The Panic Button? Push It.

This ain't your Cup Runner Up's, folks.

There are a number of problems involved in this teams under whelming play.

The injuries can be used, but I dont want to hear it.

Yeah, it's a viable reason but only when the coach makes an attempt to form a system that'll put your team in the best position to win in spite of the injuries. As of yet Head Coach Therrien has yet to make such a magical move.

The dont have the gritty players we did last year who can cycle the puck and go in deep like they did last year in Malone, Ruutu, Hossa, Roberts, et al.

They lost the toughness for skill when they signed the likes of Satan and Fedotenko.

These are not changes that can damn a team as they are damning the Penguins.

They are damning when your coach does nothing about them.

The Pens run a system that is dependent on being able to cycle the puck on the dump in, have grit, and mix it with skill. The Pens do not have those players.

Therrien needs to change things up drastically or this team will continue to struggle as they have all season.

Time to push the panic button, kiddies.

All That Glitters Is Not Black and Vegas Gold

19-13-4. This doesn't seem so bad in the win/loss column, does it? Thirty six games into the season, 42 points isn't too shabby. Seventh in the Conference, it looks decent. However, you're just looking at the cover of the book and deeming it quality. A further peak inside tells of troubling times in Penguinland.

In the last 10 games, their have a 4-6-0 record. Looking deeper at stats, they are 8-9-3 against teams currently in the top 8 in their conferences (Buffalo, Philly, Washington, Boston, Rangers, Montreal, New Jersey, Detroit, Pheonix, San Jose, Edmonton). Now, stats dont tell the entire story but they are some of the chapters.

The current slide of the Penguins should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the team without their black and gold glasses on. For the majority of the season, they have constantly played uninspired hockey. The number of full games they've played can be counted on one hand.

For a large part of the season they've either play poorly for all but the last 10 percent of the game, where they make a miraculous comeback or played well in the first 10 percent and then blew the lead they've built. What's the cause of this? Well, there are several possibilities, all of which more than likely fill out the rest of the book.

Their youth: The core is young and plays streaky. I can buy it for the current down trend. They had an incredibly hot streak between games 12 and 17 where they were just on fire. You couldn't keep them off of the score sheet. They came back down to earth, now they're bottoming out.

No Secondary Scoring: 116 goals scored in 38 games has them 7th in the league in goals for. However, either Malkin or Crosby have contributed at least an assist in nearly 68% of all the goals scored, meaning out of every three goals scored, only one was not because of Malkin or Crosby's hand.

Injuries: While not including Gonchar and Whitney, since they've been out since before the season, they've been struck by some injuries. The biggest being to Fleury. However, third line spark plug Tyler Kennedy is out and since then their play has dropped. Key face off man Mike Zigomanis is injured. The defense has been plagued for on and off injuries. It's not helped for consistency. Fleury has returned and is playing reasonably well, and Whitney has returned stronger than ever. Perhaps when they adjust to the flow of the game again, things will get better.

Coaching: Therrien is a one trick pony. He only knows one system, and if the players can't conform they fail and the team fails. He was not able to tweak his system to make up for the loss of Gonchar and Whitney, two people extremely important to the Penguins breakout system. He hasn't adjusted for the lack of grit the team has, and he hasn't been able to motivate them to play a full 60 minutes.

Special Teams: Currently the Penguins' special teams rank in the middle of the league. While respectable, a power play that has Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Petr Sykora, and defensemen like Phillipe Boucher, Alex Goligoski, and Kris Letang should be ranked higher than 15th. Before their 9-2 blowout of the Islanders, their power play was way down in the lower third of the league. Their PK, ranked 14th. Hal Gill has been injured and the poor positional play of Dany Sabourin can be contributing factors to that. Not to mention that Mike Yeo is a terrible, terrible special teams coach.

The biggest fear amongst Pens fans should be whether the current trend continues. If it does, it could be a long season. A big trade deadline could make things better, and the return of Whitney and Gonchar would be a big help. That's assuming that they are able to get into the swing of things right away.

There's still hope for this years team. However, there's plenty of work to be done in order to make those dreams a reality.

2008-2009 Eastern Conference Preview

With training camps underway, I go ahead and make my snap decisions on who will finish where in the NHL Eastern Conference.



