin in three weeks, and Penguins 2020 second-round pick Joel Blomqvist is one of five goaltenders to make the cut. The number of goaltenders will be trimmed to three by Dec.12.

As noted below, Penguins 2020 third-round pick Calle Clang is one of the goaltenders on Sweden's preliminary roster. Samuel Poulin is the only other Penguins hopeful for the tournament and is on Canada's preliminary roster. Forward Judd Caulfield, a fifth-round pick in 2019, received a late invite for the U.S. selection camp and participated in the camp but was cut from the preliminary-roster. -- Taylor

MORE DETAILS ON SEASON
EXPECTED SOON

1:40 p.m. Thursday: Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said on Thursday that the NHL and NHLPA are expected to come to a resolution soon on the length to next season and other details. -- Taylor

PENGUINS EXPLORING
PLAYING GAMES OUTDOORS

1 p.m. Thursday: Elliotte Friedman reported on Thursday that at least four NHL teams are exploring the possibility of playing their home games outdoors if it will allow them to have fans in the building. The teams are the Ducks, Bruins, Kings ... and the Penguins.

Friedman reported that the Penguins have looked into both Heinz Field and PNC Park. The Steelers schedule overlapping with the possible start of an NHL season would obviously be an issue. -- Taylor

CLANG ON SWEDEN'S PRELIMINARY
WORLD JUNIOR ROSTER

7:40 a.m. Thursday: Calle Clang, the Penguins' third-round choice in the 2020 draft, is one of four goaltenders on Sweden's preliminary roster for the world junior championships, which will begin Dec. 25 in Edmonton.

There are 34 players on that roster, which will be trimmed before the competition begins.

Taylor Hasse spoke with Clang recently about his interest in representing his country and his prospects for the future. -- Molinari

BETTMAN SAYS LEAGUE
ISN'T 'RENEGOTIATING'

2:30 p.m. Wednesday: Gary Bettman told Sports Business Journal on Wednesday that he doesn't consider asking the NHLPA to make more concessions than the two parties already previously agreed upon in June 'renegotiating.'

The players in June agreed to only receive a guaranteed 72 percent of their salaries (10 percent deferred, plus 20 percent escrow cap) next season when the new CBA was ratified. The NHL is now reportedly asking that number to be cut to 55.5 percent guaranteed (26 percent deferred plus 25 percent escrow cap). -- Taylor

LIIGA SUSPENDS PLAY

2 p.m. Wednesday: The top Finnish league has suspended play Thursday until Dec. 19 due to coronavirus concerns and increased restrictions in some parts of the country. The Penguins currently have five players playing in the league -- goaltender Emil Larmi and forward Valtteri Puustinen on HPK, defenseman Niclas Almari (injured) on the Pelicans, forward Kasper Bjorkqvist on KooKoo, and defenseman Santeri Airola on the Ilves. Their other two Finnish prospects -- defenseman Antti Palojarvi and goaltender Joel Blomqvist -- are both currently playing for Hermes of the second-tier league. -- Taylor

NHL EXPLORING LOCKOUT IF
PLAYERS DON'T MAKE MORE CONCESSIONS

9 p.m. Tuesday: Despite agreeing with the NHLPA to an extension to the CBA in June, the NHL is already seeking to change the terms and ask players to make more concessions for next season. In the CBA, players agreed to defer 10 percent of their pay with a 20 percent escrow cap, guaranteeing them 72 percent of their pay for the upcoming season. The league is now reportedly asking players to defer 26 percent of their pay while increasing the escrow cap to 25 percent, which would only guarantee 55.5 percent of their salaries for the upcoming season.

Player agent Allan Walsh said in a Twitter thread on Tuesday that the NHL is floating the idea of cancelling the season if the players don't agree to give up more money than they already agreed to give up, which would be another lockout. -- Taylor

JAN. 1 START
UNLIKELY

9 p.m. Tuesday: The NHL is still officially targeting a Jan. 1 season start date, but according to Pierre LeBrun, one of the members of the NHLPA Return to Play Committee says that a start in late January or early February is more likely.

Player agent Allan Walsh echoed a similar sentiment. -- Taylor

FIOS, AT&T SPORTSNET
REACH DEAL

11 a.m. Tuesday: Nearly two months after Verizon Fios dropped AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh over a contract dispute, the companies have reached a new long-term agreement.

