The Penguins, The NHL Trade Deadline, and the hype it causes; One schmuck's opinion....

This is one of those posts that I feel a blogger, webmaster, journalist, or whomever should tread lightly on.

Blogging in itself has skyrocketed in popularity the past few years. It must have, it brought my hairy ass out of the woodwork to do it.

The matter of those people jotting down ideas or opinions online, or even those who simply type a couple of sentences then just cut and paste other website's posts on their own sites (and I really dislike those, you know who you are), open themselves up for opinions coming back at them (unless they don't allow comments, and what fun would that be ??).

Then you get to pro sports blogs. What a different animal these are.

The thing that separates these from other blogs is the speculation aspect of them. You know, free agency, trades, drafts, contracts, and the like. That portion of the sports world has exploded over the last several years, so now there are these types of speculation shows in all venues of the media, TV, radio, newspapers, and now, the Internet.

And of course, that has further caused the formation of those types of shows/blogs to focus more intensely on the opinion and rumor aspects of the sport. Unfortunately, it has also caused more and more people in that business to become too wrapped up in their own opinions and causes them to speak more in "absolutes", or shall I say, their own perceived absolutes.

The best example recently came in the days prior to the Superbowl, when ESPN blowhard #1 Sean Salisbury boldly exclaimed "If Devin Hester runs back a kickoff for a touchdown, I GUARANTEE that the Bears will win the Superbowl".

We saw how far that prediction went, huh ??

Moreover, who in the hell do you think you are even to suggest a guarantee on national television ??

Anyway, the hockey world is no different, although understandably, as hockey is next to breathing in Canada, the NHL trade deadline annually causes speculations in the thousands as it leads up to this year's Feb. 27th deadline.

The Canadian big media boys, like TSN, Sportsnet, CBC, and the others all have big plans heading into that day.

Sportsnet has even gone one step further this year, enlisting the often-discussed anonymous hockey blogger Eklund into it's trade deadline special on the 27th. Of course, in true Bruce Wayne-ish fashion, his identity will be hidden, all the while on the phones behind a Wizard of Oz-ish partition to his supposed contacts around the NHL.

I'm not going to turn this into an Eklund post, I tire of it, to be honest. I personally enjoy reading all rumors, not just from Eklund, but from the others as well, like Spector (Lyle Richardson), but just as personal speculations that I like to think about myself.

In the States, I haven't read anything specifically that ESPN will be doing, but I'm sure that they'll have some sort of special that afternoon on ESPNEWS, such as having Barry Melrose and E.J. Hradek on there. Nothing too elaborate, as compared to what TSN and Sportsnet will be having (I mean, let's not get carried away, this IS the States after all), but they'll have all of the big deals listed just as much as their Canadian counterparts, just without as much speculation on them, that's all.

So anyway, that leads us to a discussion on how this year's trade deadline will affect (or won't affect for that matter) the Penguins.

This will be most difficult trade deadine for a Pens GM in several years, arguably since the Cup years for Craig Patrick.

These Pens are close, THIS close, to being a Stanley Cup contender.

Hell, if you consider last year's Stanley Cup playoffs, when the #5 through #8 Western Conference seeds all advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs, and the #8 seed, Edmonton, went all the way to Game 7 of the Cup finals against Carolina, this makes the trade deadline for Pens' GM Ray Shero even more enticing.

He's got the best player in the game in 19 year old Sidney Crosby. He's got the overwhelming choice for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year in Evgeni Malkin. He may have the Calder runner-up in Jordan Staal, although LA's Anze Kopitar will have something to say about that. He's got the hottest goalie this side of Martin Brodeur in Marc-Andre Fleury. He and head coach Michel Therrien have the team's chemistry flowing at a rate not seen since Mario's magical return in '00-'01.

So the question becomes, do you disrupt that chemistry, and if so, how much ??

In my opinion, for as much (or little) as that's worth (emphasis on the little), I say you need a few tweaks to this club.

