On the Pittsburgh Penguins …
Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Penguins defenseman Ian Cole has been a healthy scratch for four games this season. Recent injuries to Matt Hunwick and Kris Letang have kept Cole in the lineup.
“It’s certainly something that hasn’t been ideal,” Cole said after Wednesday’s morning skate at PPG Paints Arena. “It’s something where you try to not let it affect you.
“Maybe you do for a day, but you try to snap back and work hard and get ready for the next time you play, wherever that is.”
It seems very unlikely that Cole will be finishing the season with the Penguins. The Penguins could use a spark and Cole may be GM Jim Rutherford‘s best trade piece.
Despite everyone knowing about the trade talk, things are normal in the dressing room.
“There’s certainly been those conversations, both from the outside and the inside,” Cole said. “It is a little weird, but as a professional, there’s not much we as players can do about it. You just have to continue to try to play well and win hockey games.”
Forward Tom Kuhnhackl could be another Penguin that teams are interested in, though he may not be on the trade block.
Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review: The Penguins have added size in three trades since the draft – Jamie Oleksiak, Riley Sheahan, and Ryan Reaves – but they haven’t been looking to change their style of play. Though they think they have enough speed, they wouldn’t be opposed to adding more. GM Jim Rutherford
“Certainly if there’s a speed guy out there available, we would be on top of that player, too. We have enough speed on our team. We’re not trying to change how we play. We’re not moving away from speed because that’s where the game is today.”
Coach Mike Sullivan.
“We’re looking for guys that we think can help us play the style of game that we want to play,” Sullivan said. “When we talk about personnel or potential acquisitions, we always try to answer that question. When you look at the guys you’re talking about, we believe they can play the style of game that we’re trying to play.”