Penguins re-sign Bortuzzo

This was announced the other day but I've only got around to it just now. The Penguins re-signed Defenceman Robert Bortuzzo to a new 2 year deal with an average value of $600,000 meaning that the deal is worth $1.2m over the 2 years. Bortuzzo had his first "full" NHL season this year and performed admirable for a lower pair defenceman. He finished the season with 4 points in 15 games and notched a career highlight in his first professional goal against the New Jersey Devils on February 2nd.

During the lockout he played for the Penguins affiliate Wilkes-Barre Scranton in the American Hockey League and he turned out 31 times finishing with 4 points. Bortuzzo has played four season for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins now and at the age of 24 has matured to be a capable bottom pairing Defenceman. For a team that is up against the cap as the Penguins his deal is a favourable one as it is a low cost one and on a short term.

Over the coming years we should see some of the Penguins Defensive prospect come through to replace the older players and those on bigger deals as we start to reap the rewards of Shero's drafting focus. We have Oli Maatta, Derrick Pouliot, Scott Harrington and Brian Dumolin who are anticipated to make the NHL in one capacity or another.

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Penguins potential Olympic participants

With the camp rosters being announced for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi the Pittsburgh Penguins have a fair number of players that are in with a possibility of playing in the Olympics next year. Some players are obviously outside shots and unlikely to make it. The Olympics start next February on the 8th to be precise with the opening game being between the Czech Republic and Sweden on the 12th of February. The hosts first game is on the 13th of February against Slovenia. The players selected to the camps are;

Sidney Crosby - Canada - A lock to make the team. Not taking Crosby would be one of the most boneheaded decisions in a long time. He will be a fixture on the Canadian Olympic team for a long time to come and he scored the winning goal in the last Olympics so will be hoping to add to that.

Chris Kunitz - Canada - Unlikely to make but could depending on his season and if the coach feels he would be good to put on a line with Crosby because of the chemistry between the two developed in the off-season. However, I feel Canada has better options elsewhere and he will likely be pushed out.

Kris Letang - Canada - A lock to make it unless he has an abhorrent season. One of the top Canadian defenceman he will be playing in his first Olympics. He recently signed a new deal with the Penguins which kicks in during the 14/15 season and will be looking to repay that.

James Neal - Canada - Another player unlikely to make it due to the better players available to the Canadian coaches and the fact that he plays well with Malkin mostly and does drop off slightly when not with Geno. Wouldn't expect him to make it.

Beau Bennett - United States of America - No chance of making it but a nice claim to have and a good trivia question. He will likely be a contender in 2018 but it's too early for him when you consider the wingers that are available ahead of him.

Paul Martin - United States of America - He is likely to play due to the fact that the United States management have invited a lot of younger players for the experience and too keep an eye on them for future tournaments. Martin has played well enough in my opinion to get a position but he could just as well miss out.

Brooks Orpik - United States of America - Likely to miss out due to the fact that there is better competition available on the roster. Likely his last Olympics as well as he is starting to age now.

Jussi Jokinen - Finland - The Finland management team invited a rather large 53 players to their camp, 18 of which were in the Bronze medal squad three years ago. I'd say that Jokinen could be a 50/50 shot. There are some KHL players who could be called upon due to their more natural playing style on bigger ice (I.e being more used to it) also the fact that Jokinen hasn't really set things alight. If he goes he'll be a depth player likely to play on the 3rd and 4th lines.

Evgeni Malkin - Russia - A lock to make it. It's his home country Olympics and I'd be very surprised to not see him make it. He'll be hoping to put on a show for his home fans alongside Ovechkin.

Tomas Vokoun - Czech Republic - Vokoun is likely to make it but will most probably play an exclusively back-up role. His performances in the play-offs merit him an Olympic spot in my opinion.

Most rosters are to be announce around the end of the year so we should know by then who has made and if my predictions are right.

