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PITTSBURGH – As the 2023-24 season gets darker for the Pittsburgh Penguins, they are doing everything possible to put a winning team on the ice. That motivation to keep afloat will likely force some post-trade deadline roster changes.
The first to fall victim to those moves appears to be Jonathan Gruden, as the Penguins placed him on waivers. Gruden hasn’t played badly in his most recent NHL stint, but the numbers aren’t following, and the Penguins need results.
Gruden (PIT) on waivers
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 11, 2024
In 11 games played this season, Gruden has only one goal while averaging 8:49 of ice time. Gruden spent most of his time on the Penguins fourth line and with eight shots on goal, the Penguins might be clearing the way for a top prospect to return to the NHL.
Sam Poulin has been a lightning rod for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring 24 points in 30 games. With no playoffs in sight, now is the perfect time to see what Poulin can do at the NHL level.
The Penguins recently acquired Vasily Ponomarev in the Jake Guentzel trade, and general manager Kyle Dubas stated that he could fight for an NHL spot pretty soon. Ponomarev arrives to the organization with 29 points in the AHL this season.
It’s unlikely Gruden will get claimed from the waiver wire as postseason rosters are locked, and he would be of no use to a team in the playoffs. The next steps for Gruden will likely be decided before the Penguins’ contest against the Ottawa Senators.
More must-reads:
- Maple Leafs make six roster cuts with two notable surprises
- Rangers forward in a fight for his future amid new competition
- The 'Multiple 30-TD pass NFL seasons' quiz
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Juraj Slafkovský: JiC wants him out of the first line
Last year, at the end of the season, the Canadiens’ first line really took a big step forward. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovský took their game up a notch in the final weeks of the campaign, helping the club qualify for the playoffs.The three guys complement each other well on the ice, and they’ve figured out how to translate that into results.In the eyes of many, then, we should expect to see the three guys back together again at the start of the season. But there are those who see things differently. Jean-Charles Lajoie, who talked about it on his JiC show tonight, is one of them: in his eyes, the Habs need to get Slaf out of the first line.And the reason is simple: it would allow the Habs to have a much more balanced line-up. That way, for example, the club wouldn’t have to put Patrik Laine and Ivan Demidov on the same line and could avoid problems on the defensive end. Martin St-Louis could put one of these two guys on the first line and send Slaf to complete a second unit. And in essence, this point is defensible… except that the club would be taking a big risk. Right now, they only have one line that’s a real sure thing, and removing Slaf from that line (which was one of the best in the NHL last year) would mean the club would lose that advantage.If the club needs a jolt, splitting up the first line could be an option. But at the start of the season, I find it hard to imagine the Habs going ahead with such an idea… especially as we don’t even know if the second line will really be a problem defensively.As things stand, it would be a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul, in my eyes. But if Paul ever starts to get really cold (read here “the Laine-Demidov duo isn’t working”), maybe it’ll become an idea to consider.And when you see the three guys from the first line together in the same group at camp, it doesn’t look like this wardrobe makeover will happen tomorrow morning. ’Overtime’ – Big Patrik, that. – Indeed. – Great opportunity for
Andy Reid Sends Strong Message About Chiefs’ Suspended Star Ahead of Ravens Game
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their first win of the NFL season Sunday night, defeating the New York Giants 22-9 to improve to 1-2 heading into Week 4, where they’ll host a marquee matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore wraps up Week 3 on Monday night against the Detroit Lions, but their meeting with Kansas City will be a rematch of the 2023-24 AFC Championship Game, which the Chiefs won. Ahead of the showdown, Kansas City received a boost on Monday when suspended wide receiver Rashee Rice was welcomed back into the facility. While he’ll remain suspended for three more games, Rice is now allowed to be alongside his teammates, attend meetings, and prepare for his return in Week 7. However, he is still not permitted to practice with the team. The Chiefs have been very supportive of Rice, who was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s conduct policy following an off-field incident in March 2024. The 25 year old vowed to mature and learn from the mistake. "I've learned so much from that," he said back in June of 2024. "All I can do is mature and continue to grow from that. This is a step in a better direction for me." Head coach Andy Reid spoke about the value of having Rice’s presence back in the building, even if he can’t yet take the field. "We do get 4 back, and I know the guys will be fired up to see him," Reid said on Monday. "He can't practice, he can't be on the field. But it'll be good to have him around." Rashee Rice has been one of the Chiefs’ top targets since breaking out as a rookie, but his sophomore campaign was cut short after he suffered a torn ACL in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. As a rookie, he recorded 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 11.9 yards per catch. In four games last season, he added 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns before the injury. When he returns, Rice will be a major boost to a Chiefs offense that has been without both him and Xavier Worthy, who went down with an injury in Week 1.
