The numbers racket

Tim Wallace got called up today in place of the newly demoted Janne Pesonen. We like the idea, better to have a worker if you're going to play him 5-6 minutes a night and let Pesonen go back to the AHL and get some top minutes.



Wallace is wearing #63, so along with his roommate Ben Lovejoy (#65) the Penguins have to players to have a number on their back in the 60's in a non-preseason game since May 21, 2001....Perhaps you've heard of those two.

Pesonen sent back to the farm

After tonight's game, the Penguins decided to assign Janne Pesonen back to the AHL. Not terribly surpising, as Na-na-na played just 6 and 7 minutes in Pittsburgh the past two nights.

Detractors will say that Pesonen didn't get the chance in this latest stint to establish himself, playing so few. And that's a good point. But you have to look at what Pesonen did with the minutes he got. 0 shots on goal, and though he did draw a penalty in both games, he did little to show that he might have produced much even if he got 15-17 minutes a night.

Now we're not going to say the guy is Vladimir Vujtek or Lasse Pirjeta just quite yet, but it's clear that Pesonen has nothing to offer for this version of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Look at the guys the Penguins are using as top line wingers on even strength or on the powerplay. You got Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora, clearly more skilled and established players that are simply better options than Pesonen at this point. Then there's gritty hustle players like Max Talbot and Tyler Kennedy that can bring more to the table than Pesonen in the realm of digging up pucks, killing penalties, taking faceoffs, etc.

Pesonen's getting top line minutes in the AHL where he's an impact player. He's just there yet for a high quality team such as the Penguins. Hopefully Pesonen goes back down, keeps his attitude up and works at getting better.

Pens waive Taffe, one step closer to losing Beech

Somewhat surprising news: the Pens have waived Jeff Taffe and intend to send him to the AHL if he goes unclaimed. Taffe carved out a pretty solid niche as a 4th line center that played responsible hockey in 45 NHL games last season and although he didn't touch the ice for a game in post-season play, we thought his place as 4th line center/13th forward was secure.

Bill Thomas and Paul Bissonnette though beat Taffe out, as the Penguins obviously must feel they have enough talent but not enough grit and toughness. Emergency goalie for the Sweden trip John Curry was also sent back to the AHL, as expected.

Taffe played in the first game in Sweden and even got some time in with the second powerplay unit before being a scratch in Game 2. We have to wonder if the coaches saw something they didn't like.

The Penguins roster now stands at 22 players, one less than the maximum. Did they waive Taffe to potentially put a claim in for one of the many veterans on waivers? Interesting.

Also since Kris Beech won't report to Wilkes-Barre, the team put him on unconditional waivers. He likely won't be claimed by anyone but this gives Pittsburgh an out to not pay him anymore as Beech tries to find a league over-seas to play in.

Transcontinental Penguins

The boys have arrived in Sweden. Preparations began today with a light practice and scrimmage. There's a blog on the main site that promises to update the events of Europe.

The Penguins took 25 players even though they're only allowed 24 on the roster. Bill Thomas, Paul Bissonnette and Janne Pesonen seem to be the candidates to not technically be on the team for the games.

Cuts

Perhaps it’s not a surprise, but still it’s a disappointment to see two highly regarded former prospects in Jonathan Filewich and Ryan Stone get the cut. Both are exposed to waivers, but to be honest, I can’t see another team like these unproven guys, now 23 years old.

Someone who is no stranger to being claimed on waivers—Kris Beech—is also on waivers. We couldn’t be happier. Jeff Taffe does well as the 4th line center, and barring him falling flat on his face it looks like he’ll start in that position.

The Pens are down to 29, they need to cut five more players before heading to Europe. So who are some of the more surprising guys still around?

Danny Richmond—Internet reports raved about him, and the Pens did cut three defensemen today, including Ben Lovejoy who’s been another camp upstart. Richmond’s still an incredible long-shot to make the NHL roster out of camp, but it’s clear now who’s the first in line to come up from the farm.
Bill Thomas—The Pittsburgh native has been scoring in exhibition games, and that’s always a way to turn heads. Thomas, to us, is still probably behind Taffe and Janne Pesonen on the organ-eye-zational depth charts for forwards, but that he survived this round of cuts is another testament to him being perhaps closer to an NHL level player than we though when he was signed.
Paul Bissonnette-For a guy told to not even bother showing up to AHL training camp last year, it’s a huge turnaround to be amongst finals cuts for the man they call Biz Nasty. Especially considering his position has always been defenseman up until this past season. Bissonnette, as a winger, is like a guided missile, hitting, checking and annoying anything in the other color jersey. That he is still around is probably just to take some burden off of Eric Godard’s plate in countering any enforcers that may appear in other teams’ preseason lineups but the Pens chose Biz Nasty over Aaron Boogaard, so that’s something.