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2013-14 Schedule announced

The NHL schedule was announced today after a few days delay from when it was expected due to road humps in the NHL obtaining a deal with the IIHF to allow NHL participation at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The season will be starting on October 1st and that means there are 82 days until the season starts. Below are some things that you will probably look out for in the schedule;

• The Penguins schedule begins on the 3rd of October against the New Jersey Devils at the Consol Energy Center. It's the start of a season opening 3 game homestand. 
• The Penguins first road game is against the Florida Panthers at the BT&T Center in a Floridian double on the 11th and 12th of October.
• The first game against our interstate rivals, the Flyers, is on the 17th October at the Wells Fargo Center. We'll play the Flyers 5 times over the course of the season, Once in October and November. Twice in March in a back-to-back and Once in April. 
• Jarome Iginla makes his return to Pittsburgh on October 30th whilst Matt D'Agostini will return to the Devils on November the 16th. Scuderi will play against his former team, the Los Angeles Kings twice with the road game being on January 30th. 
• Pittsburgh's West Coast games are spread out. The longest though is a 3 game stand in Western Canada against the Canucks, Flames and Oilers from January 7th to January 11th.
• The Penguins longest homestand comes near the end of the season. They'll play four games at home in a row from the 22nd of March to the 27th of March against the Lightning, Blues, Coyotes and Kings. Their longest road trip is a 5 game stretch that starts with the Outdoor game against Chicago on March 2nd and ends on the 10th of March with a game against the Capitals.
• With the Olympics there will be a 20 day break between games with the last before the Olympics being on the 7th of February against the Rangers. The next game will be on the 27th against the Canadiens.
• The Penguins have 17 back to back scenarios throughout the season.
• The Penguins are also in a new division, the newly named Metropolitan division. 

Roll on October!

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The low-down on Kovalchuk's new team, St.Petersburg

After Ilya Kovalchuk's recent retirement from the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League there were very strong rumours that he'd sign a deal back in his home land. It was no surprise that the ones that mentioned St.Petersburg turned out to be true and he signed a 4 year deal yesterday. The KHL doesn't reveal salaries as they believe it is confidential but it is rumoured that he will be making the same if not more than what he would've had at New Jersey had he stayed.

St.Petersburg have been a hockey team since the late 40's when they were formed. Since then they have been most exclusively a top tier Russian team and have been in the KHL since its inception in 2008 after the re-branding of the Russian Super League. St.Petersburg have played at the Ice Palace since it was completed in 1999 and are one of the best supported teams in terms of attendance. Last year their average attendance was 11,917 which is 96% capacity.

Despite the KHL being still young having been conceived in 2008 St.Petersburg have had some talented players don the jersey and in some cases go on to play in the NHL Players such as Maxim Afinogenov, Evgeni Nabokov and Alexei Yashin. Ilya Kovalchuk himself has played for the team before. He played for them during the 2012-13 Lockout. Kovalchuk appeared in 36 games and finished with 42 points.

Maxim Afinogenov in SKA colors

Despite the boost of signing Ilya Kovalchuk the next season will be an interesting one. They've managed to keep their second highest scorer from last season, Tony Martensson, after he extended his contract to 2015. But they've lost a good player in Maxim Afinogenov who has signed for Vityaz. They have a good core but need players to round it out. The type of players that will complement the attacking style that Kovalchuk will bring. However, at the other end they've kept their best defenceman in Kevin Dallman who was part of a team last season that saw them finish with the 5th least goals against over the course of the season.

The teams 100% post-season qualification record in the KHL will be under threat but I think the addition of Kovalchuk and the likely incoming addition of players will see them edge over. I definitely think they'll be a team to watch this season though.

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Ilya Kovalchuk retires. What does this mean for him and the Devils?

My blog title states that I'll post about non-Penguins stories occasionally and this is the first one. This is quite a big story to come out today and is quite hard to fathom happening. Ilya Kovalchuk had 12 years remaining on a 15 year deal that would've seen him paid $100m. As it stands he is leaving $77m on the table and terminating the contract only 3 seasons in.

BREAKING: Ilya Kovalchuk announces he will retire. "This decision was something I have thought about for a long time."
— New Jersey Devils (@NHLDevils) July 11, 2013

The result of Kovalchuk ending his contract with the Devils means that they'll face a $250k cap recapture penalty until 2025. The recapture penalty increases each season longer that Kovalchuk would've stayed at the Devils. In an odd way he is doing the Devils a favour because if there was a thought about retirement from the NHL in his head then this was the right time to do it as it has little in the way of recriminations for the Devils in terms of cap penalties.

