Inside McDavid’s Contract Crisis: How a Surprising Red Wings-Penguins Deal Could Change Everything

You know, the swirling chaos of NHL trade rumors never fails to stir the pot, especially when it involves heavyweights like Evgeni Malkin and Connor McDavid. Canadian insiders suggest McDavid’s contract saga might stretch well beyond what many expected, while our own Pittsburgh Penguins seem equipped with key pieces Detroit desperately wants — although, with the asking prices these days, it feels like Motor City’s wallet just won’t open wide enough. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils’ front office is treading carefully amidst the buzz around Luke Hughes’s contract drama. And let’s not get Bruins fans started on the McDavid pipe dream that won’t materialize anytime soon. Amidst all this, ridiculous trade gossip keeps popping up — like the latest jab about Malkin heading to the Rangers — and honestly, it’s exhausting sorting the wheat from the chaff. Stick with me as I unpack what really matters in this wild NHL offseason shuffle and why some stories are better left unclicked. LEARN MORE

Connor McDavid might take a lot longer than anticipated to sign a new contract, so says a prominent Canadian analyst, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have what the Detroit Red Wings need, but the NHL trade market prices are too high for the Motor City. Also in the Daily, the New Jersey Devils’ general manager tried to answer the growing chatter over Luke Hughes’s contract squabble, and even though McDavid hasn’t yet re-signed, Bruins fans shouldn’t bother dreaming of McDavid in Beantown.

After my lengthy exposé and small rant on nonsense trade rumors taking flight, my feed was filled with another nonsensical, almost offensively stupid trade rumor yesterday and this morning.

“Evgeni Malkin to New York Rangers trade rumor!”

I don’t know what the answer is to sites that would print this drivel. I have to click on this pathetic stuff to make sure they’re not misquoting something I said or wrote, but I would implore fans–enough. Don’t read these sites, don’t like and comment, just don’t engage. That’s the only way to remove them since Meta (Facebook/Instagram) has absolutely little to no content moderation.

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Since I was a bit lazy yesterday in order to attend my friend’s annual muumu party (in which I pulled a George Costanza and instead of bringing a brunch dish, I was a hit by bringing a few dozen Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits), I’ll link to other related Penguins content today.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Athletic ($): Max Bultman dug through the Detroit Red Wings trade needs. He came to the same conclusion that we’ve come to–all three prominently mentioned Penguins trade chips, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Erik Karlsson, are what the Red Wings need, but Steve Yzerman won’t pay the asking price.

The Penguins and Red Wings are bad trade partners. Penguins GM Kyle Dubas needs a haul for his rebuild, and Yzerman is ultra-conservative. I’ll maintain it is OK for Dubas to lose on a Karlsson trade because he needs the space, but I don’t believe he shares my opinion.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Edmonton Journal: On the recent John Shannon podcast–I’m a big fan of John’s work and career, including Hockey Night in Canada–he dove into the McDavid contract situation. When John speaks, it’s usually good to listen. He doesn’t think McDavid will sign before the start of the regular season.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald sought to get ahead of the potentially messy contract talks with defenseman Luke Hughes, including the notion that the brothers Hughes are setting themselves up to hit free agency together. It’s a sticky situation for the New Jersey Devils.

NHL.com: Oh boy–take a look at the Penguins’ chief rival. The Washington Capitals’ top five prospects are an impressive group loaded for bear.

Over the last five years, Washington management really played this one well.

Sportsnet: I teased this story yesterday, but I failed to link to it. I do that sometimes, as I search for more stories while I write. Here are the darkhorses to make the Team Canada roster.

Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins fans might be salivating over the possibility of Connor McDavid becoming a free agent, just as they did a year ago over Leon Draisaitl. The latter didn’t happen, and Andrew Fantucchio cautions fans not to get their hopes up on this one either. It’s merely a pipedream for the Boston Bruins.

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