The Penguins do still have a couple more exhibition games and obviously you don’t want to run these guys into the ground (or risk injury) more times than you have to, so it makes sense not to trim totally down to the opening night lineup. That still doesn’t take away from what guys like Richmond and Thomas have done.

And if this is the end of the road for anyone (Becch, Stone, Filewich), well it’s been real.

Roster dogfight shaping up

Now that things have settled down quite a bit for the Penguins, the roster has started to take shape.

Today, with the official signings of Kris Beech, Bill Thomas and Ryan Stone, the Penguins have pretty much rounded out most the candidates to start the season in Pittsburgh. The team still has restricted free agents Tim Brent and Jonathan Filewich to deal with, however neither of those players have much leverage or incentive for a holdout and ought to sign contracts well before training camp opens.

Let's take a look at the forwards, as a roster battle to make the trip to Sweden..

Safe bets (11):
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Petr Sykora, Miroslav Satan, Rusty Fedotenko, Maxime Talbot, Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis, Tyler Kennedy, Eric Godard

Wild card* (1):
Janne Pesonen

Bubble players (7):
Beech, Brent, Filewich, Connor James, Chris Minard, Thomas, Stone


Don't forget, the Penguins currently have 8 NHL level defensemen on the roster, and that omits prospect Alex Goligoski. If no moves are made--and given Ray Shero's mentality of having about 10 NHL capable defensemen in the organization--it seems likely the Penguins could start the season with 8 blueliners on the roster. Add the two goalies to the standard 23 man NHL roster, and by our math roster and that just 13 forward positions (only 1 scratched a night).

So it's pretty clear a lot more players bubbles will burst, sending them back to the AHL in early October then dreams realized. Also, it's probably important to note that while Godard is listed as a safe bet to make the NHL roster that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be in the lineup on opening night.

To say the least it'll be interesting to see which players in the log-jammed group of fringe players can elevate their games in camp to bring the amount of speed, toughness, skill, responsibility away from the puck that management will look for in filling out the lineups.

*Some Pens fans and observers have already pencilled Pesonen into a role playing Crosby or Malkin's wing. We're not comfortable enough to plug in a 25 year old who's played his entire career in an inferior league into such expectations. Don't get us wrong, we're intrigued by the idea of adding the Finnish scoring champion, but as of now, he's a wild card. Perhaps a skill winger, perhaps he can add some customary Finnish effort (and a little skill) to a 3rd line, perhaps his overall skill set or smallish size won't be able to measure up to the different rinks and playing style of the NHL. At this point, any scenario could be possible.

Making a Hossa push

Rob Rossi from the Trib reports that the Pens have made Marian Hossa their #1 priority for right now and are doing everything possible to get him back.

While news, this isn't exactly surprising to us, and shouldn't be to TST readers. Almost two weeks ago we showed you a hypothetical view of how the Pens could sign Hossa for $7 million a season and still retain the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury.

The biggest factor now, as it was then, is what will Hossa do. Last weekend news was reported that Hossa would be willing to take a little less to stay on a good team. Well if Rossi is correct about the Pens supposed offer of seven years, $50 million, Hossa will have his chance to prove his word. There's more out there for him on July 1st, but he won't have Sidney Crosby or Malkin at a new home.

This same article reports more bad news on the Ryan Malone front. His representatives and the Pens aren't in the same neighborhood salary and it's looking increasingly like he'll hit the open market on July 1. Again, not unsurprising but still a little sad.

Some encouraging news perhaps on the Brooks Orpik front:

Orpik, praised by team officials and coaches and opponents during the Penguins' playoff run, told the Penguins he would accept less than market value for a deal of at least five seasons. Several agents speculate he will command above $4
million annually on the open market.

In our long-term forecast, we hypothetically traded Ryan Whitney for a high draft pick and then signed Orpik long-term for $3.5 million. If the Pens could do the same perhaps they could get a similiar deal. With the likes of Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski, the Pens have a lot of puck-moving defensemen compared to having physical defensemen (really only Hal Gill).

Things are heating up and it has nothing to do with the temperature. We can only imagine the flurry of activity inside the Penguins front office as they talk to so many different people on a lot of different areas to try to get as many of these pieces back into the fold.

Who’s out when Roberts and Hall are back?

The good news is that Gary and Adam Hall seem like they will be back for the playoffs. Adding two to the lineup means subtracting two. Who could it be?

Tyler Kennedy: TK has the misfortune of being a rookie lower-line energy winger; just like Roberts. Mr. Gary has 20 years and 119 NHL playoff games on Kennedy. Kennedy has just 2 goals in 23 games since returning from mono in February. By contrast, TK had eight NHL goals in thirty-one games to start his season. Kennedy is also on the AHL “Clear Day” roster, which means he is eligible to be re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre for the Calder Cup playoffs. TK is a point-per-game difference maker at the AHL level, so we’d let to 21 year old go down to a place where he’ll get a ton of minutes and see how far he can take WB/S.

