Steelers betting on youth by letting Lawrence Timmons walk

Jeremy FowlerESPN Staff Writerhttp://www.espn.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelersMarch 10, 2017

Consider this forecasting the decline before it happens.

Lawrence Timmons might have one very good year left. Maybe he has two, enough to fulfill his new two-year, $12-million contract with the Miami Dolphins.

But the Pittsburgh Steelers put sentiment aside and assumed Timmons' play will probably fall off eventually, marking the end of an era for a highly productive player and the first draft pick of the Mike Tomlin tenure in 2007. Giving the 30-year-old Timmons $11 million in guaranteed money was simply too steep for Pittsburgh.

The player picked one spot after Darrelle Revis recorded more than 90 tackles in each of the past seven seasons, made a Pro Bowl and played inspired football in 2016 after shedding between 5 and 10 pounds.

But really, Timmons' improved play complicated a decision that appeared to be made back in August, when the team extended linebacker Vince Williams. The Steelers had the foresight to give Williams $2 million in base salary over the next two years knowing he can either grow into a full-time starter or remain as a productive special-teamer and swing linebacker. That way, Pittsburgh avoided having two of their top three linebackers entering free agency at once. Williams is a big hitter who's eager to capitalize on an enhanced role.

Timmons was coming off a down year for his standards, but to his credit, he increased his value with a contract year of 114 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two interceptions.

The Steelers did want Timmons back and kept in contact with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. But they weren't going to throw big money at a player turning 31 in May.

When ESPN reported earlier in the week that Timmons was visiting the Dolphins, the marriage felt pretty much over.

Timmons' career in Pittsburgh should not go overlooked. He handled many responsibilities for the defense, from run-stuffing to blitzing to covering tight ends. The Steelers will try to work Williams or an additional free agent/draft pick into that role.

If it wasn't the case already, the teeth of the Pittsburgh defense belongs to Ryan Shazier, who makes the calls in the huddle and is eyeing his first complete season to match his stunning athleticism.

Justin Schultz is lighting it up in Pittsburgh as a two-way player

By Jim Matheson

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/

9 March 2017

Justin Schultz #4 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates with the puck against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on February 11, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Getty Images)

When defenceman Justin Schultz was with the Edmonton Oilers, he was in a form of hockey jail; in solitary confinement, trying to get through games with his skill-set failing him.

While teammates liked him a lot, it was a lonely existence on the ice. The boos from the seats, the angry callers to the talk shows. The message was loud and clear; “Get this guy out of here.”

It wasn’t fair because Schultz was collateral damage with the Oilers not going anywhere year after year.

He got caught up in it; he was hyped too high when the Oilers signed him as a college free-agent.

Now that he’s with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he has a Stanley Cup ring, 44 points, he’s plus-28, and currently on the point on the No. 1 power play because Kris Letang is hurt. Life is good. He’s smiling again but his former teammate Matt Hendricks says he wasn’t given too much too soon. It was all the losing.

“By no means did the organization throw him into the lion’s den and expect him to fail,” said Hendricks. “You have to look at injuries, transactions, how veterans are playing — maybe not as well as they needed to. So he gets more minutes because of that as well.

“It was an accumulation of a lot of things. The forwards weren’t good enough, the defencemen weren’t good enough, the goaltending wasn’t good enough. Nobody was having career years here.”

When the Oilers pardoned Schultz late last February, dealing him to the Penguins for a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, which they used on a Swedish defenceman Filip Berglund, it was like Schultz had seen daylight for the first time in eons. A chance to breath again. His confidence, in tatters here, is back to where it was when the Oilers first signed him in 2012

“I, obviously, didn’t play well at all when I was here. Especially near the end. I needed a change in environment,” said Schultz.

“I remember near the end here, being pretty down. When you don’t have confidence, at all, you’re afraid of making a mistake every time you have the puck. That’s what it was like near the end.”

The Penguins had to build Schultz up when they got him. Playing with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin helps, as does playing on a team with Cup aspirations, not dreams, like the Oilers.

“When we acquired Justin we knew we were getting a guy with really good offensive instincts and we thought he could fit into the style we want to play,” said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. “He sees the ice well, passes the puck extremely well. He’s a mobile guy and that’s the type of defence corps we’re trying to build.

