Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Gonchar deserves respect
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Good riddance, Gonch.That's the sarcastic sentiment I hear too often, and, quite frankly, don't get.
It's not that I am in favor of the Penguins re-signing Sergei Gonchar, a potential unrestricted free agent as of Thursday, for any longer than two years. That would be too bold a risk for a 36-year-old defenseman who merits at least $5 million per season.
But if Gonchar goes, it won't be nearly as easy to replace him as some might think -- even if Dan Hamhuis signs -- and, more to the point, wouldn't he deserve more than a cascade of catcalls on his way out of town?
Before we dive deeper into that cesspool, let's chew on some numbers. Here are the Pengiuns' power-play percentages with and without Gonchar this past season, not including the playoffs, when they clicked at a rate of better 26 percent:
» With: 19.8 percent (48 for 243)
» Without: 9.6 percent (8 for 83)
Here are the Penguins' records with and without Gonchar the past two seasons, including a mark of 9-10-1 without him this past season, 38-18-6 with him:
» With: 55-22-10
» Without: 37-34-6
Happily, it seems to be a small segment of the fan base that wants to kick Gonchar out the door amid a barrage of insults. Probably the same people who mock-cheered their Stanley Cup-champion goaltender on the first shot of the second game of the playoffs.
For these folks, the enduring image of Gonchar undoubtedly is his Statue-of-Liberty play in Game 7 of the Montreal series, when he inexplicably froze and allowed Travis Moen to skate past him for a short-handed goal.
Gonchar was horrific in Game 7, which put him in the company of about 15 of his teammates, including the club's highly paid young superstars.
I would hope that for most fans, the images that stand out are of Gonchar's prolific play and steady leadership.
A snapshot that comes to mind is Gonchar doing his best Willis Reed impersonation in Game 7 of last year's Capitals series, unexpectedly returning from a knee injury. Remember the one-legged slap shot he took that led to Sidney Crosby's ice-breaker in the first period?
Or how about when Gonchar, besieged by an injured back and neck, made it from the dressing room to the bench in the third overtime of the legendary fifth game of the Stanley Cup Final two years ago, then assisted on Petr Sykora's game-winner?
The man has been nothing but class and production personified in a Penguins uniform, even when he walked into a dysfunctional mess in 2005 and was booed regularly in his home building. His production has not waned, either, though he did miss most of the 2008-09 season with a shoulder injury and 20 more games this past season.
Even through the injuries, Gonchar's output remains steady. Consider his points-per-game averages over the past four seasons, and keep in mind that he is the only player to rank in the top five in this category -- points per game among defensemen -- in each of those years:
» 2006-07 -- 0.82 points per game (4th among defensemen)
» 2007-08 -- 0.83 ppg (2nd)
» 2008-09 -- 0.76 ppg (3rd, though he only played 25 games)
» 2009-10 -- 0.81 ppg (3rd)
It's not like Gonchar is just a power-play specialist, either. When he is right, he controls the pace of a game and steers his team through trouble. As prospect Ben Lovejoy -- one of the guys who could benefit from Gonchar's departure -- put it, "He's almost always the most efficient player on the ice."
And if Gonchar was so horrible in the playoffs, how did he finish plus-4 with 12 points (second on the team) in 13 games, while playing a team-high 26:27 per game?
If the Penguins can retain him at, say, two years and $10 million, it's an easy choice: Do it.
If Gonchar wants three of more years, or significantly more money, it's time to cut ties, and that likely would leave Alex Goligoski as the power-play quarterback.
Maybe the talented Goligoski would thrive with the increased responsibility. Who knows? I'm not saying the Penguins couldn't overcome the loss the Gonchar. I'm just saying be careful what you wish for.
And, for goodness sakes, give the man the respect he deserves.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Crosby loses out on Hart Trophy, Lindsay Award
Thursday, June 24, 2010
By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/?m=1
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Mark Messier and Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins pose with the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award Wednesday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Crosby won the award.
LAS VEGAS -- No one wanted to predict who would win the major trophies before the NHL Awards gala, and it turns out there was good reason.
