Now About That Winter Classic .....

Somewhat lost in the controversy surrounding Penguins' forward Max Talbot calling Washington Capitals' Captain Alexander Ovechkin "a real douche" during a Pittsburgh radio station interview yesterday was that little press conference the Penguins and Pittsburgh Steelers hosted at Heinz Field to promote this year's 2010 Winter Classic between the Pens and Caps.

Not lost to the mainstream media, mind you --- just here.  And not purposely lost, either.  Just because Talbot calling out Ovechkin for what he is was, I felt, just more noteworthy at the time.

As far as the Classic goes, however, the NHL cranked up the PR machine at Heinz, introducing a Winter Classic 2010 logo and team logos.

The classic logo is a nice cut of the city with the bridgescape across the top, in my opinion.   Meanwhile. the Penguins unveiled the intent to reincarnate for the game what was their franchise's initial logo when the organization first came into the league in 1967 -- the skating Penguin with the scarf around his neck:

Personally, I like the old-school feel.  I hope the Pens find a way to incorporate it into the jersey, however, because when the Penguins' debuted that logo, they wore blue jerseys that didn't feature it, but instead had "Pittsburgh" written diagonally across the jersey in blue.

Maybe Pittsburgh will go with that again for the Classic, but incorporate the logo into a shoulder patch?

Of course, we don't know how that's going to go because, while there had been some talk that uniform details would be revealed at yesterday's junket and that they might include gold-based jerseys that the team wore in owner Mario Lemieux's rookie year, such details were not provided. 

It seems that official word about the teams' respective garb for the game is likely to come sometime in the early fall instead.

Fans and the media were also left wanting yesterday on information about ticket availability. 

The team did release word that Penguins' season ticket holders would be able to buy 1 Winter Classic ticket for every season ticket they own, but beyond that, details for how the casual fan should expect to buy tickets were not released either.

Again, something else for the fall.

Perhaps the cheesiest moment of yesterday's presser was when the league staged a platform-type ramp and had all the players attending -- the Pens' Sidney Crosby, Talbot and Pascal Dupuis, and the Caps' Mike Knuble and David Steckel -- shoot pucks up the ramp and through the goal posts from ranges starting at 30 yards and up to and beyond 50 yards.

Curiously, Crosby was miserable with that task, going only 1 for 7.

Maybe had the Steelers stationed a dryer on the goalpost, he would have done better -- to wit:

Crosby v. Talbot

Anyway, while that was the strangest moment of the day, I think the best moment -- aside from Talbot's well-placed remarks in the morning -- was what went down at the Pens' new home, the Consol Energy Center, after the press conference.

At 2 PM, the two legendary pillars of the Penguins franchise, Lemieux and Crosby, took the first skate in the history of the building, stepping onto the ice at the same time.

Talk about an iconic moment.

The most talented player in the history of hockey who played for the team and captained the club to its first two franchise Stanley Cup Championships before rescuing it from bankrupcty and relocation more than once to become an owner -- and his tenant, currently the best player in the game, the NHL's most marketable force, and the youngest Captain to lead his team to a Cup, the franchise's 3rd.  If there were two guys who deserved the first skate @ Consol in isolation to share a private moment, it was them. 

Later, they were joined by several local children for a little pick-up shinny, but there was no luster lost on the signfiicance of #66 and #87 breaking in the ice there.

More soon.

Talbot Calls Ovechkin A Douche

Penguins' forward Max Talbot is certainly well-known in these parts.  And for many reasons.

Delivering pizza before home games to the kids in the student rush line.

His commericals, which are so goofy, only a Penguins fan can appreciate them.  (The latest can be found here, by the way)

And, of course, being a Stanely Cup Champion.

Well, you can now add mind-reader to his list of accomplishments.

Within an hour or two of me blasting Washington Capitals' Captain and winger Alexander Ovechkin in this space for not attending the Winter Classic press conference at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh yesterday and dropping the ball on an opportunity to help sell the game, Talbot piled on Ovechkin during a radio interview yesterday morning on the Pittsburgh radio station that covers the Penguins heavily, WXDX 105.9.

