Pens Points: One day closer

Tales from the Old World:

On December 4th, 2019, the Penguins shut out the St. Louis Blues and got a few “first goals” from some pretty forgettable players from last season but also a memorable game in net from Tristan Jarry. On December 6th, Jarry put up a second straight goose-egg against Phil in his return to Pittsburgh. Oh, the good ole days. [Blues Recap] [Coyotes Recap]

Penguins News:

Could the Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh host an outdoor hockey rink for the Penguins to play this year in front of live crowds? With indoor sporting and large gatherings still far from reality, the Penguins are one of four teams to float the idea. [Sportsnet]

The Penguins are no strangers to bringing their talents outdoors. They’ve played five games in mother nature, but have lost three out of the five games. Here’s a quick breakdown and facts about the first four games, with the latest game coming in February, 2019 against the Flyers in Philadelphia. [WPXI]

A few weeks ago I posted an article rankings the Penguins three best contracts. Here’s the opposite of that article with the three worst Penguins contracts on the books. That’s not counting the Jack Johnson buyout. Fair warning: the first name on the list may trigger some folks around here. [The Hockey Writers]

If there’s one thing the Penguins are known for the last few years, it’s probably not the number of Finnish hockey players. However, the Penguins currently have the second most Finnish players in their organization. Some of those players may have some bright futures with the Penguins. [Trib Live]

League News

There’s finally been a shift from the latest doom and gloom surrounding the NHL when it was reported yesterday that the two sides are beginning the framework for next season. The NHL finally seems to admit the January 1st start date is out of the question along with an 82 game season. There’s still a lot of work to be done before the puck drops for next season, however. [NBC Sports]

The most recent signings of RFAs Jake DeBrusk and Mikhail Sergachev two weeks ago were the first notable signings in nearly a month in the NHL. With so many notable RFAs and UFAs still unsigned, it’s still a waiting game until all those pieces fall into place. [Full Press Coverage]

The bad news surrounding Mats Zuccarello and his time with the Minnesota Wild continued to grow despite the league not playing since August as the Wild announced Zuccarello will not be ready for the beginning of next season after having arm surgery. [NBC Sports]

The Seattle Kraken are going to debut in a much different NHL than the Vegas Golden Knights did a few years ago. Of course nobody could have seen a pandemic impacting the entire world, but Ron Francis and the Kraken are prepared to be ready when the NHL finally does return to Seattle. [NHL]