If I were GM on the 27th, my priorities at the trade deadline;

• Scoring winger for the 1st line - Sorry, but I'm continue to not be impressed with Ryan Malone, in terms of having him on the 1st line with Crosby and Recchi. He does not generate hardly any scoring opportunities, and while he has done a good job at penalty killing and freezing the puck again the boards when it's needed, the Pens need more production out of that slot on the 1st line. Rumors a couple of months ago indicated that the Pens and Rangers were talking about a Malone-Prucha swap, possibly also involving Brooks Oprik. While Prucha may not be the ideal choice, his type (that of a right-handed young sniper), certainly would be better on the 1st line than having Malone clod his way around the ice. I don't feel that Malone specifically needs traded, as I think he'd also be good on the 3rd line, or 2nd in a pinch, but Malone, in my view, is expendable.
• Right-handed defenseman - While the Pens' overall defense is no doubt one of the primary reasons for the team's improvement this year, mainly due to the addition of Mark Eaton, it certainly is not without it's liabilities. Nearly all of the Pens' D-men have had their times in the spotlight of making horrendous defensive lapses. The Pens' penalty killing is starting to hurt them. The lack of a right-handed D-man restricts their ability to put more shots on net from the point. It's for these reasons that I believe it would do the Pens good to acquire a right-handed D-man for the postseason run. I'm not talking about a Pronger-like, who would cost the Pens way more than they'd be willing to take, but simply a decent D-man who can also play the powerplay. Who to give up ?? In my view, I think there are several players on the team right now who are realistically expendable. Malone, Ouellet, Welch, Petrovicky, Thorburn, even Armstrong should be considered if the right D-man or scoring winger is offered.
• Enforcer - This is the controversial one. Does Sidney Crosby really NEED an enforcer, one that can pummel someone on the opposition, because of Crosby's nightly muggings on the ice ?? Or do the muckers that just so happen to be able to throw a few punches after the fact, such as Malone, Ruutu, Petro, Army, or Thorburn suffice for the retaliations ?? Well, going back to the chemistry of the team, if you do acquire one, you bench someone off of the 4th line most likely. In that respect, I have no problem with someone such as Phoenix's George Laraque (my #1 choice) replacing Petrovicky or Thorburn. Moreover, with 20 points in 51 games in Phoenix, Laraque would be MUCH more of an offensive asset to the Pens than any of the current 4th liners. As a matter of fact, if the Pens were to acquire Laraque, not only would they have arguably the top enforcer in the league, but he would be the 9th highest scorer on the team as a "goon", with his scoring totals higher than players such as Malone (17 points - 1st line), Christensen (18 points - 3rd line), and Dominic Moore (13 points - 3rd line). If I'm Ray Shero, I pull this trigger, and pull it quick.

Of course, we have literally no idea how many, if any, of these types of ideas are going through the minds of Shero and the Pens' front office. I'm sure that with the stable of young stars the Pens have (the majority of which are untouchable), a lot of calls will be made to the Igloo over the next 17 days.

In addition, how much leeway do Lemieux and Burkle give Shero in terms of future payroll ?? If the right deal comes along, but will require adding a few million to the payroll, will Shero get the go-ahead, or will the ownership reject it due to the instability of the franchise and the eventual change in ownership ??

All of which leads to much speculation, which always makes the NHL trade deadline day so exciting.

Pens gameday; Lots of Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Well, they aren't standing pat, that's for sure. The Pens have made several changes since their last game on Saturday.

As most everyone knows, Andre Roy is now back with the Lightning, as was pretty much expected.

Johnny Vermont is technically back with the Pens, but his status is still in limbo. Since no one even claimed him on re-entry waivers, eating only half of his salary, there's a chance he could retire, or be flat-out released. It's too bad it's ending this way, but there's really no graceful way to do this in the middle of the season.

Noah Welch has been sent back down to WBS. Some speculation on why he was really sent down, Therrien says it's because of his confidence was fading, I'd guess it was that as well, PLUS he's the only D-man on a 2 way contract.

In his place, and the other roster spots, Micki Dupont and Alain Nasreddine were called up. I like Dupont's callup, he's the right-handed D-man the Pens desparately need on the PP. He's no Lidstrom, but he's got a decent shot, so why not give him a chance.

As far as Nasreddine, I honestly don't know what Therrien's infatuation with this guy is. I've seen him play about 6 times for WBS, and he doesn't impress me much at all.

But anyway, for tonight's game, Ryan Malone will return from the broken arm. He'll be on the second like with Geno and Ekman.

Jordan Staal will be scratched for the first time tonight. I don't necessarily disagree with this, his ice time has been doing down lately. But having said that, I sure don't hope this gets to be a routine.

