Two More Down; Two Real Player Decisions To Go

As I grind away at my Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 Season Preview -- to be released tomorrow -- the team made the move to send two more players to Wilkes-Barre Scranton yesterday.

Forward Ryan Craig -- just getting over a groin injury -- and defenseman Andrew Hutchinson got the word that they were headed East, provided they cleared waivers (by noon today).

The team expects both players to clear.

While I'd be a little suspicious about whether someone may take a chance on Craig, the reality is that, at this stage -- just a day or two before the season begins -- it's impossible to get a real feel on whether any of the players you're trying to slip through will be claimed, because claims get put in more on like and dislike than any team need.

And since you don't know for sure which other teams may have an affinity for one of your players (more than their own), you just have to take a chance, knowing that if you lose someone, you'll probably be able to find a comparable organizational depth replacement somewhere.

The two big decisions left revolve around power forward Eric Tangradi and rookie defenseman Simon Despres.

Tangradi is back to skating on the 2nd line at practice this morning, while Despres is also getting practice work, despite some early reports that were surfacing last night that the team decided to send him back to the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League rather than keep him around.

I think at this point the odds are that he will go back to junior and that the Pens' will keep Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland as their #6 and #7 blueliners.

Yesterday, I suggested that Tangradi's fate my be determined by whether there's a space for him or not.  In other words, if Aaron Asham started the season on IR, that would probably open up a lineup spot for him and keep him on the team, at least to start the year.

Asham's status was finally updated yesterday, and he's said to be day-to-day, so it doesn't look like his condition is serious.  Whether he is able to suit up tomorrow night in the CONSOL Energy Center opener against his former team, the hated Philadelphia Flyers, still remains to be seen, however.

Stay tuned.


NOTES:  The Penguins announced yesterday that they are rolling out the red carpet -- LITERALLY -- for the home opener on Thursday night, when the players will arrive and actually walk a red carpet into the buliding in front of the fans between 4 and 5 PM at the American Eagle Gate.  Probably not coincidentally, that's the same place where the team will have the bigscreen TV out in full force again.  The Penguins are bringing that back for the opener.

Personally, I think the red carpet is a little cheesy.  This is hockey; not Hollywood.  Save the red carpet for the rock stars and 'douches' (not my word -- Max Talbot's) like Ovechkin who crave that spotlight.