6 winners (and 1 loser) from Lions' thrilling win over Ravens on MNF
The Detroit Lions marched into Baltimore in Week 3, under the bright lights of Monday Night Football, and dominated the Ravens. That might not even be an apt enough word to describe what Detroit did to the Ravens' offense and to Lamar Jackson in this clash. Seven sacks on one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in addition to multiple pass breakups and several near interceptions led to the Lions leaving M T Bank Stadium 2-1. There were a few hugely impactful players on this contest, while some struggled to make their mark in what turned out to be a slugfest between two teams you should be dying to see in the Super Bowl this winter. 5 winners and 2 losers from Lions' huge win over Ravens on the road Winner: Jared Goff It is very, very hard to out duel a perennial MVP candidate like Jackson. Goff did so. With 202 passing yards on 20-28 passing efficiency, Goff managed to control this game like nothing else. He stayed pretty solid in the pocket, allowing the young guards in front of him to pass block for him - which, by the way, they did so with near ease. Goff doesn't have to toss up bombs to Jameson Williams in every game to be a winner. He just has to do what he did in this win - control what you can control, and operate with trust in your front line. One note for him, though: kindly pick up some tips on how to increase your speed from Jahmyr Gibbs. He was surgical, full stop. And that helped chug the Lions' offense right along. Winner: Amon-Ra St. Brown St. Brown was always going to be a huge piece of this win. The oft-reliable receiver finished up the contest with 77 receiving yards and one touchdown, and a game-sealing first down catch during a 4th and 2 situation late in the game when the Lions were up. He made it known all game long that Baltimore was going to have issues draping coverage on him. And, congratulations to him for moving to third all time on the Lions' receiving touchdown list. Winner: David Montgomery Montgomery, aka Knuckles, had to pick up some slack for his Sonic, Gibbs, in this one. He had multiple huge breakoff runs, and ended the game with 151 rushing yards and two scores. He also iced the game with a touchdown, making it impossible for the Ravens to get back into the contest. Through the first two weeks of the year, Montgomery had 82 total rushing yards. He nearly doubled that total in one game. Winner: Al-Quadin Muhammad Muhammad was thrust into a starting role this week after Marcus Davenport went on the IR with a pec strain. To anyone who has been paying attention to Lions football over the last few weeks, it felt like a blessing in disguise that Muhammad would finally be getting the reps he deserves in this contest. For anyone not paying attention, they were introduced to Muhammad with 2.5 sacks and two stuffs. He's the best answer to the hole left by Davenport that the Lions have, and he's not a terrible one. It was clear that Aidan Hutchinson was greatly aided by him actually providing pass rush and pressure on Jackson on the night, and it's exciting to think about his development over these next few games with Davenport not expected back for a few weeks. Winner: Jake Bates We have to give Bates his flowers for his tackle on a Ravens return that could've ended really badly for Detroit. Bates got the hit on Rasheen Ali, who looked like he had an open runway for a touchdown had he not gotten him down prior to then. Bates continues to prove why he's such a critical piece of this Detroit team, despite not playing the flashiest of positions, necessarily. Winner: Lions offensive line There was a drive for the Lions in the 2nd quarter that lasted a whopping 10 minutes and 48 seconds that ended in a touchdown for Montgomery, and the offensive line was absolutely gassed. ESPN's Laura Rutledge said during her sideline report after that drive that the line was so tired, that Tate Ratledge was shaking sweat out of his mullet. They all worked ridiculously hard during this win, and it was yet another confidence building experience for their young guards in Ratledge and Christian Mahogany. READ MORE: Lions have a perfect trade target conveniently falling right into their laps Loser: Terrion Arnold This probably isn't surprising, but Arnold is the one loser from this contest. Back when the game looked like it could slip from Detroit, Arnold was getting targeted heavily by Jackson and the Ravens' receivers, allowing numerous big gains for De'Andre Hopkins during one series and committing a terrible DPI on that same drive. He had so much hype from training camp that you have to wonder if there's something going on with Arnold and his previously problematic groin injury. He's a step slow and not doing a good job of sticking to his man in coverage through three weeks of action. It's been a tough schedule to start, but he's got to pick it up at some point.
CJ West and Mykel Williams injuries add to 49ers' D-line woes
The San Francisco 49ers suffered more than one setback in their win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. While Nick Bosa's season-ending ACL tear was the most significant injury for the team, it wasn't the only one along the defensive front. Head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Monday that defensive lineman CJ West broke his thumb and will undergo surgery on Tuesday. Despite the injury, there remains a chance West could play in the 49ers' Week 4 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, depending on what he can do—if anything—in practice this week. "I don't know exactly how he did it, but he broke his thumb," Shanahan explained during his conference call. "That's why he is needing surgery. He'll have a chance, they say. We'll see how it goes this week, but he'll have a chance at the end of the week with a cast. "And if not, he should be good the following week. But we've got to see how this week goes with him." The 49ers also saw rookie defensive lineman Mykel Williams briefly leave Sunday's game with a wrist injury in the second quarter. He returned before halftime, but Shanahan listed him as day-to-day heading into Wednesday's practice. With Bosa sidelined for the season, the health of West and Williams will be pivotal as San Francisco leans on its young defensive front to maintain pressure on opposing offenses. Shanahan praised the group's resilience after Bosa exited against the Cardinals. "We needed guys to step it up to play along with Nick, and now that he's out, you need them that much more," Shanahan said. "But I had definitely been happy with those guys. I think they've done better each week. "I thought Mykel had a really good game yesterday. I think [DE Bryce] Huff's done some real good things, [DE] Sam [Okuayinonu], all our edge players, I think have been contributing, and hopefully, they continue to get better throughout this year." Click here to read all of Shanahan's injury updates from Monday's conference call.
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