28 profiles in 28 days....The depth

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis….The Iceman
Ruslan Fedotenko….The Battletank
Eric Godard....The Goon
Tyler Kennedy....The Sparkplug
Evgeni Malkin....The Showstopper
Janne Pesonen...The Finnish Wildcard
Miroslav Satan...The Scoring Winger (Who isn't Hossa)
Jordan Staal....The Gronk
Maxime Talbot...The Legs that feed the Wolf


Basics
Player Name: Jeff Taffe
How Acquired: Signed as a free agent in July 2007, resigned July 2008
Position: Center
Age: 27 (28 in February)
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2008-09 season, $550,000 (will make less if sent to the AHL)..unrestricted free agent after this season

History
Last Season Stats: 47 games played, 5 goals, 7 assists = 12 points....With Wilkes-Barre (AHL): 27 gp, 11g, 10a = 21p....NHL Playoffs 0 gp
Last Season Write-up: Jeff Taffe came to Pittsburgh largely as an after-thought to the organization, except to maybe provide some veteran scoring and leadership to the AHL club. And that he did, by the end of October Taffe was leading the AHL in goals (7) on a team that had only scored 30 to that point. When the Pens center core was depleted to injuries like Max Talbot and later Sidney Crosby, Taffe got the callup and made the most of it, playing 9:35 a night, mostly even strength. Taffe chipped in a few goals and did his part to try and keep them out of his own net. Somewhat solid, in unspectacular.
Career Year Stats: Last season, he saw significant NHL time and was actually a plus player for the first time.


Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Taffe's got the experience to know what he's doing and the age and maturity as well. He's about in his prime as a NHLer.
Potential line-mates: 4th line wingers.
"Best case scenario" stats: 60 games played 7 goals, 10 assists, 17 points, a plus +/- rating...Taffe's the guy that's nice to have around, but not one to rely on to put up offense.

Interesting fact: Despite being a very skilled player, Taffe was supposed to grow a mustache for a month because he lost a shootout competition. He ended up getting called up and never held his end of the deal. Heaven help him if he's ever assigned to Wilkes-Barre this season.

28 Profiles in 28 Days...The Legs that Feed the Wolf

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis….The Iceman
Ruslan Fedotenko….The Battletank
Eric Godard....The Goon
Tyler Kennedy....The Sparkplug
Evgeni Malkin....The Showstopper
Janne Pesonen...The Finnish Wildcard
Miroslav Satan...The Scoring Winger (Who isn't Hossa)
Jordan Staal....The Gronk


Basics
Player Name: Maxime Talbot
How Acquired: Drafted 234th overall in 2002 (8th round)
Position: Center
Age: 24 (25 in Feburary)
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2008-09 season, $700,000 (restricted free agent after this season)

History
Last Season Stats: 63 games played, 12 goals, 14 assists = 26 points...Playoffs 17 gp, 3g, 6a= 9p
Last Season Write-up: Talbot was another of the Penguins to miss a significant portion of time with a high ankle sprain, and despite the injury lingering throughout the season he still put up career numbers as he chugged along through the year. Talbot only scored 3 goals in the playoffs and one of them provided arguably the high point of the entire season.
Career Year Stats: (2006-07) Last season.


Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Talbot's about in his prime.
Potential line-mates: Talbot is probably going to be the most versitale forward on the roster. HC Therrien showed this during the playoffs where he would switch things up and use Talbot on any line at any time to create a spark. It wouldn't shock us to see Talbot play with any of the top three lines in any of the three periods, depending on game situation. He's another natural center but he can play the wing as well.
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 25 goals, 25 assists, 50 points...If everything went right, Talbot's a 20 goal scorer. If it goes perfect, he could net 25.
Notes: Plenty of NHL talent came out of the 8th round of the 2002 draft, in addition to Talbot, Dennis Wideman, Petr Prucha and Ryan Craig were also taken here.....We dubbed Talbot "The Legs that feed the wolf" after the famous Herb Brooks line. The line (like Talbot) doesn't totally make sense but it's about teamwork, hustle and being the best you can be. Fitting.
Interesting fact: Talbot's one of the most interesting people you'll ever hear about so anything about him could fit the bill. Talbot, to us, is in what Bill Simmons' calls the Tyson Zone. Maybe not in the scary/bizarre way that guys like Mike Tyson and Dennis Rodman are, but you get the point...Talbot has impersonated Sidney Crosby, he had the balls to be McLovin for television, he's played in national poker tournaments even though he jokes himself for being horrible, and he's won the Stanley Keg for crying out loud.

