What's The Buzz? Tell Me What's Happenin'!

Marc-Andre Fleury, Brent Johnson, Brad Thiessen...oh my!

Brad Thiessen was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Tuesday to back up the Flower due to a Brent Johnson illness. Many were skeptic with the call-up figuring it was some sort of indication with the trade deadline just around the corner. GM Ray Shero and HC Dan Bylsma quickly shut that down announcing the illness. Thiessen has been re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre since. 

Flower Power. 

Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Rangers was Marc Andre Fleury's 22nd career shutout tying Tom Barrasso's franchise record. Fleury has been stellar the past few months but all his stellar play has some fans concerned. At his rate of play, will he have anything left in the tank if and when the Pens go on a deep playoff run? Brent Johnson has yet to shake his funk even though HCDB has stated that we will see BeeJ in net more. Johnson's recent stint in net had him replaced by the Flower in a 6-2 loss to the Sabres.

Tango.

Eric Tangradi was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for this past Tuesday's win against the Rags. Tangradi had a mere 5:39 TOI working on the 4th line. HC Bylsma said that the Tangradi recall added a physical presence for the 3rd and 4th line hence being in against a Ranger team who leads the league in hits on the road. Even with the recent call up, Tangradi's future with the Pens may still be a bit hazy. 

Staal Good.

One of the best two-way forwards in the game today, Jordan Staal has been ripping it up since coming back from a knee injury. In a recent article written by Michelle Crechiolo called "No Staal-ing Around", HCDB was quoted by saying, "“In terms of his offensive ability, I think this year better than any, he’s understood exactly how big and strong he is skating-wise that has led to better offensive opportunities for him..." Staal has taken his fair share of criticism, but is proving he is worth the contract. "He’s like Evgeni Malkin healthy, he’s like Sidney Crosby healthy, he’s like any of our top players healthy," linemate Pascal Dupuis said. "They’ll dominate the game, and that’s what Jordan is doing right now."

First Place. 

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins moved back in to first place(tied with the Norfolk Admirals) after defeating the Portland Pirates 5-3 for their 20th road win this past Monday. Scott Munroe picked up the W in between the pipes stopping 25 shots advancing his record to 11-4-3 on the season. The Pens will battle with Manchester tonight at Mohegan Sun Arena!

Hop in the Cordoba baby! We're goin' bowling! 

The Official Mike Lange Soundboard has gone mobile! It officially debuted on the Android market this past Monday. iPhone and Blackberry apps are in the making! So if you have an android phone and want to carry Mike Lange in your pocket, click here and download the app!

Trade Deadline.

We'll end today's buzz with some more deadline talk. Do you think GM Ray Shero is going to deal? If so, for who?

Read more »

The Real Deal

by Brian Dye
  
The end of February of 2011 marked a time period where Penguins hockey would never be the same, although at the time we wouldn't have known the difference. If you’re having trouble remembering what happened around this time last year, let me kindly refresh your memory. We said farewell to Alex Goligoski and saw him off to Dallas and in return we welcomed James Neal and Matt Niskanen to a depleted, injury plagued Penguin lineup. While Niskanen proved he could play on both sides of the puck under Dan Bylsma with 9 goals and 22 assists before heading to the Stars, I’m not sure that the organization realized what exactly we were going to get with our return on investment.

    Everybody knew the kind of season James Neal was having in Dallas and only expected better when he arrived in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, after several games in the black and gold (and sometimes blue and lighter blue) Neal had only managed one goal and only six points. He rounded the year off with 22 goals and a total of 45 points - ten points less than his previous year with the Stars. Sure, it was tough for him coming onto a team where he had little chance to conform to the Bylsma system and really get settled in place and feel comfortable. Of course, you can always say that he’s a professional hockey player – that’s what he’s paid to do is adjust. Or, you could have patience and wait for the 2011-2012 season, where we would see a side of James Neal that we wouldn’t have expected to see at the end of last season. Now we can say that Ray Shero really made the real deal for this organization back in February.

     Coming off of a fresh offseason, full training camp, and a new perspective on how things work in Pittsburgh, Neal came out as one of the hottest players in the NHL, tallying goal after goal and point after point. Up until very recently, he led the Penguins in goals, lest he be surpassed by the Russian Rocket, Evgeni Malkin. The left winger has finally found his confidence on the team and it shows. Back on Christmas day, Neal said, “…I've felt like the bounces were going to go my way. That's brought confidence, and confidence is such a huge part of this game."

