Pens Points: Guentzel Gunning for Greenbacks

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

The Penguins were back in action Wednesday night, visiting the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit. Mere seconds was all it took for Evgeni Malkin to find the back of the net to give the Penguins the early lead. A dominant second period by the Red Wings gave them a 4-1 lead through 40 minutes. A third-period Pittsburgh rally fell short, with Detroit earning a 6-3 win. [Recap]

Welcome... and goodbye. About 24 hours after acquiring him in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks, the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday placed forward Karel Plasek on waivers Wednesday to terminate his contract. Insert Grandpa_Simpson_Walking_In_and_Out.gif here. [Trib Live]

Players would love nothing more than to raise their value to their team in contract years, paving the way for a big off-season payday. Here are four players (including a notable Penguin) who are off to hot starts in the final year of their deals. [The Hockey News]

News and notes from around the NHL...

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the NHL has asked teams for their thoughts on a decentralized draft process. Friedman reports that the decision could come into effect after the 2025 draft. [Yahoo Sports]

A big blow to the Montreal Canadiens: Kirby Dach will miss the remainder of the season for the Montreal Canadiens because of a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. [NHL]

Another slow-moving shootout attempt from Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has again sparked debate. Should timers be used for shootouts? [Sportsnet]