Gary Roberts
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
What only recently had been a full-force assault on first place by the Penguins has turned into a struggle to make the playoffs. The team that was 14-0-2 from Jan. 13 through Feb. 18 has lost three of its past four games in the past eight days. All of a sudden, first place is a distant dream and the playoffs are no sure thing.
After a 1-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils last night, a gallant effort in front of the 13th sellout in the past 15 games at Mellon Arena that was foiled by the great Martin Brodeur, the Penguins are 11 points removed from first place in the Atlantic Division, a virtually insurmountable gap with 20 games remaining. The gap between the Penguins and being out of the playoffs isn't nearly so large. Going into the game last night, they were five points removed from ninth place and six from 10th.
Clearly, it was time to make changes, and, with the trade deadline at 3 p.m. yesterday, general manager Ray Shero was a busy guy. When the off-ice action ended, Shero pronounced his team better than it had been.
He'll get no argument here on that point, considering the only player lost from the team was fourth-line center Dominic Moore, who, despite his defensive prowess and his team-best ability on faceoffs, was expendable.
How much better, though, remains to be seen. The step forward the team took with these deal might be a small one, and it came with future cost. The Penguins gave up on Noah Welch, their second-round draft choice in 2001 and a player who has the look of a top four defenseman in the not-too distant future. It's true the team has depth on defense in its system, but, on the NHL level, that is not the case, and Welch who could have been an important contributor as early as next season.
The two most important additions were veteran forwards Gary Roberts, in exchange for Welch, and tough guy Georges Laraque, for minor-leaguer Daniel Carcillo and a third-round draft choice.
"Getting guys like Gary Roberts and Georges Laraque is a great thing for our hockey club right now," Shero said. "It's a valuable addition now and will be a valuable experience for our young guys."
The Penguins were noncommittal on what Roberts' role would be, but no one would be surprised if he joins the first line in place of Ryan Malone and plays alongside Sidney Crosby and Mark Recchi.
Roberts is a high-character guy, who will bring a strong work ethic, leadership and class to the club. He also was an outstanding player earlier in his career, having once scored 53 goals. But that was 15 years ago. At 40, it's questionable if he's an upgrade over Malone on the first line. He has the intangibles coaches love, but does he possess the speed to keep up with Crosby?
Laraque, widely regarded as the toughest man in the NHL, likely will skate on a fourth line and be quick to insert himself into any situations where fists might be the most important factor. Despite that ability, Laraque's presence will not ease the defensive pressure on Crosby, as some have suggested. That's true not only because Laraque never will be playing with Crosby but also because NHL players don't relax defensive pressure because lurking in their subconscious is the possibility the sport's heavyweight champ eventually will be chasing them down. Players with that degree of fortitude either do not make it to the NHL or do not last very long.
Concerning Laraque's contribution, Shero said, "When we've got Max Talbot having to fight a guy who is 6 feet 4, maybe that's not going to happen the next time. I think it makes us a better team, a more confident team."
Much will be made about the additions of Roberts and Laraque, but, in reality, they will little change the composition of the team.
What Shero did not do and what most had to be done was improve the defense. Upgrading the offense was not a necessity. The Penguins lead the Atlantic Division in goals. Upgrading the defense, where the Penguins are fourth out of five teams in the Atlantic, was more important.
The addition of veteran Joel Kwiatkowski, from Florida for a fourth-round pick, is not an upgrade, but Shero talked as if an upgrade was not needed.
"There were some veteran defensemen available," he said. "Some moved today. Some have contract years left, and I wasn't interested. Some, the price was way too high, in my opinion.
"I think it's time to give some of these guys [the defensive corps] some credit. Ryan Whitney does a great job for us. [Sergei] Gonchar has had a tremendous year. Guys like [Josef] Melichar and [Rob] Scuderi, these guys have played really good hockey."
He should have stopped with Whitney and Gonchar.
It's true, the Penguins are better. But are they good enough?
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