1.) Montreal Canadiens- Too much for them to not be too good. Deep with talented forwards and good defense, the only real question mark is Carey Price. Even then, his play in the playoffs was due to a bad hand. The only question mark is age. Some of their vets aren't getting younger and they traded for a declining Robert Lang. Will this hurt them?



2.) Pittsburgh Penguins- Too much talent in two players alone. Two scoring wingers for each, a few talented players in the line up as supporting cast, and an above average plus defense. Also a goaltender who may or may not be coming into his own. Satan and Crosby, Malkin and Sykora will be point monsters. They'll also be getting back one of the better young defensemen in Ryan Whitney around the deadline.



3.) Washington Capitals- Someone has to win this division and it will be the Caps. Ovechkin alone gives them the edge. While they will miss what Huet brought them in net during the playoffs, a decently able defense and offensive talents like Mike Green, AO, Semin, Niklas Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov, Sergei Federov they'll be able to score their way through the weak South Eastern division.



4.) Philadelphia Flyers- A team with depth that made a great bounce last season from worst to Eastern Conference Finals. Off season moves and injuries has made them lose some of the offensive punch they had, but they remain steady in the top six. The "loss" of Darian Hatcher will only help the team become more mobile. Biggest question lies in the health of Simon Gagné.



5.) New York Rangers- Henrik Lundqvist. Prepare to hear a lot about him this season. He will be the main catalyst for this teams success. A large roster turn over with the loss of Jaromir Jagr and Martin Straka, the additions made in off season result in a lot of question marks. Will Nik Zherdev finally produce as expected? Will Markus Naslund regain his old form? Will Wade Redden produce?



6.) New Jersey Devils- Marty Brodeur's decline continues, but his talent alone and a boost in offense is still enough to see them sneak in to the playoffs. Their thin defensive core continues to be masked by the teams overall defensive play, especially with the return of former stars Brian Rolston and Bobby Unibrow.



7.) Boston Bruins- Clause Julien surprised everyone last season, taking an offensively starved team to the playoffs and then leading them to the brink of upsetting the team with the best record in the East in the first round. This season starts with the return of Patrice Bergeron. Early reviews have him back in fine form, providing a huge boost to the meager offense that accompanies a superb defense headed by My Giant Zdeno Chara.



8.) Buffalo Sabers- A team torn apart by free agency in the last few years still finds a way to squeak in. Super Coach Lindy Ruff pieces together a roster with youth but talent. Ryan Miller, a high quality goalie, will be the back bone of their run towards the playoffs while Derek Roy looks to be the go-to star along with long time Saber Maxime Afinogenov.




9.) Tampa Bay Lightning- They're a more talented version of the post lockout Pens. Enough young players with establish chemistry to not make them in the basement, but too many questions on the back end, in net, and in scoring depth. In the end their thin blue line and lack of true role players and solid goal tending will do them in.



10.) Carolina Hurricanes- Early season injuries and lack of goal tending will sink the team. They will miss Eric Cole more than they realize, especially with the loss of Justin Williams to a ruptured Achilles Tendon. Joni Pitkanen is not an upgrade on the blue line and they made little other moves. Tuomo Ruutu and Sergei Samsonov are question marks and injury prone but could have a huge years if healthy. Another "almost" year harmed by injuries.



11.) Ottawa Senators- The mighty continue to fall. Not much done in the off season to right a quickly falling ship and the loss of Wade Redden on the blue line. The big three will still produce but not much beyond that will fill the net. The blue line takes a big hit and while Ray Emery is gone, look for goal tending to continue to be an issue.



12.) Florida Panthers- Another year of almost. They'll be in the race until the trade deadline when someone will wow them and pry away Jay Bouwmeester who is riding his one year contract. While the return may be something decent, don't count on it being enough to get the Panthers to the top eight. Poor Nathan Horton.





13.) Atlanta Thrashers- Ilya Kovalchuk. Kari Lethonen. Who else? True talent is hard to find on this team. They have nothing in the cupboard. Kovalchuk is in the final year of his contract, has been the face of the franchise from the start. For a team talking about having Angelo Esposito and this years No. 3 pick Zach Bogosian in the line up, it doesn't look pretty.