One way that this does hurt the Devils though is on the ice. They've just lost a top player, a player who in the past has scored 40 goals or more 5 times. When you consider the fact that the Devils scored the joint second fewest amount of goals in the NHL last season (112 - tied with Florida and 1 more than Nashville) then you realise just how much of a loss it is on the ice.

The Devils were active in the Free Agency window and they were perhaps seeing this coming as Lou Lamoriello mentioned that during the lock-out season Kovalchuk had mentioned the possibility of retiring. The Devils did sign Ryane Clowe (5 years / $24.25m) and Michael Ryder (2 years / $7m) but they're not going to be able to replace a player the calibre of Kovalchuk. Their best hope out of the two is Ryder but that is contingent on whether he can re-discover the type of form and performance he showed for the Dallas Stars in 2010-11 where he scored 35 goals, his best total in his career to date.

What really bites for Devils fans is that that Kovalchuk's original deal saw the league penalise them and take away one of their 1st round picks over a four season span after an original deal for 17 years at $102m was rejected. The Devils have opted to give up the rights to next years 1st round pick and it's possible that if the Devils play as badly as some are predicting they will then that could see them miss out on a potential top 5 player in the draft. Kovalchuk will almost certainly head to the KHL now and it's rumoured he's going to sign with SKA St.Petersburg. An announcement is likely expected tomorrow but whatever happens Kovalchuk is a player that will be missed in the NHL.

Kovalchuk playing for St.Petersburg during the lockout

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Should the Penguins sign Jaromir Jagr?

If you're into hockey and don't know who Jaromir Jagr is then shame on you. Jagr is one of the greatest players to ever play the game and is currently in the free agency pool awaiting his next team. At the age of 41 he's nearer the end of his career than the beginning by far and it's possible he could retire in the coming seasons but with the latest rumours that three teams are interested I wonder whether the Penguins should enquire and sign him.

A few reasons as to why the Penguins should sign Jagr:

Jagr has of course played for the Penguins before. He was drafted by them 5th Overall way back in 1990. He repaid the Penguins in kind playing there for 11 years before leaving to Washington in 2001. In his time at Pittsburgh he won the Stanley Cup twice and became a league icon and legend, not only for his bouffant hair-style but for his eccentric playing style and play-making abilities. Jagr was also some what of a maverick helping pave the wave for players from Eastern Europe who didn't want to defect, Jagr was the first to do so and set the tone for players to follow. He is a pioneer in his right and that's without even going into the historical stats that he has set which still haven't been broken.

Jaromir Jagr (L) celebrates with Mario Lemieux (R) after winning the Stanley Cup in 1992

Jagr is one of the most determined players in the game. You can see that in his frequent late-night training sessions. It's often remarked by journalists and people with the team he's at that he often has his own set of keys to the training rink or arena so that he can just practice. To have that dedication at such a late stage in his career in something truly commendable and it sets a great example to the younger players. Beau Bennett and Simon Despres broke into the Penguins team last season and are now likely to be permanent fixtures in the team from here on out. They are both tipped to be key players with top 6/4 potential and with someone like Jagr to help mentor could really help them take that next step into becoming their own player who is living the expectation rather than someone who is still yet to show it.

I should point out that Beau Bennet and SImon Despres both had fantastic seasons last year but they're far from the finished article and someone like Jagr could help them give that extra drive to get to the very top. This isn't a slight on their game or desire already though. Both have worked hard to get to where they are and deserve to be on the Penguins. Someone who I think could really benefit would be Anton Zlobin.

Zlobin is most known for scoring the winning goal for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the Memorial Cup in 2012 and for those that don't know much about him, he is a Russian winger. Zlobin was selected #173rd overall by the Penguins in the 2012 draft and is expected to play for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season in the American Hockey League. It'll be his first season in the AHL after graduating from the QMJHL with a spirited run in the play-offs with Val d'Foreurs which saw defeat in the second round against Blainville-Broisbriand Armada.  Zlobin has a similar game to Jagr although obviously he isn't as talented as Jagr was at the same point but there is potential for him to be a Jagr lite. Zlobin has good hands, a good shot and offensive awareness. All things that Jagr habited throughout his career. Even now Jagr has a good offensive awareness and is one of the sharpest in seeing what is possible on the ice and can make some pin-point passes. Zlobin could benefit greatly from learning from Jagr's game and could well be a much needed forward to come through the ranks.