When asked about Ovechkin not scheduled to be at the noon press conference, Talbot said, "I'm kinda glad he isn't going to be there; I don't want to see the guy"

That was just the warm up, folks.

Later in the interview, Talbot was even clearer about his feelings for the Caps' superstar:

"I just hate the guy".

When asked when those warm and fuzzy feelings for Ovechkin began, Talbot related the story of how he first met Ovechkin, when at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas with Evgeni Malkin in the summer of 2009 after the Penguins won the Stanley Cup.

Talbot said that, while he heard things about Ovechkin that didn't paint him in a positive light beforehand, he didn't want to pass full judgment and instead preferred to form his own personal opinions after meeting him.

After Malkin made the introduction, Talbot found out personally what everyone else pretty much already knew, and said as much during the radio interview yesterday.

"This guy is a real douche"

Well, it certainly didn't take long for those remarks to cause a stir, or get picked up by local and national media outlets.  A sampling of those pieces can be found here and here

You already know how I feel about the matter, so there's no need to repeat those feelings here.  But I will say that any criticism leveled to Talbot for making those remarks is overblown.

These teams have a real rivalry.  A real dislike for one another.  Talbot was just saying how he feels.  Kudos to him for dropping the politically correct approach and speaking his mind.  It's the truth anyway, and everyone around the league knows it.

Good thing I didn't have to post today on the usual 'rah-rah' quotes made about the classic yesterday by the NHL Commissioner and everyone else.  More on that, the logos, uniforms, tickets and such tomorrow.  For now, I'd much rather talk about the scope of the great rivalry between the Pens and Caps.

"I don't think you can imagine it being more intense than it already is," said Crosby.

I can.

Max, what do you think about Alexander Ovechkin?

Pens/Caps Winter Classic Presser Part I -- Ovechkin Is An EmbarrASSment

Not surprisingly, most people are talking about today's 2010 Winter Classic press conference, to be held at noon at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, as a kick-off to the league's showcase event this year on 1-1-11 between the Penguins and Washington Capitals.

Along with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Penguins' owner Mario Lemieux, Captain Sidney Crosby, Max Talbot and Pascal Dupuis, together with Steelers' owner Art Rooney II, all will be on hand to help sell the game of hockey as the Winter Classic logo, stadium mock-up, ticket details and other information will be revealed to the media and fans.

But what most people aren't talking about is who WON'T be at the Heinz junket to help in that effort.

That's right.

Washington winger and Captain Alexander Ovechkin.

Oh sure, the Caps are sending one of their Vice Presidents, and they are sending players Mike Knuble and David Steckel to the presser.

Whooooopee.

I'm sure the league's request for credentialing for this event is WAY up because everyone wants to hear what David Steckel has to say about it.

Not to be critical.

But let's be honest.  Ovechkin wears the "C" for the Caps.  He's their biggest star and among the most notable personalities in the league.  Some would say it's his responsibility to sell and promote the game. 

If the Winter Classic isn't a prime example of that, I don't know what is.

On top of that, Washington and Pittsburgh forge one of the best rivalries in the NHL right now, and both Crosby and Ovechkin are at the head of that rivarly.  Are you telling me that nobody wants to hear what Ovechkin has to say about facing Sid on the Winter Classic stage?

Of course, EVERYONE wants to hear about that today.  But will they?

Thanks to Ovechkin being a no-show, they won't.

And the truth is that the Caps' superstar has been a poor ambassador for the league most of this past year.  He blew off reporters consistently during the olympics during Russia's woefully underachieving performance, and generally did the same when the Capitals were upset by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs. 

Basically, he's just been one big A*S*S lately.

But this is a Penguins blog, so tomorrow, we'll focus on all the news from the classic presser from a Pittsburgh point-of-view. 

And, of course, the quotes from the hometown Captain who cared enough to participate.


   

In Shero We Trust

Pittsburgh Penguins' GM Ray Shero is shaping up to be somewhat of loner among his NHL GM brethren.

With the League's rejection of the record 17-year $102 million dollar contract reached between the Penguins' arch-division rival New Jersey Devils and star winger Ilya Kovalchuk, the merits (and now the legality) of long-term contracts have once again taken center stage with hockey pundits everywhere.

