Pittsburgh Penguins winger Phil Kessel trolls his critics.

Updates on Phil Kessel, Shane Prince, Dwight King and more in your NHL morning coffee headlines.

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: Penguins right wing Phil Kessel won the hockey internet yesterday by eating hot dogs out of the Stanley Cup yesterday.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Revenge against your harshest critic is a dish best served in hot dog form from the Cup. 

NEWSDAY: New York Islanders center Shane Prince recently underwent ankle surgery and will be sidelined four-to-six months.

TSN: Former LA Kings and Montreal Canadiens forward Dwight King signed a two-year with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL.

Matt Greene has officially joined the Kings as a Pro Scout. pic.twitter.com/yN0rPoVzPk

— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) August 14, 2017

TORONTO STAR: The Toronto Maple Leafs placed defenseman Alexei Marchenko on unconditional waivers. He’ll be joining KHL team CSKA Moscow. The move would free up $1.45 million in salary-cap space for the Leafs .

NBC SPORTS: Nashville Predators goaltender Marek Mazanec signed a one-year deal with KHL club Slovan Bratislava.

SPORTSNET: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly isn’t ruling out the possibility of an NHL franchise in Kansas City, but stressed market demographics and whether there’s qualified and interested ownership “remain a work in progress.”  Daly was responding to ESPN’s Dave Caldwell, who asked him about the interest expressed by Lamar Hunt Jr, owner of the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks a dnson of Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, in bringing an NHL franchise to that city. 

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kansas City has an NHL-worthy venue in the 17,500 Spirit Center. Caldwell reported Hunt didn’t get into the bidding for an expansion club two years ago because he wasn’t happy with the $500 million expansion fee. If an existing NHL franchise is to be moved, however, Kansas City, could remain a viable destination.