Jeff Taffe: Taffe too plays a similiar role that Hall plays (4th line niche player) but Hall can kill penalties. Hall is also better at faceoffs (50.7% to 48.7%). So that gives him the edge in this book. Taffe could have a role in the playoffs for the Pens if there’s an injury and Pens fans should be pretty comfortable if Taffe has to be out there....Sure beats Kris Beech.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Such is the dance a NHL team dances over the course of a long season:

Progressing:
--Jordan Staal. As we mentioned in the live blog, Staal is almost a point per game player [2g, 3a] in the 6 games since Crosby’s been hurt.
--Ryan Malone. Once known as Mr. Inconsistent, Malone’s a contributing member on the 1st line and one of the biggest goal scoring threats on the team right now.
--Max Talbot. He’s playing a top 6 role and playing it well. Beautiful passes and he’s showing a lot of skill.

Stepping backwards:
--Ryan Whitney. On the powerplay he doesn’t look nearly effective without Crosby. In his own end he’s about as forceful and aggressive as a dead cat. And the coach called him out on it.

Mixed bag:
--Erik Christensen. He’s producing points and actually playing well down in the corners, which has always been a knock on him at the NHL level. But he’s taking costly penalties of the pointless variety and doesn’t seem like he’s always fully in sync.

And now, news that the Penguins have called up rookie and former 2nd round pick Alex Goligoski from Wilkes-Barre. 12 players who were in the Baby Pens opening night lineup have now spent time in Pittsburgh in the course of this season, a franchise record.

Goligoski was not thought to be NHL-ready this year but has enjoyed a measure of success this season, he made the Team USA All-Star team in the AHL and has improved his game greatly. He’s said to be a good skater, puck mover but needs to work on his strength and positioning in his own end to really make an impact in the NHL.

We wonder why the callup.

• Did Rob Scuderi suffer some kind of unplayable injury after being hobbled by getting hit with a shot in the foot last night? Or is someone else hurt sick?
• Are the Penguins so unhappy with someone like Whitney or Brooks Orpik that they intend to give him a game breather and yield to Goligoski?
• Or are the Penguins simply continuing to showcase younger players before the deadline; giving potential suitors a chance to see a peek at our young talent playing a game or two in the NHL?
  

Whatever the yet to be seen reason, there sure won’t be any shortage of interest or speculation until some news comes out about Thursday’s lineup.

Blue Jackets scouting the Pens?

The Columbus beat writers blog reports: the BJs had three scouts at last night's game.

This doesn't mean they were looking at the Penguins, after all there's been a longly whispered rumor about them shipping David Vyborny to the Rangers (not coincidentally last night's opponent) for the midgetly Petr Prucha.

Columbus has been a surprise team so far this year, and of press time is just 3 points back of a playoff spot. So we couldn't see them trading the player that would benefit the Pens the most (captain and defensive bedrock Adam Foote).

Further, the Penguins haven't lost in regulation in the past ten games, why would they want to shake up the groove they're in right now.

So why so many scouts? TST thinks that if Columbus was really doing some serious scouting it wasn't the black and gold they were interested in last night.

Stone, Lannon Recalled

The Penguins were sitting at having the minimum number of healthy skaters, 18, on their NHL roster. So, while getting ready to embark on a 3 game southern swing for a week, they figured they might need the flexibility just in case an injury strikes.

Enter 2 Ryans: (Stone and Lannon).

I wouldn't mind seeing Stone get a crack in the lineup for one game, he plays a role that could fit in well on a lower line.

Lannon, barring injury, will likely not sniff the lineup. No worries there.

More interesting to me, is that regular callup Alain Nasreddine was left in Wilkes-Barre.

On one hand, the Penguins regular 6 defenseman are all filling their roles well and there's no place in the lineup for Nasreddine. His services can be better spent in the AHL where he's a big part of a team that's made a turnaround in the standings right about when he got there. Plus to keep him in game shape there's no need to sit him every single night.

But, then again consider that it is unusual to carry six defensemen. Lannon is an emergency option and it doesn't seem like he is an NHL caliber player and perhaps never will be.

So why no Naz? Could he be falling victim to a provision in the CBA over re-entry waivers?

For those who may not know, Nasreddine would be exposed to re-entry waivers if he was recalled. He is a decent option as a 6/7 veteran guy.

But, better than that, his salary would be a steal....Nasreddine's cap hit would be half of his $535,000 contract. But, since the season is half over, the Penguins have paid him half of that (or the equilivant for being in the minors).

