We’re about a month away from NHL prospect camps, and training camps will start a week after that. But before things begin, summer was interrupted by a blockbuster trade and a few notable signings.
Penguins hoping to fend off Father Time
The Pittsburgh Penguins were a fascinating team even before they acquired Erik Karlsson. They started and finished last season as the oldest team in the league, en route to missing the playoffs by just one point, acquiescing the final spot to the Florida Panthers.
Pittsburgh did have a minus-2 goal differential compared to the Panthers plus-17 mark (the lowest goal differential among all playoff teams), but at the same time, they were fourth in 5v5 expected goals (them and the Flames were the only two top-10 teams to not make the playoffs), and ninth in 5v5 corsi.