“We tried to put him into situations when we first acquired him where he could play to his strengths. For the most part, he didn’t play against the top six forwards of our opponents. We tried to use him in offensive situations are play him behind players like Crosby or Malkin in certain situations where his skill-set would them them and they’d help him. I give Justin so much credit for the overall development of his game. He’s really made a commitment to play the game at both ends of the rink. The Penguins are reaping the rewards right now.”

Crosby knows lots of kids get drafted or signed by one team and have to go to another team to succeed.

“Sometimes all you need is a different look,” he said. “Justin’s done an unbelievable job with all the injuries back there (Letang, Trevor Daley, Olli Maatta). On the power play and five-on-five, he’s been really solid. We’re lucky to have him. The way he’s played this year has been huge for us.”

Oilers coach Todd McLellan is very happy for Schultz, knowing he needed out.

“There was a lot of stress and tension put on Justin here, whether it was fans, teammates, coaches,” said McLellan. “We wanted him to feel as if we believed in him. More of a hug environment than a kick environment. We felt he needed an arm around him a bit and tried that. He’d respond but there were a lot of kicks coming from other places (fans). Sometimes you have to get away.

“You win a Stanley Cup and you become a more comfortable player. I’m glad he’s having this year. We want players leaving us to succeed.”

Tell the whole Evgeni Malkin story, or don't tell it at all

By Mark Madden

http://www.timesonline.com/sports

March 10, 2017

The problem with covering a sport on a national (or continental) basis is that you very rarely watch the games. You see highlights.

That’s why many of hockey’s big-time (gag) literati and talking heads place blame on the Penguins for Wednesday’s shenanigans in Winnipeg.

Highlights of the Feb. 16 game between the Jets and Penguins showed Evgeni Malkin’s borderline shot on Winnipeg’s Blake Wheeler, a hit the NHL’s department of player safety did not punish. They did not show Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz leaving that game because of questionable hits prior.

The timeline seems to start with Malkin’s hit. But it actually started with Maatta and Schultz exiting, which led to Malkin’s ill-advised retaliation.

That’s the actual running order: Maatta and Schultz get injured. Malkin runs at Wheeler. Winnipeg dogpiles Malkin. Penguins recall tough guy Tom Sestito for rematch. Malkin and Wheeler fight. Sestito and Chris Thorburn fight. Sestito runs Tobias Enstrom from behind, injuring him.

If Winnipeg doesn’t hurt Maatta and Schultz, nothing that follows is likely to happen. The checks applied to Maatta and Schultz were clearly questionable, especially Dustin Byfuglien’s hit from behind on Schultz. True, those weren’t penalized. Nor was Malkin’s.

Malkin’s hit on Wheeler isn’t the whole story. Tell the whole story.

Enstrom, a non-violent sort, paid for the Jets’ sins. Shrapnel can’t see.

Anyway, the Jets are small potatoes. They came into the game on the playoff precipice and pushed themselves over the edge, plummeting like Wile E. Coyote with an anvil close behind.

Winnipeg badly needed two points Wednesday. But the Jets chose to indulge revenge and testosterone, concentrating on mostly the wrong things. Physicality is the Jets’ forte, but they stir in too much stupidity.

Sestito is small potatoes, too. A pawn. Him getting suspended four games affects nothing.

Should Malkin have been suspended for his hit on Wheeler? It started out shoulder-to-shoulder, but deflected up into Wheeler’s head.

The league didn’t discipline. By the current standard, that’s the proper call.

I would have no problem if every hit like that drew a one-game ban. Applied consistently, that could be a deterrent. A call for caution.

But even if Malkin had been suspended, the Jets would have still tried to wreak vengeance Wednesday. It’s an eye-for-an-eye culture, with a big dash of show biz. (Did you see Wheeler pat Malkin on the back after they fought?)

From a Pittsburgh perspective, Wednesday’s scariest moment was Malkin dropping the gloves.

Malkin fought once last season and, believe it or not, twice in the 2013 postseason. Such limited practice has not made perfect. Wheeler won a clear decision, but at least Malkin didn’t get hurt – not by Wheeler’s fists, or by punching Wheeler’s helmet.

