CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Ian Cole reported to work as usual Tuesday afternoon, laughing with and cajoling his teammates during a brief practice at the Lemieux Sports Complex.
From the outside there was nothing out of the ordinary. Except there is nothing ordinary about Cole's situation.
It has been widely reported that the defenseman is being actively shopped for a trade, presumably to fetch some depth for the Penguins forward lines, and could be traded imminently.
Was this the last time Cole pulls a Penguins sweater over his head?
Depends on who you ask.
After Tuesday's practice, Mike Sullivan categorically denied the reports, chastising the media for digging into it.
"I think sometimes you guys make it up as you go," said Sullivan, who didn't explicitly rule out Cole from Friday's road game in Buffalo. "I don't know where this stuff comes from."
Well, Sullivan may have wanted to first consult with Cole, who spoke of the Penguins in all but the past tense just a few minutes earlier to reporters.
"It's tough to be in that situation," Cole said. "But, you know, it's one of those things: You try to just do your job when you are here or as long as you're here or whatever the case may be."
Until – or if – he is traded, Cole vowed to not be a distraction. A healthy scratch each of the past three games, Cole said he'll continue to do as he's done during his three years in Pittsburgh, which is to provide the Penguins blue line with some needed grit. Cole has three points in 20 games to go along with 35 blocks and 26 hits. He is one of the Penguins' top penalty killers.
"As hockey players, you want to play hockey," Cole told me. "It's certainly frustrating. It's many things. There's only so many things you can control. You try to do your best."
The affable Cole is equally popular with fans and teammates, having won two Stanley Cups here, but is an unrestricted free agent at season's end. He is in the final year of a three-year contract that will pay him $2.5 million this season.
Even as he sounded resigned to his fate, Cole reiterated that it has always been his preference to remain with the Penguins.
"This is a team that I got traded to three years ago, they welcomed me with open arms," he said. "There's no other team that I'd rather win on. What we've gone through as a team and what we've succeeded in doing as a team is something incredibly special. I love these guys as much as I love my family."
This is not the first time that Cole has been benched in Pittsburgh. He also sat out during the early days of Sullivan's tenure in 2015-16. While denying the Cole reports, Sullivan maintained that he is merely trying to play his best players.
"Just because a guy comes out of the lineup doesn't mean we don't value what he brings," Sullivan said. "Part of it is the coaching process. Part of it is we've got a certain amount of players here that we have in order to make lineup decisions. Part of our job as a coaching staff is to figure out how, No. 1, to put the best lineup on the ice that we think gives us the best chance to win, but also part of our responsibility is to coach the players we have. This is just all part of the process. It's not anything new."
Having dealt with trades and other drama in the past, Sidney Crosby said the Penguins, as professionals, are well-prepared to deal with the Cole situation.
"It's one of those things that happens in hockey," Crosby said. "I think for us, we're all teammates, we want the best for each other. He's a great teammate. I think you go through those things, that's part of it. But it's all about the group, the guys in here and everyone contributing. It doesn't matter what the situation is. We believe that, and have that mentality."