"Verizon Fios and AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh have reached a long-term agreement to relaunch the regional sports network to Fios customers in the Pittsburgh and Harrisburg areas," read a statement released on Tuesday. "Relaunching AT&T SportsNet, the broadcast home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Penguins, allows baseball and hockey fans in the region to enjoy watching their local teams in the upcoming seasons.

"Fios TV customers can watch a wide range of programming on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh beginning Tuesday, December 1st.  AT&T SportsNet will be viewable in the Pittsburgh area on channels 76 and 1525, and in HD on channel 576.  In the Harrisburg area, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will be available on channels 78 and 1527, and in HD on channel 578.  AT&T SportsNet alternate is available in both Pittsburgh and Harrisburg on channels 81 and 1528, and in HD on channel 581 when there are programming conflicts on AT&T Sportsnet's primary channels." -- Taylor

BURKE SAYS PENGUINS
WINDOW IS CLOSED

10 a.m. Tuesday: Former general manager and current television analyst Brian Burke was a guest on the latest episode of Spittin' Chiclets, and during the interview he said that he believes the Penguins' window to win a Stanley Cup is closed.

"It is the same thing Jimmy Rutherford is saying in Pittsburgh: ‘I’ve got two elite players we’re not going to a total rebuild were gonna try and win.’ I don’t think Pittsburgh is good enough to win," Burke said. "No matter what they do now with their cap situation I think that window has closed, for me. I love Jimmy Rutherford, you know that, but I look in the East and I say are they better than Tampa? Nope. Are they better than Washington? Nope. Are they better than Boston? Nope."

USA HOCKEY ANNOUNCES
PRELIMINARY WORLD JUNIORS ROSTER

3:20 p.m. Monday: USA Hockey announced its preliminary roster for next month's World Junior Championship. Penguins forward prospect Judd Caulfield, who attended the evaluation camp, did not make the cut.

The roster of 29 player will be trimmed to 25 before the start of the tournament. -- Taylor

NAILERS TRAINING
CAMP UNDERWAY

1:50 p.m. Monday: Wheeling Nailers training camp is underway in preparation for the Dec. 11 season start. New head coach Mark French spoke about the preparations for the season in this video. -- Taylor

PENGUINS & PAWS
CALENDAR ON SALE

1 p.m. Monday: The Penguins' annual charity pet calendar is on sale and available on the Penguins Foundation's website. Proceeds benefit the adoptable pets at Animal Friends shelter. -- Taylor

JAGR PLAYING AT LEAST
ONE MORE YEAR

12 p.m. Thursday: Jaromir Jagr was in Russia this week for the 70th birthday celebration of his former KHL team, Avangard. When asked in an interview if he plans on hanging up the skates any time soon, he promised at least one more season.

“The Winter Classic in the Czech Republic plays next winter, in 2021," he said. "I promised to be there. Therefore I certainly can’t quit now!”

The Winter Classic was originally scheduled for this season but was pushed back a year over coronavirus concerns. The event will feature a series of games between different Czech and Slovak teams, including matchups between the two countries' junior teams, a "legends" game of teams of former NHL players, and a sled hockey game.

Jagr plays for the team he owns, Kladno, in the second-tier Czech league. He hasn't played in any of Kladno's eight games this season, but plans to play later in the season.

"I’m not sure I can help Kladno in its goal to return to the top-flight league, but I would like to play in the playoff," he said. "I’m planning to keep on playing.”

Jagr scored 15 goals and 14 assists in 38 games last year when Kladno was in the top Czech league. -- Taylor

ULF'S YOUNGEST
SIGNS IN ECHL

12 p.m. Thursday: Ulf Samuelsson's youngest son Adam signed a professional tryout contract with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.

Greenville is the ECHL affiliate of the Panthers, where Ulf was recently named assistant coach.

Adam, 20, is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound defenseman. He played seven games for Boston College in 2018-19, then left school to return to the USHL and play junior hockey. He split 2019-20 between the USHL and OHL. He recorded three goals, 14 assists, 49 penalty minutes and a plus-3 rating in 43 OHL games with the Sudbury Wolves.

Here's a look at his first OHL goal. He's the big guy wearing No. 5:

Ulf's two older sons are still playing hockey in Europe. Phil, 29, was a second-round pick of the Penguins in 2009 and spent three and a half seasons in the organization. He's been in the Swedish Hockey League since last season, and currently plays for IK Oskarshamn. Henrik, 26, was a first-round pick of the Coyotes in 2012. He's currently playing for HK Levice in the second-tier Slovak league after spending last season in the British league.

Ulf's daughter Victoria played two seasons at Penn State from 2015-17. -- Taylor