Pens Points: Rakell Vows To Be Better

Catch up on the latest hockey headlines in today’s Pens Points.

Here are your Pens Points for this Thursday morning...

This is the time of year when we look around the league and examine how former Pittsburgh Penguins players are faring during the Stanley Cup playoffs. [PensBurgh]

The Penguins may be out of the postseason, but the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are ready to fight the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in a best-of-three series. Here are a few players to watch during the series. [Penguins]

“It didn’t go as well as I would have liked to,” forward Rickard Rakell said during the team’s exit interviews on April 18. “It was an up-and-down season for me with some injuries at the start and just not producing at the level I wanted.” Now, Rakell hopes for a positive offseason to return for a better 2024-25. [Trib Live]

Several factors contributed to the Penguins’ underwhelming 2023-24 season. From a power play that never clicked to solid even-strength play, here’s a more situational look at the Penguins’ season. [Trib Live]

Sidney Crosby can sign a contract extension with the Penguins on July 1. All parties seem intent on keeping No. 87 in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career. But will Crosby keep his team-friendly mindset when entering negotiations? Crosby’s next contract may look a bit different than the 12-year deal he signed on June 28, 2012. [The Athletic $$$]

News and notes from around the NHL...

For the other half of the league that missed out on the postseason, there remains a reason for optimism as we go into the summer months. [The Hockey News]

The San Jose Sharks fired head coach David Quinn on Wednesday. [ESPN]

The latest playoff scores can be found right here. [NHL]