Of course, while Kovalchuk's since-rejected deal was a record contract in terms of length, it hasn't been the only such agreeement designed by crafty GM's as a way around the confines of the salary cap.

Chicago Blackhaws' and former Penguin winger Marion Hossa, Philadelphia Flyers' defenseman Chris Pronger, Vancouver Canucks' netminder Roberto Luongo, Detroit Red Wings' winger Henrik Zetterberg and even Boston Bruins' center Marc Savard are among the several players who have signed similar contracts -- deals which are long, but heavily front-loaded with immensely low (sometimes near the minimum) salaries in the later years of the deal, spreading out over the length of the contract the average of the total cap hit.

Not surprisingly, the league is taking a lot of criticism for voiding Kovalchuk's contract, while not doing the same for any of the deals signed by the other players I mentioned. However, I'm of the opinion -- like the league -- that Kovalchuk's contract is way above and beyond the way those other contracts were structured. It's anywhere from 5 to more than 10 years longer, AND on top of that, has much higher values of salary fluctuation.

It's one thing for a player to get about $6 million a year before having a salary drop to $1 millon per. It's another for a player to get $11.5 million for five seasons and then, just a few years later, earn about $500,000, like Kovalchuk would have if his deal was approved --- and not just for one or two seasons, but five or six.

That is, of course, if he would still be twirling around the ice at the ripe young age of 44 when his contract were to expire.

In Penguin land, there has been some criticism of Ray Shero for not signing his marquee young players -- Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, just to name 3 -- to much longer deals of similar ilk.

As it is, Crosby and Malkin were inked to 5 year extensions one year apart, while Staal signed a 4-year extension.

Shero has gone on record as saying that, in the cap world, it's all about "flexibility" for him. Something he obviously wouldn't have as much of if he ties to a player for 10 seasons.

Personally, I think Shero has it exactly right.

With the possible exception of a franchise player like Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, deals of the 7, 10, 12 and 17 year magnitude are commitments that are too long. Too many things can happen in the interim, either with regard to the franchise, the player, the salary cap or something else. It's best not to be tied up on a fixed commitment quite that long, in my opinion.

Sure, the argument can be made that, with shorter deals, you run some risk of losing your players when their contracts expire, particularly with unrestricted agency in the league being something that players hit around 26.

And there's certainly also the argument that shorter contracts are more subject to inflationary pressures over the years.

Still, with so few players absolutlely, positively worth keeping in the fold no matter what, I think it's better not to saddle your franchise with long-term commitments you can't get out from, and maintain that flexibility to re-sign each player as circumstances dictate.

Look at all the players the Chicago Blackhawks have had to jettison in the aftermath of their Stanley Cup Championship this season. That's in part to the lengthy contracts they signed guys like Hossa, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith to.

With the possible exception of Towes, and with appreciation for how good Hossa, Kane and Keith are, it would have been hard for me to commit that long to any of them if I were Hawks' GM Stan Bowman, beacuse none of those 3 are truly franchise players.

Of course, Chicago has been hurt just as much by the previous regime's decision to sign defenseman defenseman Brian Campbell and goaltender Christobal Huet to overpriced deals, but even those contracts -- while not quite front-loaded like the other deals we've been talking about -- are still too long in term (7 years and 5 years, respectively) for players of that magnitude. That's what has hurt the Blackhawks' salary cap situation as much as anything.

Now, because the Penguins have 'deep-pocket' ownership, they are in a better position than most to accomplish salary inflation for the right player. And, if not, then find a replacement. But they certainly weren't in Chicago's position after they won their cup last year.

That's in part because of the way Shero has approached things, which has shaped up to be the opposite of most of his best competitor GM colleague's in Philadelphia, Detroit and other cities.

It certainly hasn't put the Penguins behind the pack on the ice, has it?

Prospect Development Camp Review

The Penguins' 2010 Prospect Development camp wrapped up Saturday afternoon with a scrimmage between teams gray and black that involved periods of 5-on-5 play, then a period of 4-on-4 play. In the end, gray prevailed as Joey Haddad and Nick Petersen's goals were one more than the tally Zack Sill scored for the black team.