     In the last six games of the current winning streak, Neal has tallied 5 goals, 4 assists, has a +10 rating and has averaged 21:29 of ice time. All this, and we thought we lost him for weeks due to a foot injury that turned out to be nothing. He has really stepped up his game when they needed him the most this season amid a locker room full of concussed (and other injured) Penguins.

     To me, the Neal-Niskanen, Goligoski trade has been one of the most beneficial trades for Pittsburgh in recent memory. He is proving himself as an asset to the Penguins organization, contributes almost every game, is becoming a huge fan favorite, and has received a lot of support for being “snubbed” in this year’s NHL All-star game (while Ovechkin, who couldn’t score on a drunk hooker, gets to go). Personally, I feel that Neal has a bright future with the Penguins and has a lot to bring with the table. Here’s to hoping that ol’Ginger-Beard will stick around the Burgh for a while.

As always, LET’S GO PENS!

courtesy of our very own Nicole Tracey

Read more »

Shero's options...

So the first month of free agency has come and gone. We saw the swift exit of one of our all time favorite Penguin blue-liners and the addition of two new ones. Many expected the Penguins to go after a top 6 winger. While that always seems to be the theme around free agency and the trade deadline, it wasn't Shero's top priority. As he rightly stated in his press conference following the free agent frenzy, offense wasn't the concern from this past season.

After the defensive hole was addressed we all sat back in anticipation waiting for the next move by Shero, though it seems he's content with playing the patient game, and for good reason. See at this point Ray has some options despite not having much wiggle room left. According to capgeek.com the Penguins have $2,174,354 left in salary space. While it may seem elementary to some, let's run down the scenario's Ray has in front of him at the moment...

1. Veteran Depth: This is probably the most viable option, particularly because of how cap friendly veterans tend to be, hence its placement in this list. As in every sport, players toward the end of their careers tend to sign with championship caliber teams at a shot winning it all. Not only that, but based on the most recent CBA performance bonuses can be attributed to players over 35. As such, if you can convince a player like Guerin to sign at say $1MM, you then can sprinkle in some incentives which can 1) serve as motivation for the player to perform, and 2) not affect the salary cap. A team can exceed the cap by 7.5% to pay bonuses, but its salary cap for the following season will be reduced by the excessive amount.
    
2. Prospect Treatment: This option may be a route Shero will consider if he thinks the asking price is too high for veteran players like Guerin, Kariya, et al. In most cases this isn’t something most GM's would really want to consider. Though for the Pens it’s not a bad alternative since there are a couple players such as Tangradi, Connor, Johnson, and Letestu that have a real good chance at securing a roster spot. The fact that these guys are always cap friendly puts this option in high regard to teams with a high payroll such as Pittsburgh. Not to mention it leaves room for the next option.
    
3. Deadline Leverage: Assuming Shero goes with either the current roster and option 2 favors itself, he then leaves himself in a great trade deadline position. If the Penguins can find some good chemistry and have above average success early in the season, and if there aren’t any worrisome concerns, this could end up being a very good thing...here’s why: The longer the Penguins can wait to make a trade, the better. Reason, if Shero has $2MM left under the cap that means if waits until half the season is over,he can then acquire a better caliber player who typically make more, say around the $4MM range, depending on the structure of the trade; take the Ponikarovsky trade for example. Otherwise he may be able to move a guy like Dupuis (who is an UFA after this season) and then can add close to $1MM more at his disposal. Which means he could possible land a legitimate $5MM player (or two $2.5MM players). Obviously there are numerous scenario's, but you get the point.
    
4. Offseason/Early Season Trade: This time of year it’s not often you hear about trades, but unlike the other major sports such as the NBA and NFL the option is still there. I’ve listed it as the last option for the very reason that it’s the least likely to happen, around this time anyway. Though it’s not entirely  impossible, it almost goes without saying that this is probably not on Ray's “to-do” list. Certainly he fields offers as they’re always going to be out there prior to the deadline. However, unless a player strangely demands it or a relationship somehow goes south very quickly, this isn’t going to happen.
 