After, Malkin simply demolished the game. Wonder how Gordie Howe would feel about a Russian getting a Gordie Howe hat trick? Malkin (or any superstar) should never fight, but he gets major respect for doing so.

Malkin has had several statement games, and it’s adding up to a statement season. He was just four points off the NHL scoring lead (and tied with Sidney Crosby) before last night’s game, and is playing with an intensity and consistency only displayed by hockey’s very best.

That’s what Malkin is, once more: One of hockey’s very best. The Russian nightmare: Hard as a hammer, sharp as a sickle. With Malkin and Crosby firing on all cylinders, another long playoff run is very possible.

Providing Matt Murray can remember how to catch the puck.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).

Nick Bonino has hat trick, Penguins top Jets 7-4

The Associated Press
http://www.ctpost.com/
March 9, 2017




Winnipeg Jets' Blake Wheeler (26) and Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (71 fight during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Nick Bonino and Evgeni Malkin had different kinds of hat tricks Wednesday night.

Bonino had three goals to help the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Winnipeg Jets 7-4 for their third win in a row. Malkin scored his 30th and 31st goals had a "Gordie Howe hat trick" — a goal, an assist and a fight.

It was Bonino's second career three-goal game, and gave him 12 on the season.

"The first one went in and you're always feeling a little bit better, and then it just seemed like the puck was finding the net for (us) tonight," said Bonino, whose first hat trick was in February 2013 when he played for Anaheim. "I can't really explain it, but guys made great passes and guys forechecked hard and the puck just found my stick and found the net."

Just over three minutes into the first period, Jets captain Blake Wheeler and Malkin dropped the gloves. In the team's last meeting Feb. 16 in Pittsburgh, Malkin hit Wheeler in the head and only drew a minor interference penalty. Wheeler wanted retribution and ended up punching Malkin to the ice.

"I respect his leadership," Malkin said. "This guy, he's a great player. I'm ready, you know? But it's not my greatest fight. I respect this guy. It's fine, just a couple punches and I lost. One fight is enough for me."

Wheeler was glad they tangled.

"A lot of respect for him answering the bell," Wheeler said. "He didn't have to do that so it was good to get that out of the way right away and focus on the rest of the game."

Justin Schultz and Jake Guentzel also scored for the Penguins. Matt Murray made 31 saves to set a team record for wins by a rookie with 25, passing Gary Inness' mark set in 1974-75.

Three of Pittsburgh's goals came in a 57-second span in the second, including two on the power play.

Connor Hellebuyck, making his 12th straight start, was pulled midway through the second period after allowing five goals on 15 shots for the Jets. He was replaced by Michael Hutchinson.

Shawn Matthais, Nikolaj Ehlers, Dustin Byfuglien and Marko Dano scored for Winnipeg.

"We had our chances on the power play and it wasn't good enough," Jets center Bryan Little said.

The first period kept fans entertained with some retaliation, fights, an ejection and a 3-2 Jets lead.

Two seconds after the Malkin fought Wheeler, Jets forward Chris Thorburn dropped the gloves with winger Tom Sestito, who was called up earlier in the day from the minors.

Sestito later got a game misconduct for checking veteran Winnipeg defenseman Tobias Enstrom from behind into the boards. Enstrom left the game and didn't return.

"Toby is in the hospital now, he's getting checked for facial fractures," Jets head coach Paul Maurice said. "We will have a better idea tomorrow."

Sestito had just 1:02 of ice time, but was had 20 minutes in penalties before his ejection.

Notes In keeping with the chippy theme, Winnipeg forward Adam Lowry exited the game at 14:16 of the third after getting a 10-minute misconduct following a late hit on Malkin. ... Guentzel has nine goals this season. ... Pittsburgh forward Patric Hornqvist was a late scratch.

UP NEXT

Penguins: At Edmonton on Friday.

Jets: Hosts Calgary on Saturday.

Owners shouldn't ask for more money

by JOHN STEIGERWALD

https://www.indianagazette.com/

March 5, 2017

Art Rooney II (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)

Art Rooney II is upset.

Allegheny County government, which stole the taxpayers’ money fair and square almost 20 years ago to build his Heinz Field and the Pirates’ PNC Park, has been reluctant to cough up money for improvements at the football stadium.

