SAN JOSE, Calif. -- To hear Bill Daly tell it, there would seem a better chance of the Penguins playing a game in Europe before Pittsburgh playing host to another All-Star Game.
The NHL deputy commissioner said on Saturday that the league has the Penguins in mind for a possible international event but could not get into specific details.
Earlier, during commissioner Gary Bettman's state of the league address, he announced the league's intentions to return to Europe next season to play some preseason and regular-season games. Though no teams or dates were available, the plan is for Germany and Switzerland to host preseason games while Prague, Czech Republic and Stockholm, Sweden will host season-opening games.
Could the Penguins be involved in one of those games?
With the NHL's most recognizable star in Sidney Crosby and a Russian star in Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins would certainly seem a sound choice to be picked. However, much would have to be worked out first. The Penguins last played in Europe in 2008 when they opened their regular season in Stockholm.
"I'd say we have something in mind that would work well for the Penguins, but it involves us aligning on the other side of the equation of what we're trying to put together," Daly said. "So, then you don't want to use the Penguins in something that isn't what you have in mind if, in fact, what you have in mind can come to fruition fairly quickly."
Stay tuned on that one.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh hasn't hosted an All-Star Game since 1990 when it was played at the Civic Arena and a 24-year-old Mario Lemieux was the MVP. Though Pittsburgh hosted World Cup of Hockey games in 2017 at PPG Paints Arena and has tried to host the IIHF World Junior Championship, Daly says the Penguins have simply not prioritized hosting another All-Star Game.
"It's not a disinterest in Pittsburgh or their ability to host a big-time event, it just hasn't aligned and that could be for a variety of reasons," Daly said. "It could be the club hasn't prioritized the All-Star game at the top of the list of things it wants to accomplish. There's a lot other things that got into it, but there's no 'we won't do it in Pittsburgh' mentality."
• With Sidney Crosby backing out of tonight's All-Star Skills Competition with an illness, that leaves Kris Letang as the Penguins' lone representative. He'll participate in the Accuracy Shooting competition against Drew Doughty, Nikita Kucherov, Auston Matthews, Kyle Palmieri, David Pastrnak, Joe Pavelski and Blake Wheeler.
• Despite a track record that includes three labor stoppages and the cancellation of one season, Gary Bettman reiterated on Saturday that he isn't "looking for a fight" with the NHL Players Association.
The league's current collective bargaining agreement expires on Sept. 15, 2022, but both the league and its players union have the ability to opt out of it as soon as this September.
During his state of the league address on Friday, Bettman said the league and the NHLPA have already conducted a few meetings and are hopeful that they can close a few gaps early before serious negotiations take place.
Bettman said that, thanks to the current CBA, the league is in a good place and that labor peace makes the most sense for both sides.
"I've always thought labor peace would be a really good thing, but there were certain things that we had to accomplish. We wouldn't be where we are today if we didn't have a system that corrected some of the ills of the past," Bettman said.
• As expected, Bettman used Friday's presser to announce the league's intention to deploy its new Puck and Player tracking for next season.
The league said it liked what it saw in a test run last month of two Golden Knights home games at T-Mobile Arena against the Rangers and Sharks. Among the interesting findings was that Brent Burns and Jonathan Marchessault skated over three miles in a game and that William Karlsson skated over 20 mph.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Bettman said. "The applications are endless."
• The league says the information gathered by Player Tracking can not be used either for or against a player in a contract negotiation or arbitration. We'll see how that works out.
• The Predators will be the Stars' opponent at next year's Winter Classic to be held Jan. 1 at Dallas' Cotton Bowl. Also, the Kings will serve as the Avalanche's opponent at the Stadium Series game to be played Feb. 15 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.