More importantly, who stood out and who didn't during the camp as a whole?

Eric Tangradi finished the camp as well as he started it, which is to say he was one of the best players on the ice. That's pretty much what the Penguins were hoping to see out of him as he prepares for training camp with the big club in the fall --- a camp which could potentially land him on the NHL roster, depending on how he performs.

The biggest knock on Tangradi is that he's not physical enough for a guy his size. At 6' 4" and about 220 pounds, I'm sure team brass will be watching in that camp whether he uses his body in the abrasive way he's capable of.

Simon Despres, last year's first round draft pick, was another star in camp. After showing just glmpses of his potential at last year's camp, Despres did what Pittsburgh was hoping he would do, and that's grow by leaps and bounds this past year.

Despres is not far from being NHL ready and, when he gets to the league, he's likely to be an impact player on the blueline.

The fact that Tangradi and Despres were among the brighter lights among this year's prospects has to bring a smile to the a face of Pens' GM Ray Shero.

Another guy who had a really solid camp was defenseman Brian Strait.

Strait's game is a lot like Rob Scuderi's was at the same age -- steady and smart. He'll likely play in Wilkes-Barre at least one more season, but if he sticks to what he does best, he can have a solid NHL career in Pittsburgh as a dependable defenseman.

Probably the most interesting surprise from camp was the play of undrafted free agent Alex Smigelski.

Smigelski played at Division III Williams College last year, scoring a league-high 17 goals to go along with 28 points. He's got decent skill and good speed and I thought it was notable that the Penguins paired him with Tangradi -- their best winger prospect -- for most of the entire camp.

What Pittsburgh's intentions are regarding whether or not they feel Smigelski can offer some depth to the organization after his performance this past week will be revealed when fall training camp invitations are sent.

As far as camp disappointments are concerned, defenseman Robert Bortozzo has to be near the top of that list.

Bortozzo -- one of the few untouchable Penguin prospects at this year's trade deadline -- struggled at times in this year's camp, which was a stark contrast from his effort last year. The question for him now is whether he can put that behind him, have a solid camp with the big club in the fall, then be one of the best players in Wilkes-Barre for the baby Penguins this year.

Another guy who didn't impress in camp was last year's 3rd round pick, Ben Hanowski.

Hanowski is still honing his game at the college level, but he was touted as a natural goal scorer when he was drafted out of high school in Minnesota. He's struggling to transition those offensive talents into production against bigger, faster players.

This year's first round pick -- Beau Bennett -- is in somewhat of the same boat. He, too, had a hard time against the stronger players in camp, but the difference is that he is one year behind Hanowski and still has to transition himself to college first. Plus, his offensive upside is higher than Hanowski's.

All in all, it was a good camp for the best and brightest prospects in the Penguins' organization, as it usually is. It always gets you excited to get a closer look and examination of the players the team is bringing through the pipeline.

More later this week.

Camp, Conner And A College Hockey Showcase

With two days of the Penguins' 2010 Prospect Development Camp in the books, colors are starting to show.

Like those of top prospects Eric Tangradi and Dustin Jeffrey, both of whom are big, offensive bodies who have almost universally impressed team brass in the camp thusfar. And continue to increase their chances at landing a spot on the big-league roster this fall in the process.

Tangradi, in particular, looks lights-out different than he did last year when he was still recovering from surgery to repair a tendon in his wrist. He acknowledged at the outset of camp that this is the first time since then he's felt really healthy.

It's also been obvious throughout the camp thusfar why the Penguins were so enthralled to pick winger Beau Bennett in the first round of the draft this year.

Bennett just oozes high-end skill. His shot, hands and moves are all above the line. He's not close to being in the NHL and -- even by his own admission -- needs to get a lot stronger, but the hope is that his entry into Division I college hockey this coming year will add a pro-flavor to his game while he maintains his offensive creativity.

What would be a real boon for the Penguins is if one or more of these guys found a way to make a real impact as an NHL rookie -- whether that be this year for Tangradi or Jeffrey, or in the future for Bennett.