28 Profiles in 28 Days....The Gronk

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis….The Iceman
Ruslan Fedotenko….The Battletank
Eric Godard....The Goon
Tyler Kennedy....The Sparkplug
Evgeni Malkin....The Showstopper
Janne Pesonen...The Finnish Wildcard
Miroslav Satan...The Scoring Winger (Who isn't Hossa)


Basics
Player Name: Jordan Staal
How Acquired: Drafted 2nd overall in 2006
Position: Center
Age: Turns 20 on September 12th
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2008-09 season, $2,200,000 cap hit ($850,000 base salary as well as up to $1,350,000 in performance bonuses)

History
Last Season Stats: 82 games played, 12 goals, 16 assists = 28 points...Playoffs 20 gp, 6g, 1a= 7p
Last Season Write-up: Tough season, statisically for the young Staal who put up an unexpected 29 goals as a 19 year old rookie. The Pens used Staal almost exclusively at his natural position, center (opposed to the previous year where he was largely Evgeni Malkin's winger). Staal though battled through, playing in every game and eventually morphing into one of the best 3rd line centers in the game and scored enough timely goals in the playoffs to show his sophomore slump was a derivation from the usual.
Career Year Stats: (2006-07) 81 gp, 29g, 13a =42 points


Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Progressing like no other, and perhaps is the #1 player on this roster that still has expected room to grow.
Potential line-mates: Depends on the plan....If the Pens wanted to, they could make him a power forward winger for Malkin or Sidney Crosby on a scoring line. But it seems they want to keep him as a center and let him develop there, so he's likely to play with lower line wingers not as skilled.
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 30 goals, 35 assists, 65 points...Staal will benefit from likely taking some of Ryan Malone's PP time, so expect that his Kate Moss-thin assist totals (just 29 in 163 games) should have the chance to go up.
Notes: According to unconfirmed reports, Jordan might not be only member of his family to be in the NHL. I wonder if those guys in New York and Carolina who look like him are of any relation...It sure would be helpful if someone in the media could point this out a time or two...
Interesting fact: Staal has appeared in more career NHL games of meaning than all but 6 players that have been drafted since 2004 (Staal, of course, was drafted in 2006). Those six are Crosby, Ovechkin, Olesz, Meszaros, Franzen and Streit and they were all spotted the 2005-06 season.

28 profiles in 28 days....The Scoring Winger (Who Isn't Hossa)

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis….The Iceman
Ruslan Fedotenko….The Battletank
Eric Godard....The Goon
Tyler Kennedy....The Sparkplug
Evgeni Malkin....The Showstopper
Janne Pesonen...The Finnish Wildcard


Basics
Player Name: Miroslav Satan
How Acquired: Signed as a free agent 7/08
Position: Left/Right Wing
Age: Turns 34 on October 22
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2008-09 season, $3,500,000

History
Last Season Stats: (New York Islanders) 80 games played, 16 goals, 25 assists = 41 points
Last Season Write-up: Last season with the Isles Satan revealed that he played through an injury that he didn't disclose, he didn't want to miss time. So that shows he's tough and willing to play through the pain. He only scored 16 goals, which might be alarming but consider his woeful teammates (Mike Comrie led the Isles with 49 points last season...Sidney Crosby had 48 assists last year, and he only played 53 games!). Don't read too much into the lack of production by Satan, it was a year to forget on a team to forget.
Career Year Stats: (2002-03 with Buffalo) 79 gp, 26g, 49a =75 points


Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Probably in his prime, maybe starting towards the downhill portion of his career
Potential line-mates: Crosby, his old buddy Ruslan Fedotenko, Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 40 goals, 45 assists, 85 points...Satan could be the skilled winger Crosby's never had for a full season
Notes: Satan is a nine time 25+ goal scorer, he's got nice hands....On his team profile he's listed at 6'3 which is significantly taller than our memory serves. Satan, at almost 34, seems like he should be older than he is since he's been around forever (1995). Satan, like Sykora, contacted the Penguins and wanted to be on this team; that is a good sign to bring in guys that really want to be a part of this. Everyone talks about Marian Hossa and to be sure he has skill to spare but don't forget for the most of Crosby's career his linemates have still been guys like Colby Armstrong and Old Man Recchi. He hasn't had a full year with a slick, skilled winger winger like Satan. On a one year deal, Satan might be a short-term option for the Pens, but that's the cap world we live in. When your core is locked up it takes a large chunk of the cap to keep the guys like Crosby and Malkin...It's going to take creative short-term signings like Sykora and Satan to round out the lineup with talent to play with the big guns.
Interesting fact: From 1998-99 through the 2002-03 season, Satan was the leading scorer at the end of each season for the Buffalo Sabres.

28 profiles in 28 days....The Finnish Wildcard

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis….The Iceman
Ruslan Fedotenko….The Battletank
Eric Godard....The Goon
Tyler Kennedy....The Sparkplug
Evgeni Malkin....The Showstopper

Basics
Player Name: Janne Pesonen
How Acquired: Signed as a free agent 7/08

Position: Winger

Age: 26
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2008-09 season.

History
Last Season Stats: (Karpat of the Finnish SM-Liga) 56 games played, 34 goals, 44 assists = 78 points (league's leading scorer and MVP
Last Season Write-up: Pesonen dazzled the SM-Liga, leading his team Karpat to their fourth championship in the past five years and picking up league MVP and playoff MVP along the way. A good measure to judge a player is their stats compared to their teammates. Last season the only two players other than Pesonen to score more than 50 points for Karpat were two career European players in their mid 30s and Pesonen had more goals than all but three others on his team had points. Those are two pretty good indicators that Pesonen was a vibrant offensive player in Finland. The million dollar question, of course, is how will that translate to the NHL?
Career Year Stats: Last season


Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Pesonen will be thrown into the deep end of the pool in a couple of weeks. It remains to be seen if he has the chops to swim or if he'll sink.
Potential line-mates: Pesonen could be on either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin's scoring lines if he shows he can keep up with the stars,has the hands to finish and the strength to fight through North American checking. Or he could be on a lower line providing the classic Finnish effort and grit with other checking players.
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 30 goals, 40 assists, 70 points...Best case, Pesonen steps right in and looks like he's been playing NA style hockey all his life and is a 30 goal guy for Crosby or Malkin. That case seems unlikely, but that's where the bar is set.
Notes: Is Janne Pesonen the next Vladimir Vujtek? Long-time Pens fans will remember Vujtek, dubbed the "best player not in the NHL" by many was given a chance with the Penguins. He didn't work out. Pesonen didn't come to play in the AHL but he'll have to prove that despite his modest size (listed at 5'11, 180 pounds) that he has the strength and all-around ability to play at the highest level in the world.
Interesting fact: A lot of pixels have been devoted to Pesonen since he splashed on the scene in early July. But anytime you have a "cult song" in Finnish or have a youtube highlight reel like this it's going to be posted. The celebration of the goal scored :38 seconds in still kills us.

