OTTAWA, Ontario -- The Penguins have a plan as the NHL's March 21 trade deadline -- traditionally, a time when teams overpay to bolster their lineups for the stretch drive and playoffs -- approaches.
For now, they don't anticipate being very active in the market, unless something like a run of injuries to key players gives them no choice. Partly because they're having a successful season, with a firm grip on an Eastern Conference playoff berth, and partly because they have little, if any, salary cap space.
But Ron Hextall acknowledges that, because of injuries, he doesn't have as much of a grasp of his personnel as he would like, or what needs the team might want to address, if possible.
"It's hard when you haven't seen your team, but I like the feel of our team," Hextall said. "I like the depth of our team. I actually feel like we're deep. When we're in one piece, I like the feel of our lines and our pairs. We also don't have much cap space. That's a reality."
If he does decide that he can -- and wants to -- make a move, Hextall will have a pretty high bar to clear, since his deadline acquisition last season was Jeff Carter, who has exceeded most reasonable expectations since joining the Penguins.
MORE PENGUINS
2. The Penguins didn't hesitate to give Scott Young, their director of player development, permission to serve as an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing once Young was offered the position. That doesn't mean that there isn't a potential downside to his being away for several weeks in the middle of hockey season. "In a perfect world, we'd have him," a Penguins executive said. "Scotty does a really good job, but it's an experience for him. Going to the Olympics is pretty special." And there is a potential benefit for the Penguins, albeit not immediately. "He has contact with players there," the executive said. "You never know who, down the road, we're looking at (possibly acquiring) someone who maybe was on his team. There's upside there, where he gets to know some people and some players for future scouting or whatever." -- Molinari
3. One of management's biggest -- or, perhaps, most impossible -- challenges will be trying to find the cap space to retain first-line right winger Bryan Rust this summer if Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang get new deals. Unlikely as it seems, however, keeping Rust apparently hasn't been ruled out. Word is that Rust's agent, Brian Bartlett, has had at least cursory conversations with the Penguins' front office, although there's no indication that any intense negotiations have taken place. Real-world factors -- translation: the cap ceiling -- dictate that the Penguins be prepared to fill the void that would be created if Rust departs via free agency, but at least at this point, that doesn't seem to be viewed as a fait accompli. -- Molinari
4. These are strange times in Ottawa. The Penguins and Senators played in a virtually empty Canadian Tire Centre Thursday night -- provincial regulations temporarily cap attendance for such events at 500 as a Covid mitigation step -- while much of the downtown area is in chaos and gridlock because of a protest against vaccine mandates (and assorted other grievances). Fortunately for the Penguins, none of that had a direct impact on them. The arena is located about 15 miles from the heart of the city, and the team's hotel was much closer to the rink. -- Molinari
5. Nathan Legare wasn't in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's lineup for either of the Penguins' games over the weekend, and I'm told that his absence wasn't injury-related. He was a healthy scratch for the second and third times this season, after previously being scratched for one game last month. J.D. Forrest has been big on holding players accountable, giving them what he called "tough love" with healthy scratches or limited ice time when a player makes repetitive mistakes. Forrest also thinks the scratches can benefit a player development-wise by getting them "into the stands to watch and see where their games can be more effective." Legare was back in the lineup Wednesday in a limited fourth-line role. -- Taylor Haase
6. The promotion this week of Valtteri Puustinen, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's leading scorer, probably appears pointless in that he's been a healthy scratch in both Boston and Ottawa, and was practicing on a fifth line. If anything, common sense suggests he'd be better off staying in the AHL and continuing his development. But I'm told that management across the board, beginning with a direct conversation between Forrest and Mike Sullivan, felt he'd earned a reward for tireless work in bolstering his conditioning since showing up a little slight for training camp. Make no mistake: They like Puustinen a lot. -- Dejan Kovacevic
7. Probably worth pointing out that Tom Werner, the chairman of Fenway Sports Group, was all over the Penguins in Boston. I'm talking nonstop. The game, the practice 15 minutes outside town, the skate ... and he took Sullivan out to eat after the practice, patiently waiting outside the locker room to accompany him. And all this after Werner had been a constant presence in Pittsburgh for more than a month. These will not be absentee, disinterested owners. -- DK
STEELERS
8. The Steelers have now interviewed or scheduled interviews with seven GM candidates and all but one -- current vice president of football & business administration Omar Khan -- has a background in player scouting. Does that give you an idea of what they're looking for in a replacement for Kevin Colbert? It's what I've said all along. They want someone with a background much like that of Colbert. A scout who will head up their player acquisition department. -- Dale Lolley on the South Side