Sure, no surprise there. Every team would love to have one of their prospects contend for the Calder Trophy. Especially one who is high up against the salary cap with top-end centers down the middle but an abject lack of real talent on the wall.

Beyond that, though, it's long since about time the Pens' drafted and developed (and kept) someone who can score 30-40 goals for them on the wing. One could fairly argue that Ryan Malone fit that category, but he's gone. Beyond that, the cupboard is pretty thin post-lockout. Even in the several years pre-lockout, it's hard to find someone who was drafted and made a meaningful impact that way.

Who knows, maybe by the time the Consol Energy Center ends up hosting the Division I NCAA college hockey Frozen Four tournament -- something that the Penguins and Robert Morris University jointly announced yesterday they were awarded (which, truthfully, is a real boon for the teams, the City and the Arena) -- the Pens will have someone like that patrolling the boards for them.

Because that won't be until 2013, though -- and maybe when Bennett is starring in it for the University of Denver -- let's hope the Penguins find their winger a little sooner than that.

One guy who won't fill that role for Pittsburgh, but who is a valuable depth player for the organization, is Chris Conner, who the Penguins re-signed yesterday to a one-year, two-way contract that will pay him $550,00K in the NHL, and significantly less in Wilkes-Barre.

Conner is undersized, but a speedy, skilled forward who had two goals and one assist for three points in 8 games with the big club last year.

His two goals were both scored in a January game in New York against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden when he played on Sidney Crosby's line.

Conner also dressed for one game in the post-season last year, but didn't contribute on the scoresheet.

More soon.

Penguins' Prospect Development Camp Begins Today

This year's Pittsburgh Penguins' prospect development camp -- the organization's annual week-long look at a group of nearly 30 or so of the team's top young players -- begins today at Southpointe and Mellon Arena.

The future Penguins will participate in a multitude of activities all week long, including medical testing, meetings, practices and scrimmages. On-ice sessions are 3 PM today, tomorrow, Friday and Saturday and all are open to the public.

While Pittsburgh head coach Dan Bylsma won't be on the ice, you can be sure he'll be watching off of it -- likely joined by GM Ray Shero -- while Wilkes Barre-Scranteon head and assistant coaches Todd Reirden and John Hynes, together with Pens' Assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald lead the kids through their work in the camp.

At this camp, most eyes will be on 2009 first round draft pick Simon Despres, the Pens' best defenseman prospect and top prospect overall. Robert Bortozzo -- a player who has fast risen up the team's prospect rankings is another blueliner that a lot of people will be paying attention to.

Up front, everyone wants to see what LW Eric Tangradi is going to do. Certainly, Pittsburgh is looking at him as a potential candidate to play at the NHL level this year. We'll see if he's able to dominate this camp like the Penguins would prefer to see.

Other youngsters many will have their eyes on at this camp are this year's first round pick, Beau Bennett and last year's 3rd round choice, Ben Hanowski. They are the natural offensive players in the Penguins' system, so it will be interesting to see how both of them fare.

Meanwhile, there are a few other players expected to be contenders for a potential job in Pittsburgh this year who will be at the camp -- chief among them forward Dustin Jeffrey -- and other guys who have been at the camp the last year or two but still merit watching. Carl Sneep, Brian Strait and Nick Petersen come to mind there.

Later in the week I'll post an update on who has looked good -- and who hasn't -- at the camp.

Since we've now settled into the dog days of the hockey off-season, I'll also have several other interesting items up here for everyone over the next several weeks --- mainly bits and pieces I've been holding on to for a time just like this.

I'm also planning a more substantive team-by-team comparison of how the Penguins' new-look blueline stacks up against the rest of league.

More soon.

Penguin Hits And Happenings

Since Pittsburgh Penguins' GM Ray Shero signed free-agent defensemen Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek to long-term contracts, he's continued to kick around for a free agent forward or another depth defensemen with the approximate $2 million dollars in cap space he has left to play with.

Former New Jersey Devils' and Anaheim Duck Rob Niedermayer was someone the Pens were looking at up front, but he signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres yesterday for just over $1 million, so he's out of the picture. Personally, I'm not bothered. For as solid as he remains defensively, I'm not sure Nieds is a good fit for Pittsburgh's up-tempo, skating style of play.