28 profiles in 28 days....The Showstopper

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis….The Iceman
Ruslan Fedotenko….The Battletank
Eric Godard....The Goon
Tyler Kennedy....The Sparkplug


Basics
Player Name: Evgeni Malkin
How Acquired: Drafted 2nd overall in 2004
Position: Center
Age: 22
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2013-14 season....Geno will likely make about $3.8 million this season in salary plus bonuses from his original entry level deal. So he still counts $3.8 million against the cap for this coming season. For the five seasons that follow (starting 09-10), his cap number and average salary is the $8,700,000 figure.

History
Last Season Stats: (Pittsburgh) 82 games played, 47 goals, 59 assists = 106 points Playoffs: 20 gp, 10g, 12a, 22 p
Last Season Write-up: No player scored more points in the regular season plus the post season....We all know that when Sidney Crosby went down, Geno stepped up and stepped up big...Finally out of the shadow of his more brash country-mate and fellow '04 draftee Alex Ovechkin and his teammate Crosby, Malkin scored 53 points (24g, 29a) over the final 37 games of the season.
Career Year Stats: Uhh, last season



Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Malkin took a huge leap from his first to second season in the NHL....As scary as it is to think, he's just 22 years old and should be even bigger, stronger, faster this season than last
Potential line-mates: Petr Sykora, Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan, Janne Pesonen, Sidney Crosby
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 55 goals, 75 assists, 130 points...Is it ambitious? Yes. But if healthy with guys like Crosby, Sykora and Sergei Gonchar it's not unattainable in a perfect world.
Notes: It's often assumed that because Malkin (who's lived in America for about a year and a half) doesn't know much English that he doesn't have the desire to. This is untrue, with he's not as outgoing and gregarious as Ovechkin, he is learning the language and his teammates know his personality. Just ask Sykora who has to regularly retrive his shoes from the trash can. On the ice Malkin has all the potential in the world. He has the size and skating ability that makes him look almost reminscient of a left-handed Mario, he can fire a slap-shot with the best of them and has the guile to take any shot from anywhere (Marty Biron still hasn't seen this one). Malkin also has the vision and passing ability to make the plays happen...Quite simply, with the puck on his stick, he is the showstopper.
Interesting fact: Ovechkin might be thought of as the Russian sniper but it's Malkin who is the only player (since 1917) to score a goal in each of his first six NHL games....Malkin also holds the record for the longest point streak in the NHL by a Russian at 15 games.

28 profiles in 28 days....The Sparkplug

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis….The Iceman
Ruslan Fedotenko….The Battletank
Eric Godard....The Goon


Basics
Player Name: Tyler Kennedy
How Acquired: Drafted in 99th overall (4th round) in 2004
Position: Any forward position (natural center but expected to play mostly wing)
Age: 22
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2008-09 season, $542,000 cap hit (RFA after this season)

History
Last Season Stats: (Pittsburgh) 55 games played, 10 goals, 9 assists =19 points...(With Wilkes-Barre) 10 gp, 5g, 4a, 9p....Playoffs: 20 gp, 0g, 4a, 4 p
Last Season Write-up: Kennedy didn't make the the Pittsburgh roster out of camp last season but he quickly proved to management that he was performing at a level above the AHL level. Kennedy then put up 6 goals and 4 assists in his first 17 NHL games....TK got diagnosed with mononucleosis in mid January and missed a month and after that point his production really diminished as he tallied only 2 goals and 9 assists in the last 44 post-injury games....Numbers only tell half the story though, as TK does things like hustle, play defense and stand up for teammates (as seen by kicking Scottie Upshall's ass)
Career Year Stats: Would have to be last season, since he was a rookie

Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Kennedy is progressing. He's the youngest forward on the team not named Staal, Malkin or Crosby.
Potential line-mates: Maxime Talbot, Pascal Dupuis, Matt Cooke, Staal
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 20 goals, 20 assists, 40 points...Kennedy could be a 20/20 guy one day soon. If he gets some minutes that day may come sooner than later
Notes: The Penguins will look to Kennedy to again provide the energy and uptempo play on whatever line he ends up with. Keep in mind that unlike every other forward on the roster (except enforcer Eric Godard), Kennedy is the only right handed shot on the unit...Could that be an advantage if Crosby needs a linemate?
Interesting fact: Has a hit that can break glass. Somewhat resembles Paperboy.

