Daily Nuggets: Full Circle for Kessel? Questions in Pittsburgh

Could Phil Kessel’s career go full circle? What five questions must the Pittsburgh Penguins answer this season? Which team had a heated debate over potential draft targets? One key stat correlates to a player’s decline in San Jose. The Buffalo Sabres have a brilliant idea to not fill their arena this year.

Boston Hockey Now: Kessel started his NHL career in 2006 with the Boston Bruins. Could Kessel’s career go full circle and end in Boston? It sounds nice, but not likely.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: It has been a busy offseason for the Penguins. The Erik Karlsson acquisition was the big news around the NHL. The wound is still fresh when Reilly Smith is mentioned in Vegas.

The Penguins gave themselves a window to chase a Stanley Cup for the next few years. What are the five questions the Penguins must answer this season?

Montreal Hockey Now: Have you ever wondered what the discussions are like leading up to draft day for your favorite hockey team? I would imagine the Chicago Blackhawks management and scouts did not spend much time debating who their No. 1 pick would be. Spoiler alert: They took Connor Bedard.

The rest of the teams picking in the top 10 had a tough decision to make. That includes the Montreal Canadiens who picked fifth overall. Things got heated in this behind-the-scenes draft video.

San Jose Sharks Now: The Detroit Red Wings had high hopes when they drafted Filip Zadina sixth overall. The 23-year-old has been a disappointment through his first four NHL seasons.

How can Zadina improve his offensive output? There is one key stat that correlates to Zadina’s offensive decline.

Buffalo Hockey Now: KeyBank Center, the home of the Buffalo Sabres, has a capacity of 18,595. Per hockeyDB, the Sabres had an average attendance of 15,567 last season.

One would think the Sabres ownership would look into creative marketing to fill their arena. Nope. The Sabres are looking to limit presales to buyers within a certain radius.