Jan 17, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (86) takes a break away in front of Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) for a goal during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images We are reportedly on young-player trade watch.
It seems the Columbus Blue Jackets are about to trade Kirill Marchenko at any moment, and the Montreal Canadiens are in the middle of the rumors. Elsewhere in the Daily, The Athletic had a little fun with the best villains in the NHL, John Tortorella wants to coach again, Sergei Federov has been named an enemy of the state, and we’ve got the Pittsburgh Penguins wrap.
I just didn’t have a second story in me Saturday. I tried. But a column this morning is going to drop about the Penguins’ status and more on Wheeling.
To the hockey… Pittsburgh Penguins Today is a good day to catch up on the stories we’ve done over the last several days. Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The offseason grade for general manager Kyle Dubas and the current status of the rebuilding Penguins.
Vince Comunale took a good look at the Penguins’ schedule. I can see for miles and miles. And Vince notes the Penguins are miles behind the competition.
And we did the Penguins blog. From the trade talks, Sidney Crosby’s place in the rebuild, or the potential problems with Crosby in the rebuild, and a high-level debate about how to build a Penguins team. NHL Trade Talk, News, & NHN NHLtraderumors.me: The report dropped later Saturday from a hit-and-miss RG outlet that typically has a good track record with Russians.
Agent Dan Milstein seemed to confirm there is fire to the trade chatter–the Columbus Blue Jackets are close to trading Kirill Marchenko. The Athletic ($): A little fun for late July. I disagree with the conclusion for the Penguins; here are the biggest villains for each team in NHL history.
Sportsnet: The Vegas Golden Knights management sat John Tortorella down in his exit interview and told him immediately that he wasn’t returning as coach of the VGK, but Torts wants back in the game. Detroit Hockey Now: Ukraine. It’s been a bloody war that has racked up more atrocities than we’ve seen in some time and has been going on so long that it’s dropped off the front pages.
Now, Ukraine has put former Detroit Red Wings star Sergei Federov on its enemies list. New Jersey Hockey Now: After weeks of asking, Devils GM Sunny Mehta joined our colleague James Nichols’s podcast. They had a pretty good chat.
Mehta seems like a pretty good dude. James pressed him on the trade speculation, or fan hopes, that New Jersey could unite all three Hughes brothers. Colorado Hockey Now: The NHL has set the trade deadline.
It will be March 1 this season. Chicago Hockey Now: Patrick Kane talked about playing with Connor Bedard and why he came back to the Chicago Blackhawks. DFO: Probably not big news for most Penguins fans, but for you fantasy players, it’s worth watching.
The Anaheim Ducks convinced their 2026 first-round pick, Nikita Klepov, one of the most offensively gifted players in the draft, to back out of his commitment to Michigan State and sign an ELC instead.