Now, obviously these options aren’t in isolation to one another. Shero could very well dabble in all of them to some degree with a plethora of scenario's. Though typically he’s not known for dabbling, as we’ve seen in the past 3 season with Hossa, Guerin/Kunitz, and Ponikarovsky deadline moves. He’s prone to seeing how things play out before making any brash decisions, which in my opinion has made him successful. Think about it, he came within one game of making the conference finals three years in a row. Sure some critics question his decision to give Martin $5MM and Michalek $4MM a year, but if there’s one thing Ray knows it’s which type of players are needed, and when. Okay, so the Poni experiment didn’t go as planned, but the risk was worth it.

I’m confident enough in our GM that he’ll make the right decision(s) here for the team in lieu of next season. We do know this, he's not going to overpay a gritty veteran or bring a bad attitude to the locker room, that much is clear. We’ll see how things play out here in the next few months. Look for another offseason update from Joe Depto here in the afternoon to get the latest buzz on what's happening behind the scenes.

Read more »

Trade Talk: Further Thoughts...

by Todd Wyant, aka OneSmugPug

I simply stand and applaud Ray Shero at this moment. Once again, he addresses needs over names. I have mentioned the need for a large body, in particularly for the PP. I can honestly even go so far as to say that Ponikarovsky is the name I have been talking about for a few months now. I have nothing but respect for all of the Pens forwards, but with several energy guy role player types that play more of a smallish game, there seems that no one outside of Guerin and sometimes Rupp was able to hold a screen at the top of the crease. Ponikarovsky now gives us that 3rd option. I am not implying that guys were not working, I am saying that larger defensemen are taking advantage and collapsing a lot more than last year. The 2-headed Monster should be even scarier now with the ability to create those rebounds and someone large enough to take the punishment for those low goals. It certainly does not hurt that he can hold his own in his own end either. Poni was a +5 player on a -50 team with the Toronto Maple Leafs. I don’t view the loss of Luca Caputi to be that significant. He needed to find a place to be able to see some NHL time, he is certainly gifted enough. Eric Tangradi coming over with Kunitz in the Ryan Whitney trade, came with a lot of expectations and a good upside to his game. That essentially made either Tangradi or Caputi eventually to be moved at a later time. I wish all of the luck in the world for Luca, I would hate to think he will be a thorn in the Pens side from here on out.

Jordan Leopold, what can you say about a guy who was traded and the team that traded him, wanted him back. I personally view this similar to Mark Eaton’s arrival. He will be the wildcard down the stretch. We have seen his game already versus Buffalo, and he played a smart reliable game. If you look at him on paper, he certainly shows an affinity for moving the puck. One could point out that he has a career minus rating, but I would also point out that between the Panthers and the Avalanche of past years, this would be expected. I would also point out that Leopold is a +9 in 46 career playoff games. I would also point out that he does not have huge PIM totals, which to me suggests his game is based more on puck movement and clearing versus punishing checks and questionable stick work. I will not say that I have seen enough of him to make these calls legitimately but what I saw against Buffalo was very indicative of what I have interpreted.

Ray Shero once again makes the moves to meet the needs at hand. He has demonstrated, again, that he is more interested in the Pittsburgh Penguins as a successful team than just a marketing gimmick. I wanted Colby Armstrong back because he was a favorite of mine, but at the end of the day, he didn’t meet the current needs for the Pens, and I am sure Waddell is still having delusions of grandeur in Atlanta as to what his value really should be. I also like that GMRS slipped in a move for another pick for a player who wasn’t even on the radar.

As an objective fan, I am actually really happy with the moves that were made, this rush to the playoffs should be exciting, now that the Devils have slipped up enough to make the Division title reachable for the Pens.

Read more »

Pens Trade Update(s)

For those who don't know, fellow PensU writer Joe Depto is also a contributor for Crash the Crease.com. This morning he provided a solid update on what we can expect to see over the next 24 hours with respect to the Penguins trade decisions.

Don't forget Andy Rummel's Top 10 things we might see before the deadline. 

As of this writing, at the 10am hour on Tuesday, March 2nd, we have just over 24 hours until the heated trade season ends. Let’s sort out the fact from fiction, and the reality from fantasy with man’s best friend : a good, old-fashioned list. I’ll also include my Monday morning quarterback take on what should happen, and my prediction of what will happen...

1. Defense – The Jordan Leopold trade did not feature a defenseman, meaning that a defenseman is all but certain to be dealt.