14.) Toronto Maple Leafs- They finally come to their senses and decide to actually play poorly for a high pick. They're anxious to get in the Tavares lottery to really draw them in and upper management finally decides that they need to rebuild. Or they'll just suck that badly. The latter is more likely.



15.) New York Islanders- Garth Snow continues his reign of terror as the Islanders once again toil is mediocrity. The only thing keeping this team relevant is a Rick DiPietro coming off of hip surgery. That's bound to not last. And for the sake of any Isles fan, hopefully neither will Snow.

What Should the Penguins do with Jordan Staal?

In 2006-2007, everyone expected Evgeni Malkin to come to Pittsburgh and have a stellar rookie campaign. No one expected to see the rapid emergence of Jordan Staal onto the hockey scene.

Kept up with Kris Letang for 10 games from his junior team; the Peterborough Petes, he was going to be given a look-see to grade his NHL readiness. By the end of those 10 games, he'd scored five goals, including three shorthanded (two in one game).

His uncanny defensive prowess for an 18-year-old combined with his long reach, assured him a spot on the permanent roster. While Kris Letang went back to juniors, Jordan Staal was there to stay. Partnered throughout the season with Malkin, he amassed 29 goals and 13 assists and was runner-up for Rookie of the Year to his linemate.

Heading into 2007-2008, big things were expected of Staal. He was placed on Crosby's wing after the acquisition of Petr Sykora filled the need for a scoring winger on Malkin's line. Some fans were thinking of 40 goals for the season playing alongside the previous year's MVP and Art Ross winner.

Things didn't go as planned. After 24 games, at the start of December, he had scored a total of two goals and netted three assists. The dreaded "sophomore jinx" was hung around his shoulders as he was dropped back to third line duty.

He would go on to thrive on the third line, playing a defensively responsible game alongside rotating wingers and his time on the penalty kill continued to remain steadily high. While his offensive game wasn't there through December, his defense continued to become stronger.

By the end of the season, he anchored his own line extremely effectively. A third line that would eventually pot 31 goals for the year between four or five different players. Many GMs would love to have a third line contribute as much.





Even through his bad start, Staal finished up the season scoring 12 goals and helping on 16 others. A total of 23 points in 58 games is not bad for a 19-year-old, nor for a third-line center on a team infected with injuries throughout the year.

As a result, there's talk of what to do with Staal coming into the 2008-2009 season.

Due to free agency and signings, there would seem to be a lack of top-six wingers. Right now, the top five are filled out by Crosby, Miroslav Satan, Malkin, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Sykora. The departure of Ryan Malone leaves a lack of physical presence that made the "Steel City Line" of Malone-Malkin-Sykora (who carried the team when Crosby went down) so effective.

You have Jordan Staal. What do you do?

There are two camps with this thinking:

1. Put Fedotenko on Sid's left and move Staal to the left of Malkin

Malkin's game is much more suited for Staal than Crosby. The reason Staal wasn't effective on Sid's line is Sid's speed. While Staal is deceptively fast, he's by no means swift of foot. Malkin's Lemieux-like ability to slow the game down suits Staal, which is why he had such success in his rookie season.

2. Keep Staal centering his own line

This serves two distinct purposes, one short term and one long term.

The short term: It gives the Penguins depth down the middle that is hard to be matched by any other team in the NHL. Crosby, Malkin, Staal is group of centers most teams would love to have on their payroll. Staal's defensive prowess makes him the perfect shutdown line center. This allows the third line to be able to go against any first line in the NHL and shut them down with relative ease.

The long term: It forces Staal to focus on his abilities as a center that need addressing, most importantly his playmaking abilities. His assist totals have been very unimpressive, as has been his passing in general.

While he can go to the front of the net to tap a puck in, it's hard to count on him to make the pass to set up a winger. Putting him as center of his own line so he doesn't rely on Malkin to create the plays will benefit him and the Pens.

He slightly improved from year one to year two with assists (13 to 16), and in the playoffs had some hot streaks where he was able to put everything together. If kept on his own line to grow with the same linemates, his abilities will fall into place.



While, in the end, it's entirely up to the coaching staff as to what will happen to Staal, perhaps the best interest of the team in the long and short term is keeping him on the ice centering his own line. Once his playmaking improves to where he can notch around 25 assists or so with third line talent—if Malkin needs a winger, I say make it so.

