He was the best player on the team.

He was the highest paid player on the team.

And as he just told me, he's more than ready to continue.

Proving that value.

Good morning to you.

Good.

Friday morning, I'm Dana Kibach, which of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports. This is Daily Shot of Penguins. It comes your way bright and early every weekday. If you're into football and or baseball, I also offer daily shots of Steelers and Pirates in the same place that you've found this. Eric Carlson was all of that and yet so much more for the 2025-26 Penguins.

Deserving Team MVP at season's end.

Yes, even on a team where Sidney Crosby again was a point of game player.

And the reason that he was recognized that way, in addition to Sid's late season injury issues,

was that when Sid was out, when Yvgeny Malkin was out,

when the team most needed someone to rise up to a superstar's level in their absence.

It was Carlson who carried them.

Now, it wasn't alone.

It helped that Anthony Mantha and Yeager Chinikov and others were scoring.

But Carlson was for a stretch there, probably for about a solid month, the best

player in the league. And that's a statement that can be supported statistically. And maybe the

most beautiful part of that was that he changed nothing. And you know what I'm talking about

when I bring that up.

We have seen stars all the way up to the ultimate star in Pittsburgh.

Mario Lemieux make adjustments for their age.

Modify their games, even if it's just a little bit.

...