Hockey

Rumor mill: Hendrix Lapierre available in Washington?
Marc-Olivier Cook
Rumor mill: Hendrix Lapierre available in Washington?
Credit: Getty Images

It's still very early in the season, but that doesn't mean there aren't rumors flying around the NHL either. Because there are some guys getting a lot of attention in the league right now. We could start with Hendrix Lapierre… The Québécois, after a monster practice camp in Washington, broke into the Capitals line-up. He started the season on the team's top-9 because he really impressed his club's management. But… He was left out of his team's last game, even though he was healthy, as the Capitals visited the Rangers' home. And it's forcing Frank Seravalli(Insider Notebook) to think Lapierre could be coveted on the trade market.

There will be teams interested in him if he ever becomes available on the market. And for those wondering… no, the Canadiens shouldn't have their nose in the matter: right now, what's missing is a guy who can play center on a second line in Montreal. The Habs don't need another project or a guy with good potential. It needs a player who can help right now… and Lapierre isn't there yet in his development

Two guys to watch on the Penguins

To no one ‘ s surprise, the Penguins are off to a very respectable start to the season. They've won two of their first three games of the campaign, and if the playoffs started tonight, they'd have a ticket to the playoffs. That said, we know it may not last very long because there are some really big holes in the Pittsburgh lineup. We expect the club to fall apart at some point, and if that happens, we could see the Penguins go to the sellers' side at the trade deadline. Two players would be worth keeping an eye on in that case, according to Josh Yohe. The man who covers Penguins activities for The Athletic talks about Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson as guys who are likely to be traded this season:

Of course, you have to wonder what that means for a guy like Sidney Crosby.

We know the Kid wants to win and raise the Stanley Cup one last time before he retires, but it's going to be tough if all the major players leave Pittsburgh…

What will happen with Artemi Panarin?

Artemi Panarin is in the final year of his contract with the Rangers, and we're all wondering what's going to happen with him… especially given that things aren't going so well in New York right now. Johnny Lazarus (Daily Faceoff) is sure of one thing, though: it's time for another call-up in the Big Apple. He argues that the Rangers should forget about Panarin for the next few years, for the good of the team:

Artemi Panarin is a hockey player.

He's one of those guys who has the talent to single-handedly change a game, and he's proven it since his arrival in the National League. But at 33, he too seems ready to write a new page in his history. And it makes you wonder what's going to happen with him next…

'Overtime'

– Indeed.

– Bang.

– Of note:

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