They would be even more dangerous as a duo (or trio if the chemistry with Sykora sticks). A one-two punch of anyone, Crosby, anyone and Staal, Malkin, Sykora could push the record books for goals scored.

At 19 years old, he's already got a bright future ahead of him. His development this year is crucial to how bright it is. Here's hoping that what ever is done is the correct decision when all is finished.

Michel Therrien is Not the Answer for the Penguins

With a new three-year contract freshly signed, Michel Therrien seemed to cement his status as perhaps the luckiest coach in NHL history.

When he was called up from the Baby Penguins in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to coach the professional Penguins following the firing of head coach Eddie Olczyk, the Penguins were in the right position for him: last place.

This allowed for the shedding of veterans who were under-achieving to bring up the youth he'd just finished teaching, including Colby Armstrong, Maxime Talbot, Ryan Whitney, and Michel Ouellet. He was also handed the reigns of the likes of Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar.

From there he did something a Penguins coach hadn't done for around five seasons. He installed a system of play.

Until that point, the supposedly high-powered Pittsburgh Penguins (with forwards Ziggy Palffy, Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Mark Recchi, John LeClair) were supposed to do nothing but score, so defense wasn't supposed to be an issue. (Tampa Bay, I hope you're paying attention.)

This proved to be a poorly judged assessment, and by the time Eddie O. was fired 31 games into the season, they had amassed a total record of 8-17-6. It was clear changes were needed and Therrien was the answer.

With his defensive system installed (with the help of four new players that knew the system already), Therrien guided the Pens to a 14-29-8 record (actually a .002 less winning percentage than Eddie O. had).

The Penguins were set to pick second overall and did so, selecting Jordan Staal. This set into action the chain of events that has me convinced that Michel Therrien owes the devil (and not Sid's new winger) his soul.

Expectations were mixed coming into the 2006-2007 season. No one knew what to expect, other than another fine performance by Sid. Randomly, highly touted Russian prospect Evgeni Malkin defected to America. However, his introduction to the ice was delayed by a shoulder injury caused from a collision from Johnny Vermont LeClair.

As the season started, Jordan Staal was curiously kept around for a short stint. Showing confidence in his rookie, Therrien put Jordan on the penalty kill. For a season likely to be another rebuilding season, this was fine. And for an 18-year-old, he did admirably, even potting a few short handed goals.

Malkin burst onto the scene, announcing his presence in a big way. After a few games of Malkin-Sid-Armstrong, Malkin was deemed good enough for his own line. It happened to shift Staal over to Malkin's wing. That was another fortunate break for the Penguins. Jordan, at 18, potted 29 goals while Malkin piled on 89 points.

Things were going stunningly well for the Penguins as they screamed towards the playoffs. Therrien was looking like a genius.

Until you looked closer.

Nils Ekman, traded during the offseason to play on Sid's wing, had immense success playing alongside someone similar to Sid in Joe Thornton, putting up back-to-back 50 plus point seasons (before and after the lockout) despite being injured for a good portion of the season.

Upon his return, he was playing sparingly with Sid. As they seemed to be clicking and Ekman seemed to be getting his game back, he was relegated to the third line for a large part of the season.

Marc-Andre Fleury was still young and perhaps under-confident. Therrien worked with Fleury in WB/S and jerked him around between three goalies (Sebastian Caron, Andy Chiodo, Dany Sabourin), making it hard for Fleury to really gain any form of rhythm. The same thing happens when he plays in the big club.

While he was anointed the starter, his playing time was extremely staggered. He'd be pulled from games after giving up early goals, or when he seemed to be getting hot, he was put on the bench the very next game so Jocelyn Thibault could take some time.

What were the lines? Therrien would play whomever, where ever, whenever. One shift you would see Crosby out with Malkin and Recchi. The next it would be Staal with Ouellet and LeClair. Next shift: Crosby, Staal, and Malone. There was little consistency for the team to form chemistry.

Everything was overlooked as the Penguins surged ahead with a double digit game unbeaten streak, allowing the Penguins to finish two points behind the Devils as the best in the Division. Sid won the scoring title, and the Pens were in the playoffs for the first time in years.

Therrien was then exposed further.