9. The decision to not retain Ike Hilliard as wide receivers coach wasn't necessarily a shock as the Steelers receivers didn't exactly blossom in 2021, particularly Chase Claypool. What was surprising, however, was that it came about rather suddenly. It is somewhat interesting, though, that three offensive assistants have left this offseason, going back to college (Adrian Klemm), making a lateral move (Chris Morgan) or leaving with no job in hand (Hilliard). That jibes with my report from late last season that offensive coordinator Matt Canada isn't the easiest guy with which to work. -- Lolley
10. The NFL announced five international games Wednesday, three in the United Kingdom, one in Munich, Germany, and one in Mexico. The Steelers were one of nine teams granted Mexico as an international home marketing area late last season, a deal that kicked in Jan. 1, 2022. The others were the Cardinals, Cowboys, Broncos, Texans, Chiefs, Raiders, Rams and 49ers. That not only gives those teams marketing rights in the country, but also priority to play games there. Art Rooney II has long wanted to play another game in Mexico. The team last played there in preseason game against the Colts in 2000. That could be happening in 2022. -- Lolley
11. I'm hearing it's unlikely Mike Munchak coaches anywhere in the NFL in 2022, if ever again. Never say never, but he and his wife wanted to be in Denver to be close to their daughter and grandchild. So, even though Munchak was let go by the Broncos, his daughter and grandchild are still there. Munchak also will turn 62 next month. He's made plenty of money. He could be ready to retire and enjoy life. -- Lolley
12. One interesting note about new wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson is that he was with the Titans in 2017 with former Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota. Mariota is, of course, a free agent this offseason who might interest the Steelers. Jackson can give Mike Tomlin and Colbert some direct input on what kind of person Mariota is behind the scenes. -- Lolley
13. T.J. Watt winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award gives the Steelers eight of those as a franchise. No other team has had players win it more than four times. Watt's season, however, was the most dominant on either side of the ball I've seen covering the team, and I covered Rod Woodson when he won it in 1993, James Harrison when he did in 2008 and Troy Polamalu in 2010. I also covered Antonio Brown's entire stay with the Steelers. Watt's year was that special. -- Lolley
14. Heard from one former Steelers assistant over the past week -- not Munchak -- that, when Tomlin fired him a few years ago, Tomlin told him he needed to work on his people skills. Ouch. Imagine that coming from Tomlin, not exactly Mr. Congeniality. -- DK
15. I spoke to Terry Hanratty this week, and he shared a hilarious tale about throwing passes to members of the Pirates in the early 1970s at Three Rivers Stadium. Each spring, he'd drive down to the stadium hoping to find a few teammates to run patterns for him. These were the days before cell phones and OTAs. “The Pirates would be out taking batting practice and a third of them ended up being my receivers for a half hour,” Hanratty said. He even had Roberto Clemente running fly patterns. One day, several of the Dodgers’ pitchers joined in the fun until Los Angeles manager Walter Alston shut down the impromptu practice. “Alston comes out on the field cussing,” Hanratty recalled. “Get the (expletive) off the field, you’re going to break a (expletive) finger. He was screaming.” -- Tom Reed in Columbus
PIRATES
16. Team union representatives are voted for by the players in spring training, and since Adam Frazier and Jacob Stallings were traded, the Pirates' players technically don’t have a rep for the lockout. Chris Stratton has been keeping players connected, and there’s a good chance he will be elected as the rep once spring training gets started, assuming he wants the position. -- Alex Stumpf
17. I caught up with David Bednar this week for a story that will be released soon. You need that killer instinct to be on the mound, but the guy is one of the friendliest people you’ll meet off that bump. -- Stumpf
18. Mitch Keller came up during my talk with Bednar. Keller has stood out on social media this winter by throwing bullpens where he has hit triple digits on the radar gun. His teammates are taking notice. “It’s incredibly impressive,” Bednar said. “I’m so pumped for him. It’s so cool to watch that happen. He had his struggles, but he’s always had a good process and worked really hard. It’s cool to see everything trending in the right direction.” -- Stumpf
19. Despite being the highest-ranked farm system they have released an article on so far, the collective future value of the Pirates’ farm system went down a little bit by FanGraphs’ standards. Two factors play into that: Ke’Bryan Hayes graduated off the list, and many of the prospects they added -- like their draft picks save for Henry Davis -- need to prove themselves in pro ball first before they’re graded as top prospects. Don’t read too much into it. This is universally regarded as one of the top systems in the sport. -- Stumpf
20. Speaking of FanGraphs, the Pirates have hired a writer from that site, Brendan Gawlowski, for their pro scouting department. Gawlowski was a part of FanGraphs’ prospect team. It’s another case of the organization looking in different spots for front office and coaching talent. -- Stumpf
21. Word on Federal Street is that the Pirates are seriously considering some form of business expansion onto the river side of PNC Park. I haven't gotten specifics, but that'd have to be up on the so-called upper riverwalk, as that's the only property they control out there. That walk is open to the public, by city ordinance, in daylight hours year-round for walkers, joggers and the like. The only current business out there is Manny Sanguillen's barbecue place, but that's only for games. ... All of which is a neat concept, but it'd be even nicer if the Pirates would populate the endless empty retail/restaurant shells they've already got along Federal and on Mazeroski Way. It's embarrassing. -- DK