Jaromir Jagr and his famous mullet trailing behind

A lot of people are keen in raising Jagr's age when he is mentioned as a possible target and whilst it is undeniably true that he is nearing retirement, something that will likely come in the next few years, he is still a great player to have on the ice. Whilst it is true that he is slower than he used to be he is still a valuable player to have as he retains his skill set. One of the reasons he would be a good asset to have is that he is a great player on the PP. It is his domain and has a more prominent part of his game in his older age than before when he had a fantastic game all-round.

When comparing Jagr's PP production compared to that of his Even Strength production throughout his career and there's an interesting stat. This season he had 16 goals of these 16 goals, 10 came on even strength whilst 6 came on the Powerplay. That means that 37.5% of his goals came on the power-play. Now this might not be something that would make you jump out but when you compare his points per 60 minutes to that of even strength there is a fairly sizeable difference.

Last season for every 60 minutes he played on the Powerplay he scored 3.690 points. Compare that to 2.025 every 60 minutes on even strength. That's an increase in score per 60 minutes of 82%. One final statistical point to make is that Jagr was that Jagr was 49th in points scoring in the league last season. Now you might think, "49th, that's not that impressive, what's your point?". Well, compare him to those around him. The likes of Evander Kane, Jarome Iginla, Brad Richards, Corey Perry to name but a few. That's good company to be around and shows that he is more than capable of doing it with today's top players despite being 41.

Although the Penguins Power-play last season was 2nd in the NHL at 24.7% they still have trouble keep the puck in and most importantly making the right passes and hold the puck in the zone to maintain the pressure. Now, Jagr probably won't help on keeping it in as that's Letang's job as a quarter-back on the power play but he would an ideal candidate to help deliver those passes and help keep the puck in the zone and keep the pressure on. Not to mention that he would be a fantastic candidate to supply Crosby, Malkin et al.

One final thing that I can think should lean the Penguins towards signing Jagr is that is would be mildly poetic and fitting that he would end it on the team that drafted him all those years ago. Jagr now holds the longest number of years between Stanley Cup finals thanks to his appearance with Boston this year, the last being 21 years ago. It would be fitting for Jagr to end his NHL career with the highest accolade of all, the Stanley Cup. Seeing him spend time with Sidney Crosby on the ice as well would be something remarkable to watch and would be a real spectacle.

However, there are negatives as well to signing Jagr.

A few reasons as to why the Penguins shouldn't sign Jaromir Jagr;

Back in 2011 when Jaromir Jagr was thinking about coming back there were a lot of rumours about who he would join and a lot of those rumours seemed to point towards the Penguins. Mario Lemieux himself reached out to Jagr and there were rumblings that he had agreed to join for the league minimum to repay Mario, which would've been an absolute steal for the Penguins. He then of course bolted to inter-state rivals Philadelphia and there were reports that this did not go well with Mario.

That wasn't the first time that Jagr had annoyed the Penguins though. Earlier in his career he was quoted as saying that he was "Dying alive" at Pittsburgh. This was under Ivan Hlinka and whilst the team did struggle to pay the salary along their team star Mario Lemieux it wasn't a comment that endeared to the Pittsburgh faithful and it lead to him going to Washington. The fact that Jagr has scorned Pittsburgh twice does make it hard to forgive him. If he had left Pittsburgh without that quote then I think Pittsburgh fans would've been a lot welcoming to him and forgiving.

Jagr in a Washington Capitals jersey

This trait of Jagr (Leaving a club when he wants) is one that is evident throughout his career as he can be described as someone who is a sort of mercenary who goes where the money is best. At the latter stages of his career you would understand as they want one final pay-day before they retire. But when you consider the amount of money he made throughout his career then you find it hard to accept. It would also be worrying when you consider his checked past with regards to Gambling debts that have frequently been mentioned in the press. He appears now to be over that though now thankfully.

One of the main barriers to Jagr rejoining the Penguins though is the cap hit and where he'd fit in the line-up. Pittsburgh right now are right against the Cap and they need to fill out one or two spots. Those spots are 4th liners/extras so cheap deals are likely but if someone of Jagr's calibre is available it makes sense to go for him. Pittsburgh have to move one of Matt Niskanen or Brooks Orpik regardless of who they sign due to the tight cap space.