The Steelers would like taxpayers to pay for a new scoreboard in the south end, an expansion of the Great Hall and new sound and WiFi systems, among other things. Rooney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that trying to get money from the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports and Exhibition Authority is “like pulling teeth.”

Rooney said this right around the time that his team was announcing that it had signed Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell to new contracts.

They’ll make $31 million combined next season. If Brown hangs around for five years, he’ll make $68 million.

That’s not unusual. The NFL made more than $1 billion in profit last year and the players deserve every penny. It’s also not unusual for taxpayers to be forced to prevent NFL teams from using their own money to build stadiums.

According to CNN Money, since 1997, about $5.5 billion in taxpayer money has been used to pay for 22 NFL stadiums.

And they’re not just used for football. NFL teams, including the Steelers, who were one of the first to do it, have learned how to promote concerts that can sell 50,000 tickets or more.

They used to rent the stadiums out to concert promoters. Now they promote the concert themselves. Finding out how much the Steelers and other teams profit from acts like Kenney Chesney, whose fans turn the city into a toilet every year, is about as easy as finding out why your favorite Washington, D.C., politician had lunch with a Russian.

Rooney says that without more money from the SEA, the Steelers won’t be able to compete for the acts that produce so much tax revenue for the city.

Rooney and the Steelers owe the taxpayers of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County a favor and should be drawing as little attention as possible to the amount of money they’ve received.

How about a little history?

Back in 1995, the Steelers and Pirates decided it was time for the taxpayers to build them each a new stadium.

In the 1995 election for the three Allegheny County commissioners, two Republicans were elected for the first time in 60 years. Larry Dunn and Bob Cranmer both ran on the promise of using no money for stadiums.

Dunn was harassed and ridiculed by the media, and Cranmer eventually caved and changed his mind.

In 1997, a referendum was held in 11 western Pennsylvania counties, and voters were asked to vote on whether their money should be given to the Steelers and the Pirates.

No won 65 percent to 35 percent.

To put that in perspective, when Ronald Reagan won 49 states to Walter Mondale’s one in 1984, the score was 58 percent to 42 percent.

That’s what is known in politics as a landslide.

Then came Plan B.

Existing money in the Regional Asset District would be used for the stadiums. A Pennsylvania poll showed that people were opposed to that idea 55-32 and 13 undecided.

There were seven members of the RAD board, and six votes were required to approve the funding. Only five were in favor, so County Commissioner Bob Cranmer got Fred Baker, who had voted no, to resign. He was replaced by David Christoper, who voted yes.

That vote was worth at least $200 million each to the Steelers and Pirates.

The value of the Steelers has tripled since Heinz Field was built.

Don’t blame the Steelers or the Pirates. They would be idiots not to take advantage of the politicians’ stupidity the way their counterparts all over the country have.

Blame the politicians.

While you’re at it, blame the media. They were cheerleaders for the theft of Allegheny County taxpayers money, and they have cheered for similar theft in every major league town in America.

Rick Eckstein, co-author of “Public Dollars, Private Stadiums: The Battle over Building Sports Stadiums” says that the editorial boards in almost every city he visited supported the public funding of stadiums, and he was amazed at the lack of interest from the local media.

Art Rooney II only goes out of his way to speak to the media when there is something in it for him and his team. Again, smart business. He knows where his friends are.

But the billionaire team owners, who have been enriched by the generosity (with other people’s money) of stupid, corrupt politicians, would be doing everybody a favor if they showed a little more appreciation for gifts already received and just shut up.

Conor Sheary has far-reaching impact on Penguins

By Brian Metzer

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

March 6, 2017

(Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports)

Star power isn’t a problem for the Penguins.

On any given night Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel can entertain the crowd. They make for an impressive trio, but it doesn’t end there. When healthy they boast a number of others that could be considered top-five players on any other team in the league.Star power isn’t a problem for the Penguins.

That’s the problem though: Health isn’t something that has been very plentiful, and it has taken a toll.

Rather than lament the injuries that are currently keeping defensemen Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley and forward Bryan Rust out of the lineup, it seemed like a good time to talk about the impact of a returning player.