Michel Ouellet will continue to be scratched as well, although it's being reported that he's healthy enough to play now.

And that right-handed D-man ?? Uh, he'll be eating popcorn in the press box. Nasreddine somehow gets the start over Dumont tonight.

A lot of rumblings over the weekend concerning the tenure of Therrien should they lose tonight. Mark Madden reported recently that his job could be in jeopardy if the Pens fall again tonight. We've already seen that Shero makes moves a lot quicker than Craig Patrick did, so would I be surprised if he canned Therrien ?? A little bit, but not entirely.

Let's just hope that situation doesn't have a chance to happen.

LET'S GO PENS !!!!

Staal stays, Letang goes home; Cairns recalled

Not too much suspense by this time, ya know ??

As had been unofficially reported for a few days now, and speculated for over a week now, the Pens made it official today, announcing that Jordan Staal would remain with the Pens for the remainder of the year.

In addition, the club also did the expected in returning Kris Letang back to Juniors. Letang is going to be an excellent D-man for the Pens, as early as next year, but I think it was becoming apparent that he still needs a little seasoning before playing in the NHL full-time.

The Pens also filled the vacancy left after Letang's departure by recalling Eric Cairns, who had been in WBS on a conditioning assignment.

Now that Cairns is back, that leaves the return of Brooks Orpik as an interesting decision that the Pens must make.

Should the Pens;

• Send Noah Welch back to WBS ?
• Send Max Talbot back to WBS ?
• Or the more radical approach, release someone or is a trade a-brewin' ??

I would really hate it if they sent Welch back down, they need to give this guy more than a few games to prove himself at the NHL level, especially while pylons like Cairns are still here.

I don't see them sending Talbot back down either. He's already proved that his presence on the 4th line makes them a much more balanced offense.

So, to me anyway, that leaves either someone getting release (read: Andre Roy) or a trade going down. As I'm sure most of the Pens fans have read recently, there have been rumblings about a trade between the Bruins and Pens, involving some combination of Malone/Christensen/Thibault, and Boyes/Murray/Thomas. I wouldn't doubt it at all, if it came to fruition. I can already see that Shero is an excellent talent evaluator, and I can definitely see him moving Malone. I think it's fair to say that Malone has not lived up to his expectations.

I'm sure we'll find out soon, perhaps by Tuesday, when the Pens fly to L.A.

Malkin up to the 1st line, at least for now; Staal up to 2nd line

Various reports have the Pens practicing today with Crosby centering the 1st line with Armstrong and Malkin on his wings. Jordan Staal was moved up to center the 2nd line with Ekman and Recchi.

I definitely believe that this is a temporary measure, maybe even for the Devils game only tomorrow. I think it's quite possible that they'll have Malkin and Crosby on the 1st line together only to counteract the defensive pressure that John Madden applies on Crosby, as evidenced last week.

Noah Welch was called up today. This could be the beginning of the end for Kris Letang, at least for this year.

Pens top Blue Jackets 5-3; Power play is getting scary good

Well, once again, the Pens didn't exactly put a nail in the Blue Jackets coffin until late in the game, but a win is a win is a win.

And now that the Pens aren't playing teams that aren't ranked in the top 5 in the entire NHL, they're doing what good teams do, they're winning.

Special teams once again were the key, the PK did a great job again, considering that the refs had their whistles bolted to their lips (for both teams that is).

But the power play, specifically the first unit, is becoming, well, scary good.

You can tell the chemistry that Crosby and Malkin are quickly developing is making that unit absolutely lethal.

Just read their comments about each other from last night's game;

"As soon as I crossed the blue line, I saw him," Crosby said of Malkin. "It was just a matter of waiting for him to come over and get open. He made a great shot. Quick and accurate."

"He's the best player," Malkin said. "I knew this pass was coming."

Now that Malkin is here, Sid has slid up higher in the slot, and as a result is shooting a lot more, which is never a bad thing. Even if Sid is not shooting, then Gonchar is getting the puck on net (or in the net), and that is leaving Sid and Geno to go to the net for the rebounds.

And how about that Jordan Staal ??

If I'm Ray Shero, I've gotta be pulling my hair out deciding whether to send this kid back to Junior.

However, Shero may have had his decision made a little easier when the Pens' version of Gerry Cooney, that being Ryan Malone, appeared to have broken his wrist in his scrum last night. Malone is expected to be out six weeks.

