EDMONTON, Alberta -- When Kyle Dubas spoke prior to the start of the season, he wasn't asked directly about contract talks with Marcus Pettersson. He was asked in a roundabout way if Pettersson could be traded at the NHL deadline like Jake Guentzel was last season, and he gave a pretty dodgy answer.
"With regards to the contract situations of all of our unrestricted free agents, I think the best course for us, with where we're at right now, is to look at them all case-by-case, and where we're at, where we're going. The key is to protect all of our options as we go through the years. See how our own young guys are evolving and developing, and measure that as we go. But Marcus is a key guy for us, and I think we'll treat him a little bit different. He and Drew O'Connor, I'd put in that case of treating them a little bit differently as we go through it. So it's not the clearest answer, but that's really how we view it."
What does "treating him a little bit different" entail? It's not entirely clear. But a source confirmed to me on Wednesday that the Penguins have not begun even the slightest of preliminary talks with Pettersson's camp yet. There has been nothing.
That lack of communication is one-sided. A source close to Pettersson spoke to me over the summer of his desire to re-sign, and the hope was that Sidney Crosby's impending extension was causing a delay and that Dubas would turn to Pettersson after getting Crosby's deal done. But that never happened.
When Dubas said that he wanted to "protect all of our options" in regard to their free agents, one of those "options" could just be selling off rentals at the deadline if the team doesn't appear destined to make the playoffs. So, Pettersson's future in Pittsburgh likely depends on how things play out these next few months. He has an eight-team no-trade clause, which isn't too limiting.
Pettersson wants to be back. The sense is that Dubas genuinely would like for him to stay around, too, as Dubas went so far as to say Pettersson "represents everything that the Penguins want to be about."
If Pettersson doesn't get traded mid-season, there will be plenty of time to get a deal done before free agency opens on July 1. But it seems highly unlikely that any new contract gets signed in-season.
MORE ON THE PENGUINS
• There was a moment in the second period of Tuesday's game in Calgary where Erik Karlsson was standing up mid-play, yelling back and forth with Crosby from the opposite end of the bench. When there was a TV timeout a minute later, Karlsson got off the bench and skated down to Crosby's end where they continued their conversation until the break ended. I saw it live and thought nothing of it other than just two guys breaking down a play, but from reader comments, apparently one of the broadcasts said something that made people think there's some kind of rift. I asked Karlsson on Thursday here in Edmonton if he remembered what was going on there. At first he couldn't even recall the conversation in question, and then he laughed.
"No, no," he said. "I think it's just because I sit on the one side of the bench where the D is, and he sits on the other. So, every time there's ever anything, it's kind of like we have to stand up. And we're at the opposite end so we kind of have to yell sometimes in order just to hear each other. That happens quite a bit. You know, it's a good thing. We're ending up in a lot of situations together where we both feel like a lot of good things can happen. They don't always connect, or it doesn't turn out the way that you want it to sometimes. But the more of those situations and discussions that we have, the better."
• Rutger McGroarty was always going to go down to the AHL early in his professional career. The injury to Bryan Rust in the preseason created a unique opportunity for him to play a few games and experience a road trip, but management always wanted him to take on a big role in the AHL to acclimate to the pro game rather than trying to do it with limited minutes at the NHL level. It wasn't anything that he did or didn't do in his NHL games that got him sent down. It was just that Rust got healthy.
• I got asked by a member of the Winnipeg media earlier this week whether the re-assignment was the wakeup call McGroarty apparently needed, suggested that he needed to get his ego in-check ... which is something I'd heard from various outside people since the trade. Never once saw anything to suggest McGroarty had an attitude issue, not in talking with him since the trade, not in seeing how he was in the locker room after he started getting scratched, and nothing since he's ended up in the AHL. He's always come off like an outgoing but humble kid and seemed to bond very quickly with other prospects.
• Regarding Crosby's "slow start" by his standards -- seven points in eight games, but only one of those points is a goal -- I've seen nothing to indicate that he's managing an injury, none of the extra work or little signs you might see when guys do try to play through something. He's not immune to droughts. They just don't usually come this early.
• With the goaltending situation, nobody is going on waivers. Get that out of your head now. Joel Blomqvist is the only goaltender who doesn't need them, Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic would. But that's not remotely close to being on the table. That's not "coddling" Jarry. That's just recognizing that it's not the answer.
• Now ... that doesn't mean it's impossible for Jarry to see brief AHL time as part of this "comprehensive game plan" the Penguins have put together for him. Most conditioning assignments to the AHL are for players on long-term injured reserve, and are limited to three games or six days. There's a non-long-term injured reserve option, but it's subject to the NHL's discretion and the league would have to rule that a team isn't using the loan for cap circumvention ... considering the Penguins can fit three goaltenders under the cap as it is, it wouldn't be a cap circumvention move. These kinds of conditioning stints can last up to two weeks. If Jarry is away from games this long -- and since he's back in Pittsburgh, even if he starts the next home game, that would make nearly two full weeks off -- then a conditioning assignment would be a legitimate option.
• Sticking with Jarry: It's always surprising to hear how some fans perceive him as being apathetic, unmotivated, having an attitude, things like that. He's very reserved and sometimes stiff in interviews you might see. He's also a completely different person as soon as the camera or recorder shuts off. Regardless, none of what's going on with him is a result of not caring or trying.
• Speaking of guys who aren't playing -- Valtteri Puustinen. Despite getting into just one of the Penguins' games so far, he's still his usual upbeat self, always one of the first ones on the ice for practice and one of the last ones off. I sat down with him on Thursday and he actually credited Jesse Puljujarvi with being a big help through this somewhat difficult time, which is especially admirable given that they're really in competition for the same roster spot.
"(Puljujarvi) is telling me, keep ready and keep positive vibes," Puustinen told me. "Because it doesn't help me if I have a bad feeling or something. This does not help the team if I'm not happy here in the room. But yeah, of course, I want to play the games. I always want to play. This is not fun. You go to warm up, and after that, when the game starts, you go to the gym, do a workout or biking or something, and watch the games on the TV or in the press box. But I can keep focused, and when the next chance comes in, I'm ready."
Great attitude. And he's definitely staying "happy in the room." Just before I talked with him, he pranked Drew O'Connor by hiding the latter's gloves and helmet. The bit lasted a good 10 seconds before Puustinen caved and revealed his hiding spot.
• Sullivan stopped practice in Calgary to yell at his players, but that shouldn't be overblown. It was one very specific drill they were working on transitioning from playing low to high in the offensive zone, then resetting. The drill was messed up a couple of run-throughs in a row. He stopped, yelled "What word aren't we understanding?" re-explained it, and then everything proceeded without issue. The whole thing was incredibly quick, and I don't think an indication of anything other than frustration over the drill needing to restart. Nobody was tuning anybody out, and things were fine the rest of practice.
• Fodder for those who get bothered by all the Boston connections: They call one of the multiple zone-entry strategies on the power play "Boston Routes," so you'll sometimes hear a coach yell, "Boston! Boston!" in the middle of power-play work.
• Obligatory fun fluff bullet to end Insider: I don't know what kind of car Puustinen drives, but he said one time he was driving Blomqvist and Puljujarvi around, and Puljujarvi complained that Puustinen's car was too small for him. Puustinen said he probably needs a new, bigger car anyway, because his girlfriend and dog are flying in from Finland next week. And this was obviously an ideal time to use one of the few full-sentence questions in Finnish DuoLingo has taught me: "Millainen koira sinulla on?" or "What kind of dog do you have?" Puustinen said he had a bichon, and then got a second bichon over the summer.