Conor Sheary returned to action Friday and helped the team reel off back-to-back victories over Tampa Bay and Buffalo. They rolled up nine goals over that span and he’s again become a fixture on Crosby’s wing.

Coach Mike Sullivan has shuffled his lines a bit over the course of those two games, but Sheary has logged plenty of time with the Penguins captain. The chemistry between them wasn’t immediately recaptured, but it is coming.

“I think we’re finding it again a little bit,” Sheary said on Sunday. “I think the first game maybe here and there we were a little bit off. When you don’t play together for that long that happens, but I think we’re finding it again.”

Sheary took no time to get in sync with defenseman Justin Schultz, who has been an indispensable piece of the lineup. The latter found the former for the game-winning goal against the Sabres on Sunday, showing both speed and skill that had been missing for over a month.

Schultz slid down the right wing and thought about taking the shot, but instead saw Sheary burst past Sabres forward Sam Reinhart. He flicked a long-range, cross-ice saucer pass right to where Sheary could bury it behind goaltender Anders Nilsson.

“I saw him see me and I was definitely screaming for it,” Sheary said of the play. “He put it right on my tape.”

Now, it would be foolish to try to make the case that plays like this one haven’t happened during the games Sheary has missed. You’ll always see those plays with a team like the Penguins, but Sheary makes an already good team so much better.

Sheary, who comes in at 5-foot-8, 175-pounds, is just as important to the Penguins’ chances of repeating as any player mentioned above.

It’s amazing to see how far he’s come over the past two seasons.

Two years ago he had an impressive debut for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Playoffs -- he picked up six goals and 11 points in 15 games.

Eyes started to open when he scored 20 goals and 45 points in 58 AHL games during the 2014-15 season, then scored seven goals and 36 points in 30 games last season before a call up to Pittsburgh.

His work over 67 combined regular-season and playoff games -- 11 goals and nine assists -- while playing mostly with Crosby pointed to a guy who was destined to become a good, if not spectacular complimentary piece.

Boy, was that assessment wrong.

The team’s 12-4-4 record without him doesn’t make it seem like he was missed all that much during his two stints on injured reserve, but the team’s offense dipped without him. That’s not a shocking development when you consider that he’s scored 18 goals and 37 points in 44 games and remained the team’s sixth leading scorer after missing the month of February.

His two points on Sunday pushed him into fifth, ahead of Patric Hornqvist.

The team has produced more shots and more goals when he’s been in the lineup.

When he’s suited up this season, the Penguins average 3.63 goals and 36.9 shots per game. In 20 games without him, the numbers dip to 3.05 goals and 27.7 shots per outing. The latter numbers are manageable, but not enough to win a championship.

Crosby has also been better with Sheary. That isn’t to say that he isn’t great all the time, but the Penguins' captain has produced 1.20 points per game while playing with Sheary this season. That dips to 1.06 without his standard winger.

The Penguins are still missing a lot, but Sheary ensures that they’ll have another valuable weapon that gives them a chance to win on a nightly basis.

Guentzel, Sheary cap rally as Penguins edge Sabres 4-3

By Will Graves, Associated Press

http://www.espn.com/nhl/

March 5, 2017

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) blocks a shot by Buffalo Sabres' Evander Kane (9) in the third period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, March 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH -- His team flat, listless and basically overwhelmed during a miserable first period against Buffalo on Sunday, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan looked down his bench searching for a jolt.

He found one in Marc-Andre Fleury, who wondered in recent weeks if his time with the only NHL team he's ever known was winding down as the trade deadline closed in and Matt Murray kept getting start after start after start.

The Penguins held on to Fleury rather than part with the winningest goaltender in team history. They held onto him for games like Sunday, when his appearance on the ice seemed to calm down his struggling team and set the stage for a frantic comeback.

Fleury turned aside all 28 shots he faced in two periods and Pittsburgh rallied for an improbable 4-3 victory over the Sabres when Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary scored 50 seconds apart late in the third period.

For Fleury, it was career victory No. 373, and maybe one of the sweetest. He heard the roar from the 464th consecutive sellout at PPG Paints Arena when his No. 29 skated onto the ice. Two hours later, he raised his stick aloft after being named the game's No. 1 star.