Even if Jagr is willing to sign for $2m or less though, where do you fit him? Pascal Dupuis recently signed a new deal at around $3.7m and he isn't going to be put on the third line on that kind of deal despite the fact that he should be on the third line. Beau Bennett needs to play top 6 minutes as well and moving Jagr in for Bennett would be a very bold move. However, it has been mentioned amongst the media that Bylsma is looking at potentially playing Bennett on the third line alongside Sutter and one-other. If this is the case then this would open up a spot for Jagr. Jagr will likely want to play on the top two lines and he will most certainly want to be on the PP. Whether that's possible is another thing entirely.

Jagr playing for the Czech Republic in the Olympics

One final reason that I believe should mean that the Penguins shouldn't sign Jagr would be the fact that for as good as he is. He isn't himself. He isn't able to play as much as he used to and this was evident in the shortened season where he appeared lethargic at times. Obviously, a shortened season will have a bigger impact than a proper, full length season with a break for the Olympics but if he struggles with a 48 game schedule how would he do with an 82 game schedule?

So, should the Penguins sign Jagr?

In conclusion I think that when you weigh up the positives alongside the negatives there is a slight edge towards signing him. But I think the point that sticks in the reasons not to sign him which is a point that must be adhered to, is signing him on the right cap hit. There is no point signing him if it seriously hurts our team elsewhere. It'll have to be the right hit. It'd be a tough decision to ring up Jagr's agent and actively approach him but it wouldn't be a terrible one I think.

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Pens sign Scuderi, re-sign Adams

The Penguins didn't wait long yesterday after the Free Agency Klaxon started. They made their first move of free agency in signing 34 year old Rob Scuderi. Scuderi, formerly of the LA Kings last season has won the Stanley Cup two times most recently with LA last year. The time before that? With the Penguins. He brings with him a wealth of experience that can hopefully be passed on to the younger defensive players in the organization so that they can learn and step up in the coming years. Scuderi is known for being a stay at home, physical defenceman and whilst his age has seen his speed fall he is still an effective player. The only problem with the deal that I envisage is the term. By the time the deal is over he will be 38 years old. A two year deal I feel would've been more appropriate.

Of course signing Scuderi does create a problem on the back-end as it means we have an extra body and that means someone needs to be moved. Simon Despres and Robert Bortuzzo aren't being sent down to the AHL and should likely play some good minutes. Kris Letang and Paul Martin are top four pairing defenceman so they won't be moved. This leaves three people. Deryk Engelland, Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik. Deryk Engelland carries a very small cap hit in relation to the others at around $750k. So moving him wouldn't give us much room and he is actually a very astute player to have on the bottom pairing. Comparatively Niskanen is on $2.3m and Orpik is on $3.75m. I believe this makes them both likely trade targets. I feel that Niskanen is more likely to be traded as he is more expendable and his position can be filled by Bortuzzo. Orpik can potentially be replaced by Scuderi if he was traded as well and if they were both traded purely for picks then it'd give us $5.3m in cap space.

The Penguins also re-signed Craig Adams, the 36 year old fourth liner. He signed a two year deal at $700k per year. I'm not enamoured with this deal if I'm honest. Whilst he is an effective player and works well on the PK I get the feeling that there are potentially better players available on the free agency market for a smaller cap hit. I also think that we could with someone younger and faster as he will be 38 when the deal is up and I fear that his game could drop off in the coming seasons. This isn't a deal that will cripple the team but I think it's one that we could've done without.  In all though, it wasn't a terrible day for us as we could've done much worse and signed someone like Clarkson to a $5m+ contract, but it also wasn't a day that made me think the team was looking to fix it's weaknesses.

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What should the Penguins do in Free Agency?

The 2013 Free Agency period is around the corner and it starts tomorrow at 12:00EST (5:00PM GMT) and there are some big names that are involved. Originally the Free Agency period starts on the 1st of July but this was changed with the new CBA to allow a interview period with players to help them decide before the date itself on where they'd want to go and who would be interested. So far Pittsburgh has locked up a number of their free agents and restricted agents but still has some spaces available that need to be filled. I've done a break-down below of each line and the possibilities along with a full depth chart roster.