Beyond that, Pittsburgh has kicked tires on former Dallas Star Mike Modano and former Atlanta Thrasher Maxim Afinogenov. They've also made a quick inquiry into the camp for winger Raffi Torres, and been on the receiving end of one from Mike Liut, the agent for Jeff Halpern.

Modano coming to the Penguins probably isn't very realistic. He's 40 years old and, while he produced 14 goals last season, multiple reports have him either playing for the Detroit Red Wings -- from whom he has received a contract offer -- for one final season, or just retiring.

Afinogenov is a curious inquiry. He produced over 60 points last year in Atlanta and had a strong season, but is a historical underachiever. He could succeed or fail just as easily, and that's what makes him a risk.

As far as Torres and Halpern are concerned -- the Penguins aren't meaningfully chasing Torres. They simply touched base with his agent once. Shero hasn't responded to Liut, which suggests they aren't overly interested in Halpern either.

Meanwhile, Shero still hasn't ruled out bringing RW Bill Guerin back, as I reported here a few days ago. Billy G may end up being Pittsburgh's best option, but as I said before last season, the wheels are going to fall off for him at some point -- you just don't know when. At that juncture, a team has to evaluate whether Guerin can be effective in a 3rd or 4th line role. With his diminshed speed, that's a questionable proposition, and that's probably what's holding the Penguins back on Guerin thusfar. We'll see where that goes.

If I were to put Guerin's chances of returning around 30%, I'd say they are about half that for LW Alexei Ponikarovsky, who remains a free-agent. The market hasn't given Poni the multi-year, decent dollar contract he was looking for, so his best approach might be to try a 1-year deal in the hope of parlaying a strong season into a more money and term. That could leave Pittsburgh an option for him, but to be honest, I don't think there's a ton of interest on the part of both sides in reuniting again. For the Penguins, he's likely to be a last option.

Beyond the NHL level, Shero has bolstered the team's organizational depth recently, with 3 signings of players who will likely play in Wilkes-Barre for the coming season.

Yesterday, defenseman Steve Hutchinson was brought into the fold. He played for the Dallas' Stars American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Texas last season. He's 6' 2" and has some offensive upside, but isn't as good in the defensive zone. In 135 career NHL games with Dallas, the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators -- where Shero got to know him -- he has 12 goals and 38 points.

Another player Shero recently signed was LW Brett Sterling. He's mostly played with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, and was in Atlanta's organization last season. Sterling brings some skill to the table, but is undersized at 5' 7".

Finally, Shero signed free agent forward Ryan Craig, formerly of the Lightning. Craig is solid on his skates at 6' 2" and 22o pounds and plays a gritty 2-way game. He's been at the big-league level before, and has 31 goals and 63 points in 184 career NHL games in the last 5 seasons. He had 45 points in 73 AHL games for the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL last year.

All three of these players were signed to one-year, two-way contracts, and of the three, Craig probably has the most potential to be a call-up. With his Craig-Adams-like style of play, he has the potential to suit up in a checking line role for Pittsburgh. We'll see.

The Penguins made a few other off-ice moves yesterday, announcing that they have retained former assistant coach Andre Savard in a pro scouting role, and promoted Derek Clancy to Director of Professional Scouting. Those two -- along with Kevin Stevens -- will continue to handle the team's scouting of players at the professional level in and around the National Hockey League and Europe.

Finally, I read a report that the Penguins intend to interview former Pen and fairly highly regarded AHL coach Randy Cunneyworth for their open assistant position later this week. He'll join both Mike Ramsey and Barry Smith, who also were interviewed for the job.

As I think I've mentiond in this space, I expect the Penguins to made a decision on their assistant vacancy sometime within the next 1-2 weeks.

More soon.

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

After making what at least one well-known person in the world of hockey felt was the biggest splash on the first day of free agency -- http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=5347486 -- things have been quiet for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Or have they?

On the surface, they seem to have been. But behind the scenes, things are happening.

