We shove off from Hershey this morning after the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins advanced past the Hershey Bears with an entertaining, though not always well played 4-1 win in Game 4. We definitely got a good look at the Penguins prospects, but oddly, PHN was the only Pittsburgh media outlet here. The Pittsburgh Penguins signed a couple of their free agents, but we dug into an interesting Penguins situation developing because of the new salary cap levels.

Elsewhere in the Daily, the Edmonton Oilers are at the center of two NHL rumor trains. On the coaching front, there are questions if the Oil will swap out Kris Knoblauch for a former Stanley Cup winning bench boss, and former Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry does not seem to have a future with the organization and they are scouring the trade market for goalies. The Carolina Hurricanes fed the Philly Flyers their lunch. The San Jose Sharks need five defensemen, and the NHL announced the Norris Trophy candidates.

I’d like to publicly thank the Hershey Bears org and all the people at the Giant Center. It really is a great place to watch a game, and the people go out of their way to be friendly. For Penguins fans who want to get a good look at the Penguins’ prospects, Hershey is an hour closer and you’ll have a few more hotel and dining choices, though you will have to deal with being the opposing fan.

And before I left Chocolate Town, my breakfast (and lunch) on Thursday was called “Chocolate Explosion,” and they served it freshly made at a little spot called Duck Donuts. I beg your forgiveness, because it was warm I had to eat that bad boy with a fork and knife.

WBS will play Springfield next. Anyway, Let’s do this so I can get on the road…

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Hello Connor Dewar. Ilya Solovyov. The Penguins opened their wallet in the days following clean out and are bringing back the pair of free agents.

The WBS Penguins also made a very notable signing Thursday when they delivered an ATO to Pittsburgh Penguins first-round pick Bill Zonnon.

Believe me, I was prepared to go to Wilkes-Barre today if they were practicing so that I could talk with Zonnon, but WBS has two days off after winning the series.

Sergei Murashov was brilliant. He was loud but brilliant Thursday as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vanquished the Hershey Bears to move on in the AHL playoffs. We’ve got the full story up close on the WBS Penguins.

Now then, as for the big club, an off-handed comment on the Live Chat Wednesday got me thinking. Then it got me writing. First, we did a little examination on how the AHL playoff run will help the Penguins org, but then also the unique situation regarding the Penguins, the salary cap floor, and how the new cap levels could affect the Penguins’ rebuild.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Philly Hockey Now: It’s OK, you can hate read and comment. Will James won’t mind (but just be nice to him). The Carolina Hurricanes have already put their opponent on the brink as they pummeled and schooled the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3.

The Penguins’ playoff asset was supposed to be experience, but as it turned out, that age gap proved to be an “old dog” handicap. If the Penguins had not been so stubborn in the first two games, that series would have ended much differently.

Colorado Hockey Now: It looks like my Norris ballot wasn’t in line with others. Rasmus Dahlin got his first nomination. Zach Werenski and Cale Makar are the other finalists.

Edmonton Journal: Help! Now I find, I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors. The Edmonton Oilers made a splash to acquire Tristan Jarry in December, but he’s already on the outs. The Oilers are initiating a deep search, looking at free agents, trade targets, and buried prospects to find goaltending help.

I guess Stan Bowman is asking, won’t you please help me get my feet back on the ground?

News brief: Mikko Rantanen admitted that he also suffered a torn MCL at the Olympics. Are we SURE the Olympics are worth it? The compressed schedule, the injuries caused by that schedule, the injuries from the actual Olympic games. Are we really, really SURE?

NHLtraderumors.me: Darren Dreger appeared on the Sekeres and Price show and strongly implied that Bruce Cassidy is on Edmonton’s radar to replace Kris Knoblauch. Plenty of trade chatter and rumors up north.

San Jose Hockey Now: A good read here–Sheng Peng listed nine defensemen–nine?!–to target on the upcoming NHL free agent market because the San Jose Sharks have only two under contract.

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