from Jason Mackey of Chipped Ice,

“We’re going to be watching the next two games as closely as we’ve watched any games this year.”

That was how one member of the Penguins front office described the team’s upcoming back-to-back set Saturday at St. Louis and at home Sunday against Florida.

We’re there.

Nobody who has a hand in personnel decisions is happy. This much was made very clear to me on Friday.

General manager Jim Rutherford, I learned, did not travel with the team. Instead, he spent the day Friday on the phone, exploring various trade angles.

Nothing is imminent, but I’m told Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury are the only names not in play.

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