Kunitz - Crosby - FA/Dupuis/Bennett

There's three potential moves for the right wing of Sidney. One of the is to maintain the status quo and keep Pascal Dupuis there on his new deal despite the poor play-off performances from this line last season. The other option is to have Bennett on Sid's wing. Which is realistic considering Bylsma's belief that he'll be playing Bennett and Despres on the Top 6 and Top 4 respectively next season. The final option is one that is less likely in terms of available cap hit that is available to fill the hole and the actuality of other players being already allotted that position. The market has few top line wingers that would be available for that position and most of them are likely to command higher cap hits than we can afford. Looking at the free agency list there are three potential names. Nathan Horton, Jarome Iginla and Damien Brunner.

 Jarome Iginla had a relatively decent regular season but disappeared at times in the play-offs last year for us and unless he took a cap hit of around $3.5m I'd find it hard to sign him. Nathan Horton is looking for around $5m+ to sign and that could make it hard to sign him but he would make that top line very formidable. Damien Brunner is the cheap option available. Only on $1.35m last year he had a good rookie season and he has some good offensive assets such as the ability to make good plays out of little. Of course, I think that it's unlikely for Shero to sign someone when Dupuis has just been given a $3.75m contract as that's not the type of contract you pay to someone to play on the third line, whether or not if that's the correct position for him. Bylsma likes the Kunitz, Crosby, Dupuis line so I think that is likely to stay but there are options out there.

Neal-Malkin-FA/Bennett

Two aspects of this line are ones that have clicked in the past and have a good amount of chemistry that means that whilst you can get some slump period where the line might not produce, it has the ability to just explode all of a sudden and make you question why you were criticising it. Whether Bennett is filtered down onto that 2nd Line RW spot it dependant on where Dupuis goes and if we sign a FA for the top line or not. But the second line options are better but again, potential cap problems exist. There are some good fits out there with the likes of David Clarkson and Clarke MacArthur but both are likely to sign for amounts to high for us to compete. Clarkson is reportedly going to be going for around $4m and MacArthur at a similar hit. 

Other cheaper options that are available include again, Damien Brunner and Nathan Gerbe. Whilst Gerbe has some size issues and is quite easily beaten physically, I like his game. He has a good offensive game and whilst he had a poor season in the lockout shortened season I think that if he had a full season he'd be someone who could put up 50 points on Malkin's wing. He would be cheap as well, his previous contract hit with Buffalo before he got bought-out was $1.45m. Dustin Penner is another name that could be approached but he is slow as molasses now and his physical game isn't as up to scratch as it used to be. I think it's most likely that Dupuis will be given the top line job and Bennett will be on the second line so you probably won't see any new faces in the top 6.

FA/Jokinen - Sutter - Jokinen/FA

Jokinen is listed as a LW but he is a versatile player who can play anywhere in the offensive roster whether it's on the top 6 or the bottom 6. Hence why I've put him on both wings with the other being dependant on what wing he'd end up at. Regardless of that, we need 1 3rd line winger and the market is better for this than top two wingers. Highest on my list would be Viktor Stalberg of the Chicago Blackhawks. He just won the Stanley Cup and for around $2.5m would add some grit and physicality to our third line whilst still be a fairly present scoring threat. 

Another option would be to go after Benoit Pouliot who rejected an offer and will be testing free agency. He is a more physical player than Stalberg and would be slightly cheaper. Like Stalberg her also has an offensive presence about him and has only failed to go above 25 points in the last 4 seasons once. Of course, we could resign Matt Cooke but he is likely due a raise and as he was already at $1.8m it'd be easier to go for someone better for a little extra. Personally I think that the Penguins should let Cooke walk as he would be an attractive free agent to some teams but I feel that if he's looking for a more long-term deal like the Kunitz and Dupuis deals then it'd be more a hindrance in the later years than help. I feel that his game will start to tail off in the coming seasons with his age as playing the game he does can have it's affects later in a players hockey career. 

FA - Vitale - FA/Adams

The bottom line is the one that is most open to change. Vitale is pencilled to stay this season and that's good news as he's a fantastic fourth line center. He has a good ability at face-offs and is a great defensive player which for his cap hit is a steal in my mind. Fourth line players are a dime a dozen on the market and all are relatively cheap. We do still have Tanner Glass but I think he should be traded as he has no merit being on this team and is a waste of $1.1m that could be used elsewhere, or held in space.

