Pens Points: And...we’re...back!

With the return of the Penguins to training camp also comes the return of Pens Points, your morning links to the news to know around Pittsburgh and across the NHL.

The on-ice portion begins tomorrow, and the team has released a full schedule of practices and scrimmages. [Penguins.com]

Wrap up the prospect camp with director of player development Scott Young, who calls the group “receptive” and sounds very upbeat about the futures of the players who have already gone to work. [Penguins.com]

Most teenagers need to beef up to get ready for the NHL, at 6’0 and a bit over 200 pounds, Nathan Legare has cut some weight and is feeling good on the ice. [Tribune Review]

A Carolina take on the Penguins’ perceived lack of quality winger depth. [Canes Country]

Where do the Pens fit in the Metropolitan division hierarchy? [Post-Gazette]

Filip Lindberg is no stranger to happy memories and winning on the ice in Pittsburgh. Now he wants to do that on the big stage. [Penguins.com]

Checking out the Pens’ off-season grade. [The Score]

The ever-important pre-season power rankings have begun. [Sportsnet]

And from around the league..

The Coyotes are rebranding with new (old?) jersey designs that highlight their popular Kachina logo. [Icethetics]

Drones and highlighting personalities are some ways that Turner and ESPN will put an emphasis on their newest sport to cover. [NHL.com]

Bobby Ryan is going back to Detroit, but on a professional tryout (PTO). Ryan played 33 games with the Red Wings last season. [Winging it in Motown]

35-year old forward Travis Zajac has signed a one-day contract with the New Jersey Devils and retired. The 2004 first round pick played 1,034 NHL games from 2006-21, all but the final 13 played with NJ. [All About the Jersey]

Speaking of the Devil(s), they’ve built a bigger and heavier team for this season, but will it matter? [AAtJ]

Kirill Kaprizov signs with Minnesota for $9.0 million and 5 years. It’s the biggest cap hit in Wild history, and it buys two years of UFA time. Seems like a win for all parties. [Hockey Wilderness]

Kevin Hayes from the Flyers will be out 6-8 weeks and miss the start of the season after undergoing an abdominal surgery yesterday. [NHL.com]

The Blue Jackets lock up goalie Elvis Merzlikins to a five year contract with an average value of $5.4 million that will kick in for 2022-23. Big number for a goalie with 61 career NHL games, what could go wrong with paying a young goalie with a brief resume a rich multi-year contract? [NHL.com]

Finally, in totally unrelated news to the above, we goin’ thumbs up or down to Tristan Jarry’s new pads? (Seeing him play the puck is still traumatizing)