28 profiles in 28 days...The Goon

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis….The Iceman
Ruslan Fedotenko….The Battletank


Basics
Player Name: Eric Godard
How Acquired: Signed as a free agent on July 1st
Position: Right Wing
Age: 28
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2010-11 season, $750,000 cap hit per season

History
Last Season Stats: (Calgary Flames) 74 games played, 1 goal, 1 assist for 2 points, 171 PIMs (17 fights)
Last Season Write-up: From the sound of what Calgary fans said, Godard played his role fairly well last season....He only played about 4:42 a game, so not much offense was expected or given....Godard ran into the man he'll replace (at about half the price) and did reasonably well.
Career Year Stats: (2004-05 with Bridgeport Sound Tigers [AHL]) 75 gp, 7g, 11a = 18p 295 PIMs. We use this year because it was the lockout and the AHL was of strong competition. Well that and Godard has 3 goals and 5 assists in 200 career NHL games, so there isn't much of a high point there

Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Godard is in his prime. He's 28 and as strong as he'll ever be.
Potential line-mates: Kris Beech, Jeff Taffe, Ryan Stone, any other 4th line winger
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points, 170 PIMs (hey we don't expect much offensively but how Godard can keep the heat off the skill guys will be important and interesting to watch now that the ultimate deterrent, Laraque, is gone.)
Notes: Here's Godard's fight card for last year, of which hockeyfights voters say Godard was 5 wins, 8 losses and 4 draws....Much different than Laraque's flawless record, but if you look at the quality of competition that Godard dropped the mits with (Derek Boogaard twice, Laraque, George Parros twice, DJ King, Scott Parker) it's clear that he's willing to stand up to the tough customers. And that's more important in most cases than a win or a draw.
Interesting fact: Not really that interesting compared to some of the links we have above, but Godard was traded from Florida to the New York Islanders in 2002 for a draft pick that turned into NHL'er Greg Campbell....Also, the only goal Godard scored last year (against Nashville) turned out to be a game-winner. So there's that.

28 profiles in 28 days...The Battletank

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days (sorry for the weekend pause). Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One
Pascal Dupuis.The Iceman



Basics
Player Name: Ruslan Fedotenko
How Acquired: Signed as a free agent on July 2nd 2008
Draft Position: Left Wing
Age: 29
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2008-09 season, $2,250,000 million cap hit per season

History

Last Season Stats: (New York Islanders) 67 games played, 16 goals, 17 assists for 33 points,
Last Season Write-up: In Fedotenko's only season with the Isles (though it seemed like he was there longer than that) he put up those modest numbers on the weak team.
Career Year Stats: (2005-06 with Tampa Bay) 80 gp, 26g, 15a = 41p

Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: At 29 years old, Fedotenko has likely developed into his prime.
Expected 2008-09 role: 1st/2nd/3rd line winger. Rusty is something of a diverse player. Like Ryan Malone he's got the big body and nose for the net. Also like Bugsy, he's best when working with players that can lug the puck up the ice for him and then finish up in front of the net. In Feds' seven year NHL career he's averaged 17.5 goals a season and has been pretty consistent in scoring about 16-17 a year.
Potential line-mates: Pretty much every forward...Could be with Crosby or Malkin but could be with guys like Staal, Dupuis, Cooke and Kennedy on a more defensive minded line.
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 20 goals, 25 assists, 45 points
Notes: Signed a one year deal with the Pens...Like Malone, has more career NHL goals than assists....When on a scoring streak he's on it; as evidenced by the 12 playoff goals he scored for Tampa in 2004 (tied for the lead).
Interesting fact: There are only three active forwards in the NHL from the Ukraine: Fedotenko, Toronto's Alexei Ponikarovsky and New York's (disputed) Nikolai Zherdev.