While his roster was thinner, and a tired Recchi and Malkin hurt the team, he showed what little technical abilities he had. The fast, talented, and tough Ottawa Senators quickly dismantled his system. Therrien had no counter punch. The Penguins were quickly eliminated.

The Penguins added some talent coming into the new season, but the same problems remained. Petr Sykora, brought in to play with Sid or Malkin, was put on the third line. You never knew who was going to be playing with whom. Despite more scoring depth, Recchi remained on Sid's wing even with his very poor play.

The only smart moves that were made (Staal being third line center and Recchi being waived) were made when upper management stepped in. And then, the improved Penguins (expected to be a Cup contender) struggled out of the gate.



Until Thanksgiving, they were either at or under .500. It wasn't until a significant comeback against the best team in the league on Thanksgiving night that the Pens started on their way. Even then it was another Therrien anti-player, Jarkko Ruutu, who was depended upon to save the game.

There were rumblings of players' dislike of Therrien. It could explain the departure of said Ruutu and the loss of trade deadline pick up Marian Hossa.

Speaking of which, the trade deadline passed and the Penguins were improved. Despite many injuries to key players (Crosby, Fleury), the team was still in contention. While it can be claimed that Therrien was responsible, it doesn't take much logic to see past this.

Evgeni Malkin turned his game up to a whole new level as Therrien was finally forced to stick with lines and found that (gasp!) players develop chemistry when playing together for more than two shifts.

Add to that a stretch of play in which Ty Conklin played on a whole new plain of ability for the former "next great USA goalie," and it's no mystery why the Penguins remained in contention.

It wasn't Therrien. It was the players.

Come playoff time, the top two lines were basically set. Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa and Malone-Malkin-Sykora. However, the bottom lines continued to alternate as Therrien desired.

The defense was stellar in front of a 100 percent Fleury, but for some reason Therrien switched D-pairings after a first round sweep of the Senators. The Whitney-Letang combination was terrible positionally, and cost the team a few goals.

The Pens coasted anyway. They made it to the Finals when the better coach and an even team exploited Therrien. Every shift, the Red Wings would press deep into the zone, taking the large amount of room the Pens defense gave them as they continued backing up into the zone.

The Wings would also cut off any chance at a breakout (which always runs from defense to defense to center) by putting pressure on both defensemen.

It wasn't until the Penguins dropped the first two games to the Red Wings, after the Wings exploited the Pens system, that Therrien did something (after muttering in a post game conference he "did not know what else to do") and switched things up.

He finally removed the deer-in-headlights Kris Letang and slow-and-useless Georges Laraque from the lineup in favor of experienced and skilled players. Unfortunately, the Pens would go on to lose what were then close games.

It can be argued that the Penguins had the better players, but the players' leader (Coach Therrien) held them back from being the better team.

Over two and three quarter seasons, Therrien has shown a penchant for not knowing the right time to stop playing players to the detriment of the team. He has been unable to keep set lines and too quickly abandons things, throwing out the "I Give Up" line of Malkin-Crosby-Whoever.

His disciplinary actions have caused issues with players, and his style of game is not flexible.

Don't get me wrong, Michel Therrien is a good coach. The problem is that he's not a great coach.

Therrien can develop players. Just look at his record in youth and developmental leagues. He's had fantastic success. He did a good job helping players like Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Talbot, and Whitney grow into solid players (though it wasn't much work with the first three).

Now that the Penguins are showing signs of competing year in and year out, the youth will be moved in favor of older players who are staying longer term. This is when Therrien should no longer be their coach. They need someone who can take an established team and make them better.

Who that person is, I'll be honest in saying I do not know. Ted Nolan is on the market, and he took a very bad Islanders team to the playoffs not but two years ago.

I do feel confident that Therrien's actions of holding on to players for too long, not playing certain types of players (like Ruutu) enough, playing games with players as "punishment" (the scratching of Orpik back home in Boston, he and Whitney playing wing), never taking blame for mistakes, not having a more flexible system, and his inability to let lines gel are a detriment to the present and future of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This will keep the Pens from reaching the summit. This will keep the Penguins from becoming a "dynasty." He will keep the Penguins from being what they could be.

Can the Penguins win with Therrien? Maybe. With a top flight coach, their chances of winning are improved.

Three more years of Therrien? Not likely. If there is no Cup in Pittsburgh by the end of the decade, expect to see someone new at the reigns.