"I've seen this team do it (come back) many times," said Fleury after the Penguins took over second place in the crowded Metropolitan Division. "I was just thinking to try to keep the team in the game and I was confident we could come back."

Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist during a dominant second period to get Pittsburgh started after falling into a 3-0 hole. Justin Schultz added a goal and two assist, including the slick cross-ice feed that set up Sheary's winner with 2:56 left in regulation.

"I saw (Schultz) see me, and I was definitely screaming for it," Sheary said. "He put it right on my tape."

Buffalo star Jack Eichel scored to extend his points streak to an NHL-best 10 games. Ryan O'Reilly scored in his third straight game and Brian Gionta picked up his 14th of the season, but the Sabres crumpled late. Anders Nilsson finished with 41 saves, but the Sabres let their flickering playoff hopes take another hit.

"We played aggressive in the first, then we sat back and let them take it to us in the second and third," Eichel said. "The tale of every game that we've played in the last few. So, nothing changes and we blow another lead."

Less than 24 hours removed from a shootout loss at home to Tampa Bay, the Sabres hardly looked tired during the opening 20 minutes. Buffalo poured in three goals on Murray in the first period, all of them from close range. O'Reilly chipped one over Murray's shoulder 6:19 into the game, Gionta's power-play goal 14:53 into the first doubled the lead and Eichel rifled a loose puck by Murray's stick at 18:07 for a 3-0 advantage that felt even larger.

The Penguins pulled Murray in favor of Fleury going into the second, though Murray was hardly to blame considering the wide open swaths of ice the Sabres skated through on the way to the Pittsburgh net. Sullivan said the move was "about the whole group" and not because of particularly poor play by Murray.

Either way, Fleury's arrival seemed to wake up his teammates. None more than Malkin.

The Russian star has been on a tear and kept it going during a barrage in the second period that fueled Pittsburgh's rally. He helped set up Justin Schultz's goal 7:45 into the second that gave the Penguins life and added his 29th of the season at 13:42 with a laser of a one-timer from the right circle, his NHL-leading 46th point at home.

The Sabres collected themselves in the third and appeared to have things in hand when Sheary and Guentzel struck. Guentzel reached back to redirect Sheary's shot from the point that slipped past Nilsson with 3:46 left in regulation to tie it. The goal stood after officials determined Guentzel's stick wasn't too high when the puck smacked off it on the way to the net.

"Was the stick high? Yeah," Eichel said. "Was it a high stick and not a goal? I don't know."

Game notes
Pittsburgh D Mark Streit nearly scored his second goal in two games since joining the Penguins last week, but officials ruled his rolling shot in the first period didn't fully cross the goal line before being flipped away. ... Schultz's 11 goals tie a career high set with Edmonton in 2013-14. ... Penguins D Kris Letang missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury. Sullivan indicated Letang could be out longer than previously thought. ... Buffalo D Dmitry Kulikov was scratched after sustaining an upper-body injury on Saturday against Tampa Bay. ... The Sabres were 1 for 5 on the power play. Pittsburgh went 1 for 4.

UP NEXT

Sabres: Host Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Penguins: Begin a five-game road trip in Winnipeg on Wednesday.

This is 40? Steelers re-sign James Harrison to two-year deal

By Chris Bradford

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

March 1, 2017

Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

PITTSBURGH -- Unlike in 2014 when James Harrison briefly retired following a one-year stint in Cincinnati, no one, absolutely no one, can accuse the linebacker of having left the game too soon.

On Wednesday, the Steelers re-signed Harrison to a two-year deal worth a reported $3.5 million that will take the 38-year-old through the 2018 season, at which point he’ll be 40.

“We wouldn’t have signed without (a second year). It was an important part of what we were doing,” said Bill Parise, Harrison’s Beaver County-based agent.

“We just want to have options. If you close out your options, you don’t have them. It’s always better to know what you’re doing.”

Given what Harrison showed last season, it’s not entirely impossible that he will serve out the length of his new contract. Harrison led the Steelers linebacking corps with five sacks to go along with 53 tackles and two forced fumbles, while playing 56.12 percent of defensive snaps.

