Pens Points: Tough Road Ahead

Here are your Pens Points for this Tuesday morning...

The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers met over the weekend, with Pittsburgh winning a very close 1-0 contest over the Blueshirts. These two divisional rivals could very well meet in the playoffs. If that happens, how differently could each team look after the upcoming trade deadline? [Trib Live]

Valtteri Puustinen is a name that I wouldn’t expect many Penguins fans to be familiar with... yet. A seventh-round pick in in 2019, Puustinen has defied the odds to this point of his development, with the winger on the verge of making his NHL debut after showing signs of promise in the AHL. The Kuopio, Finland native continues to work hard both on and off the ice. Just listen to Kasper Bjorkqvist. [Trib Live]

And speaking of prospects, we know the Penguins might have the worst farm system in the league. But are there some other youngsters who could make a difference for the NHL club? [Post-Gazette]

News and notes from around the NHL...

The NHL is, at the end of the day, a business. Which means teams have to make tough business decisions that do affect the livelihoods of the players. Players being waived by their current club happens almost daily. But it still would be nice to hear the tough news from the team that’s waiving you... not from your mother. [Yahoo]

It’s every hockey player’s dream to get “the call” to play in the NHL. Even as the league was trying to navigate the murky waters of the COVID-19 pandemic, many “fill-in” players were able to live their lifelong dream in rather unideal circumstances. [ESPN]

NHL on TNT broadcaster and hockey legend, Wayne Gretzky, made his opinions known on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, calling for Russia to be banned from the upcoming world junior men’s hockey championship. [CBC]

The NHL yesterday announced that they will be suspending relationships with advertising partners from Russia and will not be promoting the league via Russian language social and digital media sites. [Pension Plan Puppets]