Forgive me for sounding sympathetic, but can you say blessing in disguise ??

Now Staal's other teammate that is awaiting his fate, Kristopher Letang, in my opinion, should be on his way back to Juniors. While his being right-handed is a bonus, it should be a pre-requisite to staying with the big club. I believe Kris will be headed home after the next two games, and either Oprik will be activated, or Noah Welch will be recalled. Let's not forget also that Eric Cairns is close to be coming back as well.

Now that the Pens have won a couple games in row, let's see if they've learned anything. The Devils quickly return back to the Igloo on Tuesday. Hopefully the Pens will recognize their lackadaisical play from their previous meeting and will come out flying.

Opening night, and I'm a little ticked off

Opening night is finally here, let's hope '06-'07 gets off to a better start than last year.

Before I get to the big story of course relating to the Pens, as I mentioned yesterday as being probable, the Pens did indeed call up Noah Welch today.

Now to the news.

As has been widely reported for about 24 hours now, the Penguins officially announced that Jim Balsillie, CEO of Research in Motion (or RIM, as the industry calls them) has signed a purchase agreement to buy the Pens.

Just as a personal note, I do regular business with RIM and know a lot of people employed by them, both in Canada and in the States. Let me just say this, if Mr. Balsillie runs the Pens like he runs RIM, we have nothing to worry about.

And that's running the Pens in Pittsburgh, for those of you who might want to slant the story north of the border.

And here's the part of the story that's really irritated me all day.

Let's see, ever since the story broke last night that Balsillie would be purchasing the Pens, the vast majority of the Canadian hockey media has continously slanted the story towards the possibility of the Pens moving to Hamilton, even after TSN, ESPN, the Penguins, and even Mr. Balsillie himself confirmed today that his intention is to keep the team in Pittsburgh.

Now, is there still that possibility of the Pens moving ?? Absolutely, after so many years of the Pittsburgh politicians dicking around with new arena plans, you can never be sure of that fact until the groundbreaking ceremony.

So how about some journalistic integrity, Canada ?? The man himself said he wants to keep the team in Pittsburgh, so how about we stop with the fan polls that are asking "should the Pens stay or should they go" ??

And let's be realistic here, take off your naivety blinders and acknowledge that Mario Lemieux would NEVER sell the Pittsburgh Penguins to someone whose PRIMARY intent was to move the team.

Much less announce it on opening night.

OK, off of the soapbox for now.

Let's go Pens, let's get physical in the Flyers face all night and come out of it with an opening night win.

Pens annual golf tourney; A possible Malkin update ??

Let me say right off of the bat, I'm a big Stan Savran fan.

I strongly disagree with those that claim Stan is a Steeler/Pirate apologist, yadda, yadda, yadda. That's utter bovine feces (read: B.S.). I find that he never has a problem saying if he believes a player and/or coach is doing lousy. And he also isn't one of those broadcasters who thinks they're Mr. Rumor Mill, like some others in Pittsburgh do (even though they don't step one foot in a locker room, hmmm).

Anyway, I digress.

Stan broadcast Sportsbeat tonight at the Pens' annual golf tournament. Some interesting items of note;

• Malkin and Gonchar on the putting green, apparently "Gino" (I guess that's Malkin's nickname from the team, since Evgeny is Eugene in Russian) had never played golf before.
• Interviewed six players, including Crosby, Staal, Moore, Leclair, Armstrong, and Fleury. All of them gave glowing reviews to the experience at West Point.
• The interview with Coach Therrien might have given a possible hint at when Malkin may return. He said he definitely won't be playing the first two games of the season, and they'll take it from there. Hmmm, maybe the 12OCT game in New York ?? They did show video of him at practice today, he seemed fine to me. We'll just have to see when he can take a hit on that shoulder.
• Also interviewed Steigy and Errey. Errey seemed quite disappointed that Talbot and Welch were sent down to WBS. Personally, I concur with the team in sending Talbot down, but I would have liked to see Welch stay with the big boys, and take a chance on getting either Melichar or Scuderi (flip a coin for the hell of it) through waivers to send down to WBS.

I really doubt that Staal will stay with the team the entire season, but I believe Letang is here for the long haul, just my .02.

Three days until the Flyers dive into town. Hell, I can't wait until Wednesday to watch Sabres-Canes.