I mentioned the other day that reports existed saying the Penguins were looking hard at trying to add free-agent forward Christopher Higgings. Since that time, Higgins has signed a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers, so he's no longer an option.

That hasn't stopped the Penguins from continuing to look around, however, and there are rumblings that they are now taking a look at free agents Rob Niedermayer and Jeff Halpern.

Of course, it's no secret that the Penguins could use a little help up front. It's also no secret they are trying to do it as cheaply as they can, because of the limited (read: about $2 million) salary cap space they have. And that could mean trying to bring someone in -- like Niedermayer -- who might bolster their 3rd line and allow them to move Jordan Staal up to the wing this season on one of the top 2 lines.

Pittsburgh isn't finished with Bill Guerin necessarily, either. Shero continues to have occasional contact with Guerin's camp and, while Guerin also continues to shop around for other teams (on the East coast, mainly), I don't think there's any doubt that he and the Penguins will have at least one final chance to strike a deal before either side makes an official move. With Guerin's obvious preference to return to Pittsburgh, the impetus of the Penguins potentially signing someone else may be just enough to get the veteran leader to drop his demands enough to pull him back into the fold for one more year.

Meanwhile, the Penguins are making some off-ice news as well.

First, they signed former Ottawa Senators' and Florida Panthers' General Manager Randy Sexton to be their Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting, where he will assist Jay Heinbuck in helping identify top young talent for the organ-I-zation.

Beyond that, the team is fast narrowing its list of potential candidates for their open assistant coaching vacancy.

They interviewed former Minnesota Wild assistant Mike Ramsey within the last few days. Ramsey resigned from his position in Minnesota after this last season, but the Penguins really like him as a guy who could join their bench and work with their defense. Of course, only time will tell if they move on him, or in a different direction.

Another familiar name who Pittsburgh has interviewed for the job is former Pens' assistant coach Barry Smith. Smith has been coaching in Russia the last several years since departing the Detroit Red Wings franchise about 3 years ago.

I would suspect the Penguins to make a hire for their assistant vacancy sometime this month.

More soon.

More on Michalek, Martin And The Penguin Roster Entering Free Agency, Day 2

The league's list of Stanley Cup contenders don't just talk about building a perennial winner. They do something about it.

After the aggressive moves yesterday by Penguins' GM Ray Shero to sign free agent defensemen Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek, Pittsburgh made a statement to the rest of the National Hockey League that they aren't going to be off that short list anytime soon.

One could argue fairly that Shero may have slightly overpaid for both Michalek and Martin -- by about $1 million per season each -- but what one can't argue is that the Penguins now boast one of the best groups of blueliners in the game.

Sure, Sergei Gonchar left town in mere minutes after free agency began -- an interesting development actually, and one which made it seem like Gonchar, who was bound to attract a tone of interest on the open market, just took the first 3-year offer he was given.

And yes, Shero was not able to convince new acquisition Dan Hamhuis to stay in town instead of signing a 6-year deal with the Vancounver Canucks, despite making a strong push after acquiring him for a draft pick from the Philadelphia Flyers.

But that doesn't mean the Penguins aren't a better team today.

Michalek, 6' 2", 210 pounds, is in his prime at 27. He's a shutdown blueliner who's great in his own zone, yet capable of making a good outlet pass. He led the league in blocked shots 2 years ago with 270. He had 17 points in 72 games last year, and has 115 points in 415 career games -- just about all of them with the Phoenix Coyotes.

"We've always been so impressed with him," Shero said about Michalek yesterday, while adding that Michalek was the first call he made when the clock struck noon.

The feeling was mutual.

"It was a kind of a no-brainer for me," Michalek said of joining the Penguins.

Hindsight is 20-20 in these situations, but it's interesting to see the Penguins now paying a shutdown blueliner $4 million dollars a year --- more than Brooks Orpik, by the way -- when they had a chance one year ago to keep Rob Scuderi for less. Not an overwhelming amount less, but still less.

Michalek got a very, VERY significant raise on his $1.5 million dollar annual salary last year.