Janne Pesoneon- What Pittsburgh Penguins Fans Should Expect

As the end of June approached, Pittsburgh Penguins fans everywhere were anxious to see what would happen to their favorite players.

"I heard Shero offered seven years, $56 million to Hossa," one whispered.

"Malone is staying. He's taking less to play for the Pens," was another grumble.

"Roberts is going to retire, he loved Pittsburgh that much," overheard during another conversation.

"Orpik is gone. He's going to Boston or back home to San Jose," was also popular.

Then it all fell apart.

Malone and Roberts to Tampa for a pick. Adios.

Hossa had endeared himself to the Pens and their fans so quickly. He was the toast of the town, could have had a free drink anywhere in the city.

Then he committed the ultimate stab in the heart. He signed in Detroit. For one year. At slightly more money than the Pens offered, but with far less stability and assurance.

Also among the exodus?

Ty Conklin, who went in a similar kick-to-the-gut route to Detroit. Adam Hall, who bolted for the Lightning. Big Georges, who powerlifted back home to Montreal. Jarkko Ruutu, everyone's favorite agitator, who went to the equally-hated Ottawa Senators.

Many Penguins fans were stunned. Saddened. Betrayed. They didn't know whether to cry or wind their watch.

Then came the signings as they trickled in.

Orpik is staying. And for quite a while, as it were. Six years in Black and Vegas Gold, barring a trade.

Malkin is sticking around for just as long, at $8.7 million. Another bargain for an MVP candidate.

Welcome back, Pascal Dupuis! Good to have you for three more seasons!

Mark Eaton, hopefully your bones are now coated with adamantium for at least two years.

Fleury? Locked up long term at only $5 million a year.

Then came the new names.

Miroslav Satan? He's got potential.

Ruslan Fedotenko? Nice Malone replacement.

Matt Cooke? Ruutu, only younger with more offensive upside. A steal at $1.3 million a year.

Eric Godard? Okay. We'll take a face puncher.

If there had been applause for all the following moves, this one would draw the proverbial crickets.

Janne Pesonen.
















Wait. Who?

Janne Pesonen. Former ninth-round draft pick by the Anahiem (then Mighty) Ducks. A Finnish left winger whose point totals have steadily increased over the last three seasons in the Finnish Elite League, SM-Liiga.

A collective silence fills the room still.

Finns are known for their two-way play. He is no exception.

Okay...? the crowd says.

In 2004, he was SM-Liiga's rookie of the year.

Get to the point, they say.

He and his teams won the Finnish league championships in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008.

Well, at least he knows how to win.

Oh, did I forget to mention he lead SM-Liiga in scoring in 2008 with 78 points (34+44) in only 58 games, and was voted the leagues MVP in 2007?

Why yes, yes you did.

Well it's all true. The guy is a solid talent. And at 26 years old, he's just starting to peak physically.

There are concerns about several things with Janne:
1.) Will the smaller ice effect his game?
2.) How will his skill with his size (5'11" 180 lbs) translate?
3.) Has everyone forgotten Vladimir Vujtek?


Without a doubt, No. 1 and No. 2 are key to his transition. I do have a feeling that there will be a period of time where he is out of place.

However, I would venture a guess that his skill and intelligence will make the transition a lot easier. Pesonen is extremely smart. If you don't believe me, click here.

As for No. 3? Yes. I've done my best to do so. Let us never speak of it again.

As far as his size, I don't think it would be too much of an issue. Pesonen seems to be a fast, shifty skater. Most of the goals I've seen of his from YouTube come from in front of the net—and not a Ryan Malone "Stand In Front and Get Beat to Hell" way. He will appear in the slot at the last second, somehow in position to put the puck in the net.

So what can we expect from Janne Pesonen? Well, you can't expect Olli Jokinen, Teemu Selanne, or Saku Koivu. I will tell you that right now. Otherwise he would already be over here.

Worst-case scenario for Janne Pesonen? Well, he's on a two-way deal for one year, as per the CBA's demands. He will likely start out in WB/S (unless his camp and pre-season games blow everyone away) to get acclimated with the North American style and ice.

Worst-case is he is never called up and he goes back to Finland at the end of the season. No harm, no foul. It was worth a shot.