Players on the bottom should be expected to sacrifice their body more than others and play a physical game that puts the opponent off theirs. They shouldn't be relied upon for scoring but naturally any help there is welcome as it adds to team depth. Some potential players could be Nick Johnson, Steve Pinzizotto, Colby Armstrong and Maxim Lapierre. Johnson has been with the Penguins before, as has Armstrong. Johnson has become better offensively since being in Phoenix and Minnesota. Lapierre is someone who offers mix of both offense and defence but at $1m is a little bit more costly.

The Defence is fully locked-out and I don't envisage any free agents being signed as there are no spots that need to be filled apart from the 7th D spot but that, like the 13th Forward spot can be filled from within or with someone who is signed for 4th line duties but is swapped in and out every few games. Right now we have Glass who could sit in the 13th but I'd rather give it to Jeffrey. Although we have Brian Dumolin who can step up and be the #7 D I'd rather he stay in Wilkes-Barre. He'll develop better there actually playing rather than being stuck in the press box in Pittsburgh. Sadly as well, Fleury is still here. Which is a shame as I personally believe he's had his chance and that $5m would be better invested. 

Tomorrow will be an interesting day not only for those signing for Pittsburgh but those for Wilkes-Barre as they need players to have a roster this season and only a number of prospects are ready to step up and play for them after their junior years or after little experience in the AHL. 

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Assessing the Penguins Draft - Good Or Bad?

The 2013 NHL Draft was one of the deepest in terms of skill and class in a long time and annoyingly the Penguins earliest pick was in the 3rd round (#77) and generally I felt that the best players would be gone by then bar one or two that would maybe fall further than where they're predicted to go. Just before the draft got underway the Penguins traded their forward Tyler Kennedy ($2m cap hit last year, RFA this year) for a 2nd round Pick from the San Jose Sharks which turned out to be number #50.

The Penguins then traded up as the picks started getting nearer to the middle of the second round. They traded pick #50 and #89 for #44. There they selected Tristan Jarry a goalie from the Edmonton Oil Kings. Due to that trade it meant that the Penguins had only 1 3rd round pick now. At #77 the Penguins selected Jake Guentzel from the Sioux City Musketeers. The Penguins drafted a fair spread of different players types with their next pick at #119 being used for Ryan Segalla of the Salisbury Crimson Knights. The Penguins didn't have a fifth round pick which was traded as part of the Brendan Morrow trade and their next selection came at #164 where they took Dane Birks. Pittsburgh had two more picks after that at #179 (Blaine Byron) and #209 (Troy Josephs). It's good enough to know the names of who we picked, but who are they exactly?

Tristan Jarry

Tristan Jarry is a goaltender from the Edmonton Oil Kings and he was part of the team that went to the Western Hockey League finals this year. He has been back-up to Laurent Brossoit in the last two seasons but with Brossoit now leaving and taking the next step he is likely to be given the starting goaltender job. Tristan has seen an increase in the number of games over the last two seasons from 14 in the 11/12 season to 27 last season. Last year was a good year for Tristan as he put up good numbers with a 1.61GAA and a 0.935% which were the lowest in both categories last season. Jarry was the #3 ranked NA goaltender behind Zacahry Fucale and Eric Comrie but was taken 2nd. Some scouts feel he is the best goalie in the draft though;

"I thought he had the best camp of all the goalies at the Ivan Hlinka camp in August. There were some good goalies there" - Mark Edwards, Hockeyprospects Black Book, pg120

Tristan plays an athletic, butterfly style game but doesn't leave big gaps on his five hole as he has quick legs and his glove hand is excellent. Along with this he is also a good puck player and likes to make occasional diving saves [Last Word on Sports]. A good puck handling is something that the Penguins are keenly interested in as Fleury is often far from comfortable on the puck and it has been the weak spot in games in the past. Jarry is a very astute pick and with Eric Hartzel the Penguins have a potentially bright goaltending future.