Martin, meanwhile, is one of the better 2-way rearguards in hockey. At 6' 1" and 200 pounds, he has the size to be strong in his own zone, yet his wheels help him feed -- and contribute to -- the transition game. He would have been the United States' #1 blueliner in teh Olympics had he not been dealing with a broken arm he suffered in a game against the Penguins last year.

Martin's career high is 38 points in a season, but expect his ceiling in Pittsburgh to be around 50 per year. He has 263 points in 400 career games and will be a great fit in the Penguins' system.

Like Michalek, he was equally happy to join the Penguins.

"When I look at the defensemen on this roster, I am very, very impressed," Martin said, adding that he actually was disappointed in thinking Pittsburgh wouldn't be an option for him after they signed Michalek.

"I couldn't turn down the chance to play there. It just seems like a perfect fit."

Martin said a call from former teammate Mike Rupp helped him get a better feel for the team.

Meanwhile, Shero indicated that letting Gonchar go "was really difficult", and said that he tried one final time to reach out and try to strike a deal with Sarge around midnight the evening before free agency.

Shero confirmed, however, that term was the biggest sticking point -- so much that it was what ultimately prevented a deal.

Losing Gonchar is a definite blow to the team, both in the locker room and on the ice. There's no mistake about it. Gonchar was so key on the power play. He does so many subtle things on the ice that make a man-advantage work, and always gets his shot on net. But that's free agency. If he wanted to leave for a 3-year deal, that was his choice. Morei mportantly -- and as is obvious now -- Shero didn't just sit around. He took aggressive steps to do what he set to do at the outset of free agency -- add 2 impact defensemen.

"I think we did really well," Shero said. "We're pretty thrilled."

So where does that leave Pittsburgh up front?

Missing a few pieces at this point -- there's no question.

The Penguins have about $2 million in cap space. They are still talking with RW Bill Guerin and remain on the short list of teams on his radar.

Beyond that, Pittsburgh won't have any choice but to look for other cheaper options, hoping to strike gold on the wing, as they've consistently tried to do the last several seasons.

Interestingly, I learned that the Pens did offer Ray Whitney a 2-year, $5 million dollar contract yesterday. Obviously, despite Pittsburgh supposedly being his #1 choice, Whitney went with an offer from the Coyotes that will pay him just a bit more -- $3 million per year.

Sources report that another guy thet Penguins may be looking at on day 2 is former Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers' winger Christopher Higgins.

Higgins has struggled the last few years, but may just need a fresh start. More importantly, he might be willing to take the chance to do that cheaply.

Pittsburgh also may be looking at adding one more veteran defenseman on the cheap, because with Jordan Leopold signing a pricey 3-year, $9 million dollar contract with the Buffalo Sabres yesterday and it being unlikely that Mark Eaton would return at a meaningful discount when he's getting looks from several other teams, the Penguins certainly aren't going to be able to count on those guys.

One last thought on yesterday's Penguin happenings.

With the forward ranks still in need of infusion and the Pens now having a stacked blueline (not to mention having several strong rearguard prospects not far from the big club), I don't think it's unreasonable to think the Penguins might be looking to make a trade at some point.

I don't have any information that anything like that is brewing, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Shero move a guy like Alex Goligoski at some juncture.

Time will tell, I guess.

I'll try to post anything new when I hear it, although I'm not sure how big it will be because, by and large, the Penguins have made their splash.

And it was big one.

More soon.

Pens Lose Gonchar; Sign Martin, Michalek

After defenseman Sergei Gonchar signed a 3-year,
16.5 million dollar contract with the Ottawa
Senators within 30 minutes after free agency
began, Pens' GM Ray Shero wasted no time moving
in a different direction.

Over the next 2 hours, Shero re-shaped the
Pittsburgh defense into one of the best in tbe
league, signing former New Jersey Devils
blueliner Paul Martin to a 5-year, 25 million
dollar deal, and former Phoenix Coyotes
defensive stalwart rearguard Zbynek Michalek
to a 5-year, 20 million dollar deal.

Failing the signing of defenseman Dan
Hamhuis -- which hasn't happened -- Martin
and Michalek were Shero's main targets, and
his aggressiveness at the outset of free
agency landed the Pens both. Great work by
Him.

More to come.