The best case scenario? To me, at least, it seems that Pesonen's best upside is Pascal Dupuis—with better hands and finishing abilities.

If you go back to Games One and Two of the Cup Finals, you will see that the Red Wings were focusing all of their players on Crosby and Hossa. This left Dupuis wide open. In Game One, he blew at least three chances because he didn't have the ability to put the puck in the net.
Now go back to those YouTube videos. Notice his break-away skills and hands in front. If Pesonen is able to convert his game, the best-case scenario (and what I could easily see happening) is Pesonen burying those chances.

He is, essentially, a more offensive Dupuis. Perhaps the perfect compliment to Sid's left side, in that he can play a two-way game, has above-average hands and shot, has that fine muscle twitch reaction that is needed when playing with Sid, and will jump into the play.

Who knows how many goals he could score sliding into the slot, as Sid fires a pinpoint pass off of his stick? Or how many could go vice versa?

Don't get me wrong here—I'm not proclaiming him to be some offensive juggernaut. In this best-case scenario, he'll put up 40-50 points, with 50 being extreme.

However, with his shootout abilities, defensive capabilities, and the potential he brings, Janne could either be a no-cost experiment who didn't pan out, or a fine compliment to Sid and Satan.

Only time will tell. Until then, Pens fans, I hope you're seeing Janne Pesonen in a new light.






Or, perhaps, for the first time at all.

Questioning the Penguins Offseason Moves?

This is why you shouldn't.

First, let's say hello and goodbye to everyone:

Hello:












Goodbye:























Now, let's look at last years roster at the start of the season for perspective.

Malone-Crosby-Recchi
Staal-Malkin-Sykora
Roberts-Christensen-Armstrong
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque

Gonchar-Eaton
Whitney-Orpik
Sydor-Scuderi

Let's look at who it again. This time, after the trade deadline

Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa
Malone-Malkin-Sykora
Roberts-Staal-Kennedy
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque

Gonchar-Orpik
Whitney-OrpikGill
Letang-Scuderi

We lost two third liners. Regardless of where they were picked in the draft, they were third liners none-the-less, a hit-or-miss prospect, a late first round pick, and a second round pick for a chance for the Cup.

So the team that got us to the Cup Finals was better than the team we started out with.

Common sense, right?

That team after free agency now becomes:

Dupuis-Crosby-???
???-Malkin-Sykora
???-Staal-Kennedy
???-Talbot-???

Gonchar-Orpik
Whitney-Gill
Letang-Eaton

And Scuderi and Sydor are on the bench.

The loss of Hossa was a big deal. Yes. But Shero did the right thing in re-signing Malkin and Orpik to long term deals. Especially when Hossa turns out to be nothing more than Roger Clemens on Ice.

Shero turns around and signs Miro Satan to ably (but not fully) replace Hossa, Ruslan Fedotenko to replace Malone perfectly, Eric Goddard as a cheap and more effective replacement for Laraque, Matt Cooke as a more offensive, cheaper pest instead of Ruutu, and a small cast of tweeners (Beech, Billl Thomas, Joey Mormina, Jani Pesonen) to fill out the roster.

We now look at:

???-Crosby-Satan
Fedotenko-Malkin-Sykora
Dupuis-Staal-Kennedy
Cooke-Talbot-Goddard

Gonchar-Orpik
Whitney-Gill
Letang-Eaton

And Scuderi and Sydor are on the bench.

This team is immensely better than the team that started out last season. That team was without Sidney Crosby for almost half of the season, without Marian Hossa for 90% of the season. They were only one point away from the best record in the East with that line up.

The trade deadline leaves one blank spot to fill: Sid's left wing. You have assets and picks to trade to fill in that gap. And the team plays in an Eastern Conference in which no one vastly improved them self. Their odds of getting back to the top are just as good as they were.

In the long term, the Pens are set. Assuming the Pens re-up Staal long term for around $3 million or so, the Pens will have $33 million wrapped up for the next 4 years. The Salary Cap could raise around $63-$65 million in two seasons, when the core is set in stone of Sid, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, Orpik, Whitney. You then have yourself over $30 million to fill in the gaps with.

Shero did the correct thing this off season. Do not stress. Even if the Pens do not reach the summit again this year, they will be back soon.