Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson has had his name in the rumor mill lately.
Johnson and the Penguins pushed back yesterday on the reports that he could be traded this week. Johnson shot down the notion that GM Jim Rutherford had told him or his agent that he was likely to be traded.
“I was made aware of (the report) when I came off the ice (Sunday),” Johnson told PHN. “No, it’s not true. (The report) is unfortunate…Mr. Rutherford never went to my agent or came to me.”
GM Rutherford to the airwaves for his side.
“That was some pretty shabby journalism because all these reporters here have 24-hour access to me,” Rutherford told our friends at 93.7 the Fan Tuesday morning. “When you’re going to write something like that you probably should go right to the person that can answer the question.”
Johnson was practicing on the second pairing yesterday beside Justin Schultz.
Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: The Pittsburgh Penguins put goaltender Casey DeSmith on waivers Monday and are going with the younger, cheaper Tristan Jarry.
DeSmith signed a three-year, $1.25 million per extension last January.
DeSmith and his new wife bought a house in Pittsburgh and were moving in during training camp. He thought he was here to say.
He said that had he’d known that his salary may be prevented him from making the Penguins he “probably would have taken less money.”
“I’d hope wouldn’t be the determining factor,” DeSmith said of his camp battle with Jarry. “It’s been my impression that whoever earns the job is going to get the job. … I just go out there and play and enjoy the time that I do have here. It may be a week. It might be eight months. I don’t know. So we’ll see.”
Pens Inside Scoop: Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan on DeSmith and Jarry: “The business of the game is part of the process. We have three really good goalies. These are difficult decisions. The business weighs in. We’re thrilled Casey cleared. We want him a Pittsburgh Penguin.”