28 profiles in 28 days....The Iceman

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech....The Unwanted One
Matt Cooke...The New Ruu
Sidney Crosby....The Chosen One



This grainy, small picture may be all the photographic evidence we have of the Iceman...Well, that and it was captured for youtube. What's best about this clip: the expression on Fleury's face, "can't breath" or the constant cackling by Max Talbot? We can't decide.

Basics
Player Name: Pascal Dupuis
How Acquired: Acquired (with some other homo) from Atlanta on Feburary 26th, 2008
Draft Position: Left Wing/Right Wing
Age: 29 (will turn 30 in April)
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2010-11 season, $1,400,000 million cap hit per season

History

Last Season Stats: (Pittsburgh and Atlanta combined) 78 games played, 12 goals, 15 assists for 27 points, [Playoffs: 20 gp, 2g, 5a = 7p]
Last Season Write-up: Dupuis was wonderful in his regular season role with the Penguins, scoring 12 points (2g, 10a) in 16 games down the stretch. He can play on the top line riding shotgun with the skill players but also has the grit, speed and defensive awareness to be a solid 3rd line player
Career Year Stats: (2002-03 with Minnesota) 80 gp, 20g, 28a = 48p

Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Dupuis' three year contract figures stretches over his prime years (29, 30, 31).
Expected 2008-09 role: Diverse....He could be a top line winger with Crosby at even strength one period, and then be in a defensive role on the third line the next period. The game situation--plus early success at point production-- could determine Dupuis to lineup anywhere. Dupper is a "glue" guy and every team needs glue guy. You can tell by how famously he gets along with teammates and makes the locker-room a fun place...But on the ice the Iceman is a professional; all business.
Potential line-mates: Pretty much every forward
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 20 goals, 30 assists, 50 points
Notes: How important is Dupuis to the team? You be the judge on how well he fit in with his new mates...

"When [Crosby] eats, Maxime Talbot must sit on his left, Pascal Dupuis on his right. At a recent team breakfast in Detroit, a Penguins staffer sat down to eat, and was met with shocked stares from the players sitting around him.

"That's Sid's seat!" they said.

"He wouldn't have gotten mad or anything, he's too nice for that," says the seat-stealer. "

Interesting fact: To our endless delight Dupper took the time to spell out in hockey tape who his best buddy is during the Penguins' April 'Shirts off our backs' ceremony, just a few weeks after he joined the team.

28 profiles in 28 days....The Chosen One

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech
Matt Cooke


Basics
Player Name: Sidney Crosby
How Acquired: Drafted 1st overall 2005 NHL Entry Draft
Position: Center
Age: 21
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2012-13 season, $8.7 million cap hit per season

History
Last Season Stats: 53 games played, 24 goals, 48 assists for 72 points, [Playoffs: 20 gp, 6g, 21a = 27p]

Last Season Write-up: Obviously a tough go for Crosby with the ankle injury that held him out of 29 games from January to April, not the way he wanted to follow up his previous season of winning practically every major individual...Still bounced back and led the Pens (and tied for the league) in playoff scoring.
Career Year Stats: (2006-07) 79 gp 36g, 84a, 120p

Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: Still progressing, hey he's still 21 and has grown his game in the faceoff circle
Expected 2008-09 role: 1st line center, face of the team, league and sport
Potential line-mates: Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Pascal Dupuis, Evgeni Malkin
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 40 goals, 90 assists, 130 points
Notes: The short off-season may hit Crosby more than most, being as he had a rib injury and that ankle wasn't 100% during the playoffs....How he will bounce back with replacing Satan for Hossa isn't much a concern, Crosby's played with less skilled wingers (Armstrong, Old Man Recchi, etc) and put up points. We could go on with more news and notes, but we guess Bing gets enough press and pixels on his every movement.
Interesting fact: Every fact about Crosby is pretty much known...But here's something, in all our research, that surprised us. It's Crosby, not Mario Lemieux, that set the Penguins rookie mark for most assists (63 to 61) and points (102 to 100). That might be common knowledge, but it had slipped our minds.