Re-entry waivers would force the Pens to pick up half his remaining salary, leaving the new team to pay just 1/4 (or $133,750) for Nasreddine's services for the rest of the year.

That would be quite the bargain for a team with defensive injuries, and especially if they're nearing the salary cap.

Those financial considerations are likely the reason it's Lannon, and not Nasreddine, that got the call this morning.

Roster Analysis and Thoughts on Toronto

Four weeks ago tonight the Penguins season was very, very uncertain. Barely above .500, the only goaltender thought to be of NHL starting caliber went down. How has the team responded? How about going on a 104 point pace (taking 14 out of 22 possible points) and vaulting to the top half of the Eastern Conference shuffle.

Last year the team didn’t have much adversity to deal with and almost coasted to a 105 point season. This year, important players (Marc-Andre Fleury, Max Talbot, Mark Eaton, Gary Roberts) are dropping like flies with long-term injuries and new players like Ty Conklin, Rob Scuderi and Tyler Kennedy are not only stepping into expanded roles, they’re flourishing.

Of the injuries, Talbot is starting to skate a little, but still on his own. His return is probably weeks away to get healthy and in game shape, but we here think his return is definitely on the horizon. After all, when Gary Roberts went down it left the Penguins with 12 healthy forwards, the minimum number. Michel Therrien doesn’t like to change a lineup during a winning streak, so it wouldn’t make much sense to callup a young forward like Ryan Stone or Jonathan Filewich to ride the bench instead of playing in the A. But they haven’t even called up a depth forward like Connor James, and obviously winning streaks don’t last forever. Plus, unfortunately, injuries do happen and another forward could go down or become ill. That the Penguins haven’t called up another forward, seems to indicate, to me, that Talbot may be getting back into the lineup sooner rather than later.

Defensively the Penguins only have 6 healthy blueliners on the roster. However I’m not that surprised about that. All are healthy and playing their respective roles relatively well. The most likely callup, Alain Nasreddine, would have to be exposed to re-entry waivers if they want to call him up. Nasreddine is a pretty decent 6/7 depth defenseman and it wouldn’t surprise me to see another NHL club claim him, especially since he’d only be owed about ¼ of a season’s salary (because the Penguins would be required to pay half of his remaining salary which, at this point in the season, is about half paid). Why expose Naz (a former captain and veteran leader of the Baby Pens) to waivers if you don’t need to? Why callup a guy like Ryan Lannon if he’s just going to sit the bench anyways? Neither scenario makes much sense; as there’s little to gain and much more to lose.

If/when the Penguins need to fill a roster spot that’s when you can try to sneak Nasreddine back up, or look to make a trade for a depth defenseman. Until then, with guys like Sydor and Orpik playing better and Letang playing well in general, it’s OK to me to stand pat.

Back to the game, as I mentioned the Penguins are currently sitting in the top half of the peloton, the highly bunched up pack of teams stuck from about 45 to 39 points. Tonight’s game against Toronto (currently at the bottom of the pack, 12th place with 40 points) is an important game for both teams. If the Penguins win, not only is that a good thing for the obvious reason of picking up the 2 points, but it also denies a playoff competitor from keeping pace with them. A Toronto loss, coupled with other teams in the pack winning tonight or tomorrow night means they would be in danger of losing touch with the pack.

I wonder how the Penguins will come into this game, physically and mentally. The players said physically after the outdoor game they felt worse and a little sorer than just your average NHL game. Emotionally after such a wild ride (and ending) you have to believe there’s some danger of not having much in the tank and perhaps having a slow start which could quickly compound into a flat performance.

Pittsburgh/Toronto games are almost always wide open, crazy games. I’d set the over/under of total goals tonight at 7.5 and probably still be tempted to take the over. We shall see. I'd like to see an offensive spark plug that hasn't contributed in a while (Sykora, Staal, Malone) create some offensive. A little secondary scoring could probably inspire/spark the big guns to dig even deeper.

Bryzgalov to be placed on waivers

The internets are buzzing that goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is about to be placed on waivers by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks today at noon eastern time.

Bryzgalov has $900,000 left on his contract this year; a very reasonable amount.

I'm sure a team like Tampa Bay or the LA Kings might be interested and there have long been whispers attaching Pittsburgh to acquiring a goaltender.

Will the Penguins try to make a move for him? I don't think so. Marc-Andre Fleury has been shaky, but he's had good games, including just last night. Dany Sabourin has shown to be a competent, if not unspectacular option as the backup.

Plus Bryzgalov has never played more than 31 NHL games in a season and his career high in wins in a year is 13.

If the Penguins make a move for a goaltender, it will likely be for an established NHL starter. Bryzgalov is not established. At this point of the season I think it would be pretty shocking if the Pens claim him.