After the Steelers’ loss to Dallas in Week 10, Harrison reclaimed his starting role at right outside linebacker, playing nearly every snap the rest of the season. Not coincidentally, Pittsburgh went on a nine-game winning streak that ended with a loss at New England in the AFC Championship.

Having won two Super Bowls and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, Harrison has accomplished everything in the league a player can, save for the Hall of Fame, which can’t be ruled out. But Harrison could be making up for lost time. He was not drafted out of Kent State and was cut several times before landing with the Steelers full-time in 2004. Harrison did not start every game in a season until 2007, when he was 29.

“James is an athlete, and athletes want to perform,” Parise said. “That is his motivation.”

Despite rumors of PED use -- he was mentioned in the since-disproven Al-Jazeera report last year -- Harrison’s workout regiment has become the stuff of legend and he is in tremendous shape for anyone regardless of age. But at some point the Steelers will look to draft his long-term replacement. That could come as early as the first round of this year’s draft when the Steelers select 30th overall.

That player likely will replace Jarvis Jones, who the Steelers selected in the first round of the 2013 draft with the original hope of replacing Harrison.

Harrison became the Steelers’ all-time leader in sacks last season and can become just the fifth player in NFL history to record one over the age of 39. That list includes Hall of Famers Reggie White and Bruce Smith, along with Clay Matthews and Jeff Zgonina. Of that group, only Matthews played linebacker.

Analysis: Where does Mark Streit fit with the Penguins?

By Brian Metzer

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/

March 1, 2017

Mark Streit #32 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against the Boston Bruins at the Wells Fargo Center on January 13, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Bruins 3-2.

(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America) 

The Penguins were involved in plenty of rumors heading into the NHL trade deadline, but the one thing that was known was that general manager Jim Rutherford wanted to bolster his blue line.

He did that with a deal just ahead of the deadline on Wednesday, acquiring left-shooting defenseman Mark Streit from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 2018 fourth-round draft pick. The Lightning acquired Streit from the Philadelphia Flyers earlier in the day and agreed to pay 50 percent of his contract. The Flyers are on the hook for 4.7 percent.

To facilitate the deal, Rutherford sent Eric Fehr, Steve Oleksy and a fourth-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for 23-year-old defensive prospect Frankie Corrado.

Streit, who turned 39 in December, is known for a booming shot from the point and is capable of quarterbacking the power play. That part of his game could benefit the Penguins, who have scored on just four of their past 33 opportunities.

Streit moves the puck quickly and is still capable of rushing it up the ice himself. He has put up lofty point totals in his career, going over 44 points on six occasions. He has chipped in five goals and 21 points in 49 games this season, but that number could grow as he gets acclimated to the skilled forwards on the Penguins roster.

Streit also brings veteran savvy and a hunger to win. He’s played in 31 playoff games, but he’s never won the Stanley Cup.

The move was sparked by the numerous injuries that have popped up on the Penguins blue line. Kris Letang, Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley are all on the shelf with various ailments. Daley is on long-term injured reserve and isn’t eligible to return until the playoffs, Maatta is still at least four weeks away and Letang has been skating but not taking contact.

There could be a definite logjam when everyone gets healthy.

Rutherford previously acquired Ron Hainsey from the Carolina Hurricanes and he’s currently playing alongside Brian Dumoulin on the top pairing. Justin Schultz just returned from a concussion and the defensive corps is fleshed out by Ian Cole, Chad Ruhwedel, Cameron Gaunce and the recently recalled Derrick Pouliot.

The moves leave the Penguins’ blue line heavy with left-handed shots. Their only right shooting defensemen when healthy are Schultz, Ruhwedel and Letang. Letang and Schultz are the only regulars.

Daley is the lone lefty who seems more comfortable playing on the right side, which makes him a wild card. Can he recover enough to play big minutes? That won’t be known for quite a while.

The blue looks like it could shake out as such when everyone is healthy: Dumoulin and Letang, Cole and Schultz, Hainsey and Daley.

Streit’s performance over the next several weeks could change that, but there will be some outstanding depth for Sullivan to choose from in the postseason. There will be upwards of nine NHL-caliber defenseman to choose from on any given night, so watch for a lot of shuffling around over a very busy slate of games in the month of March.