28 profiles in 28 days....The New Ruu

Welcome back to TST's 28 profiles in 28 days. Here's the backstories of players previously profiled:
Kris Beech

Basics
Player Name: Matt Cooke
How Acquired: Signed as a free agent on July 6th
Position: Left Wing/Right Wing
Age: Turns 30 in September
Contact Situation: Signed thru 2009-10 season, $1.2 million per season

History
Last Season Stats: (combined Vancouver and Washington) 78 games played, 10 goals, 13 assists for 23 points, 91 PIMS, 198 hits
Last Season Write-up: Cooke was traded to Washington last season and played well down the stretch, scoring 7 points in the final 17 regular season games, though he was pointless in seven playoff games....Cooke's hits had him ranked 9th in the league for forwards
Career Year Stats: 2002-03: (Vancouver)-- 82 gp, 15g, 27a = 42 points and 82 PIMS

Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: At the age of 30 with 583 NHL games under his belt, Cooke is in his prime.
Expected 2008-09 role: The new Jarkko Ruutu....Agiatate, grind, hit, muck be a pest.
Potential line-mates: Jordan Staal, Pascal Dupuis, Maxime Talbot, Kris Beech, Janne Pesonen
"Best case scenario" stats: 82 games played 15 goals, 25 assists, 40 points
Notes: Cooke is the new Ruutu, and as a former teammate from Vancouver, he knows the role he's been brought to play. He'll have a hard motor, hit everything that moves and be on his game when he's got others off of theirs'.
Interesting fact: Like Ruutu, Matt Cooke is a former winner of the Frank J. Hume Award, given yearly to the "Unsung Hero" of the Vancouver Canucks by their booster club.

28 Profiles in 28 Days...The Unwanted one

uWith our recent revelation it's only 28 more days until the Pens take the ice, we thought why not profile a player a day until camp begins. It may help the days pass and will get us on a regular schedule around here. Plus none of the 34,289,823 other Penguins blogs on the series of tubes has thought of it yet.

We'll start at the top of the list alphabetically, which means unfortunately today's spotlight is on Kris Beech.

28 Profiles in 28 days


Basics
Player Name: Kris Beech
How Acquired: Claimed off waivers on 1/26/08
Position: Center
Age: 27 (28 in Feburary)
Contract Situation: $585,000 (free agent after this season)

History
Last Season Stats: (combined between Columbus, Vancouver and Pittsburgh) 25 games played, 6 goals, 5 assists....In AHL Syracuse 16 gp, 5g, 10 assists
Last Season Write-up: Beech must have set some sort of record in switching teams four times in a 16 day stretch from 10-26 January (from Columbus to Vancouver to Washington to Pittsburgh)....Suffered broken wrist that effectively ended season in mid February...Signed back to the Penguins on a one-year, two-way deal
Career Year Stats: 2006-07 with Washington (64 games played, 8 goals, 18 assists, -11)

Outlook
Player progressing, in prime or regressing: ?
Expected 2008-09 role: Will compete with Jeff Taffe for the 4th line center job in training camp, the loser could be come the 13th spare forward or be risked to waivers to try to be a scorer at the AHL level.
Potential line-mates: Lower liners like Eric Godard, Matt Cooke, perhaps Janne Pesonen, Tyler Kennedy, Ryan Stone
“Best case scenario” stats: 0 games, 0 goals, 0 assists....(Ok, so that's best case for us fans...Anyways Beech won't be expected to score much but if he is seen in the Pittsburgh lineup it wouldn't be too much to ask he keeps his +/- close to zero and chip in the odd point)
Notes: Former Penguins GM Craig Patrick once said Kris Beech was a "Ron Francis-type" player, which is one of the reasons that Patrick is the former GM.
Interesting fact: The last time Kris Beech scored a goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins was April 10th, 2002.