As I wrote yesterday when the trade occured, the Leopold trade was a positive on the ice, but for both the upcoming deadline and the ensuing offseason, the trade’s biggest strength was giving Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero roster flexibility. The Penguins currently have eight active defensemen on the NHL roster.

Many Pittsburgh media sources, including those tied to Pittsburgh radio station WXDX, have reported that every Pittsburgh blueliner, with the exception of Brooks Orpik, is being shopped around. Yes, even Pittsburgh all-star Sergei Gonchar.

Before you go about putting your #55 jersey on Ebay, I can assure you the possibility of “Sarge” being dealt is a slim possibility. In the past week, Gonchar’s camp made the official statement that talks of a contract extension would be tabled until the coming offseason. I strongly see this as a move by Shero to increase the value of d-men Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski.

If Shero were to call an NHL GM and give the appearance of a cup-winning all star’s value being lower than two young guys who have yet to step into the spotlight, it shows he highly values these players. Pittsburgh CBS affiliate has confirmed that Shero has been negotiating deals with teams that involve both Goligoski and Letang for weeks.

Read the rest here.

Read more »

Top 10 things that you’ll most likely see by the Trade Deadline –

Trade window is from March 1st to the deadline at 3 pm on March 3rd

Taking into consideration the performance of the individuals playing for the Pens this year, their place in the standings, and the play of the main rivals in the Eastern Conference:

1. Defensemen – The Penguins have been rumored to be looking at adding people to their defense corp. The rumors have centered on Scott Niedermayer or Hamhuis. I think that the latter might occur much sooner than the former, but who is to say that the Pens don’t get both players? My bet would be on Andy Sutton of the Islanders. It’s just a matter of when these teams (Ducks, Isles, and Preds) decide that their run for the playoffs might be over. But I think without question, the defense needs to be upgraded for a successful playoff run.

2. Martin Skoula – Gone. One way or another, whether he is waived or traded for a later round draft pick, I would think that it’s safe to say that Martin will depart the Pens by the end of the year.

3. Letang and Goligoski are much more untouchable than any blogging website will lead you to believe. A sweet, sweet deal will have to be in place to get them out of Pittsburgh, which is unlikely. Both will stay.

4. Ruslan Fedotenko – I thought he was going to be traded a long time ago. I still believe this. It’s pretty clear that he is not playing up to top 6 forward potential. He’ll be moved.

5. Penguins will sign at least one winger. I think the list starts with Raffi Torres, and then goes from there. Penguins may put in a bid for Ray Whitney at a 2nd round pick and a mid level prospect, but that bid ends there. Penguins will not give up their 1st round selection in the 2010 draft. Maybe a 2nd with perhaps a midlevel prospect. Also, the rumor is that Carl Sneep’s negotiating rights could be moved. But that is the extent of how far they will go…

6. Craig Adams – Penguins will make a trade to replace him on the fourth line, or simply have Max Talbot replace him (if he ever becomes healthy). Craig is so busy trying to hit people, he forgets about his responsibilities. This mainly consists of not allowing the other team to score. With that +/-, I would say that isn’t working too well. Will give him his due – he has recently played well on the penalty kill.


7. Malkin and Staal together for good. Part of my thoughts is that the Penguins, instead of going out and getting a scoring winger for Geno, will decide to get a good third line center instead, and move Staal up to the second line. This has consistently proved to be effective over the last several weeks, and I think the Penguins may decide to do this full time. I don’t think the Penguins want to do this, but it may be the best available choice…

8. The Penguins have been seriously considering keeping Mark Letestu on the big club. I don’t think this is as likely as it was a couple weeks ago. I think he has shown that he can hang, but not fully ready to be on a Stanley Cup level team yet. He’ll be demoted and remain with WBS for the remainder of the season.

9. Jon Curry to be traded. With his performances to date, and his obvious lack of size, the Penguins will move in a different direction in the future. With Thiessen, Killeen, and Alex Pechurski in their depth chart, Curry has become very expendable (and very arguable that his upside is the least of the four goaltenders mentioned).

10. Look for some minor leaguers to be traded, who might have value. Deryk Engelland, Chris Connor, and perhaps Ryan Bayda (if he can get healthy in time for any value) would be prime candidates to be trade bait.

Read more »