Jake Guentzel

Jake Guentzel is an American Collegiate center who is enrolled to play for the University of Nebraska-Omaha next year in the NCAA. Guentzel has spent most of his youth career so far in the United-States high school leagues where he appeared for Hill-Murray School for two year. He was considered good enough to play in the national competition amongst High Schools two years running for Team Northwest and Team Southeast. Guentzel was ranked 80th amongst North American skaters for this years draft after making the USHL second-all star team and rookie team.

"I like a lot about him. He's a gamer with great hands and good hockey sense, but he is an average skater" -Mark Edwards, Hockeyprospects Black Book, pg107

The general opinion of him is that he is a skilled player who is very creative in the offensive zone and is a quick player, most likely due to the fact that he is just 5'9 and 150lbs. This does mean that he isn't that great in a physical game but as a LW he is a good pick as the Penguins are lacking on forward prospects. He is expected to be a long-term prospect but has the potential to play a bottom 6 role.

Ryan Segalla

Ryan Segalla is another American Collegiate player, although unlike Guentzel he is a Defenceman. He is committed to the University of Connecticut for next season. Much like Guentzel though he played in the United States High School leagues for his school, Salisbury Prep where he was captain and top pairing defenceman in their 2012-13 Championship season. Segalla was drafted in the 2011 QMJHL entry draft by the Saint John Sea Dogs but never appeared for them. 

"Ryan plays angry, which can help or hurt him. I saw fear in the eyes of players who had to go into the corners with him but I also saw him boil over at the end of a Salisbury loss and it wasn't pretty" - Josh Deitell, Hockeyprospects Black Book, pg177

Segalla is a strong defenceman is a tough person to play against. He can be a rough, hard hitting player but also display some offensive talents. His biggest problem according to scouts is his temper which has on occasions boiled over and let him down. With the University of Connecticut moving from the Atlantic Division to Hockey East he'll be tested at a higher level.

Dane Birks

Dane Birks is the third such player that the Penguins selected in the 2013 NHL Draft who is going to the NCAA. Birks is committed to Michigan Tech but isn't going there until the 2014-2015 season, he is going to spend his last season at the Merritt Centennials in British Columbia. As the #166th ranked North American skater going into the draft he attracted interest from the Montreal Canadiens who invited him to camp three weeks before. 

"Dane Birks is a good sized defenceman; he's a bit of a late bloomer but he skates well, moves the puck and is physical" - Randy Sexton, PittsburghPenguins.com Randy Sexton|PIT

 Birks had his first full season in the BCHL last season and is a tall, well built player who has a similar game to that of Ryan Segalla, one of the Penguins other picks. Like Segalla he will take a few years and will likely be a longer term prospect

Blaine Byron

Blaine Byron is another player who going the collegiate route. He played his last season at the Smiths Falls Bears in the Central Canada Hockey League where he was a part of a team that were knocked out in the 1st round of the Bogart Cup by the Carleton Place Canadians. Byron has registered to play for the University of Maine next season where he'll face off against Ryan Segalla. 

"Can operate at top speed when in possession. Plays the point on the PP but he's very thin and needs weight and muscle. Slick puckhandler who can make plays at high speed" - DraftSite.com DraftSite

Byron was ranked 122nd in North American skaters before the draft but scouts have him down as being a smart player who is more of a play-maker than a goal-scorer (As probably evidence by last seasons 12 Goals 40 Assists over the course of the season. He will, like the other NCAA players take longer to develop.

Troy Josephs

Troy Josephs was the final selection from the Penguins and he had to wait until #209 before he was taken. An ever-present member of the St.Michael's Buzzers Championship winning team last year he is also going the NCAA route as he is committed to Clarkson University in the ECAC Conference. He was ranked 119th in North American Skaters before the draft and was passed over in last years draft

"He plays with a lot of pace, a lot of tempo. He's hard to play against as a center and is tenacious on the puck" - Randy Sexton, PittsburghPenguins.com. Pittsburgh Penguins

Josephs is a solid wing prospect according to scouts and the wings is an area where the Penguins lack prospects. Apart from Anton Zlobin and Kuhnhackl the Penguins don't have any real potential future players (I'm not counting Bennett as a prospect as he is now going to be a permanent fixture on the first team). Josephs is a long term project but has the ability to make it.

That, in a nutshell, are the new prospects. Welcome to the club!

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