Things got spread around at the NHL awards show Wednesday at the Palms Casino Resort, and not only between the league's poster boys -- Penguins center Sidney Crosby and Washington left winger Alex Ovechkin. This time, Vancouver center Henrik Sedin joined the party.
Sedin won his first Hart Trophy as MVP of the NHL as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, and Ovechkin won the Ted Lindsay Award for outstanding player as voted by the league players.
Crosby was not shut out. He won the Mark Messier Leadership Award overseen by the Hall of Famer, was recognized for sharing the Maurice Richard Trophy with Steven Stamkos as the top goal-scorers with 51 each and was named the second-team center behind Sedin on the postseason All-Star teams.
Penguins center Jordan Staal finished third as a first-time finalist for the Selke Trophy, which goes to the best defensive forward.
Sedin broke a stranglehold that saw Ovechkin or Crosby win the Hart and Lindsay (formerly called the Lester B. Pearson Award) the past three years.
"That says a lot," Crosby said of injecting a little diversity into the results. "Alex year after year is right there for individual awards. Henrik had a great season. I think everyone kind of saw that coming with the great seasons he's had year after year.
"I don't think there were any surprises. Those guys had terrific seasons."
Sedin, 31, has been a quiet star for the Canucks before winning the scoring title with 112 points this past season. In the Hart voting, he garnered 894 points, including 46 first-place votes.
Ovechkin -- who tied Crosby for second in scoring with 109 points but played nine fewer games -- was second in the voting with 834 points, including 40 first-place votes. He won the Hart and Pearson awards the past two seasons, beating out Penguins center Evgeni Malkin both times.
Crosby was third with 729 Hart points, 20 first-place votes. He won the Hart and Pearson in 2007
"When I won the second year [of my career], I was fortunate to that point to do really well at award shows, win things," Crosby said. "I think part of me probably didn't appreciate it quite as much. I think now I do. I realize how tough it is. I was just happy to be here.
"When you're looking at the three guys who were nominated, all the guys had great seasons."
Sedin said a day earlier he did not think he had a chance to win because he was up against Crosby and Ovechkin.
"They've been the faces of the sport since they joined the league," Sedin said. "I'm very proud. Those players are second to none. I thought the Hart was out of the question."
He was proven wrong.
Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk won the Selke for the third consecutive season with 688 points, including 37 first-place votes. Vancouver's Ryan Kesler, a finalist for the second year in a row, was second with 655 points, including 36 first-place votes.
Staal, 21, had 528 points, with 24 first-place votes. He tied a career high with 49 points, including 21 goals, in 2010-11.
He was a bit dazzled by the experience.
"Vegas itself is a pretty cool city," Staal said. "Being up for an award like that is something really special and exciting. It wasn't the way I wanted it to end, but there were some great players beside me.
"I was disappointed, but that comes in the same breath as being excited just to be here and be a part of it."
On a night when awards host and comedian Jay Mohr had the audience in stitches, the most touching moment came when Washington goaltender Jose Theodore won the Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
"It brought back some tough memories," said a tearful Theodore, who lost his infant son, Chase, a few weeks before training camp last summer. Chase would have turned 1 Tuesday.
"I'm still struggling to get by every day," said Theodore, who established the "Saves the Kids" charity.
In the other major awards, Buffalo defenseman Tyler Myers won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year; Phoenix's Dave Tippett won the Jack Adams Award for top coach; Buffalo's Ryan Miller won the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender; Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis won the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship; and Chicago's Duncan Keith won the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman.
NOTES -- Crosby has another celebration around the corner. He will take part Monday in a large festival of Canadian Olympians and the military in Edmonton. Crosby scored the overtime goal against Miller and the United States in the gold-medal game in Vancouver in February.
Shelly Anderson: shanderson@post-gazette.com.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Cooke agrees to three-year deal with Penguins
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
"C" is for contract and the Cookie Monster is staying in Pittsburgh.
Left wing Matt Cooke has reached a verbal agreement on a three-year contract with the Penguins. Term was agreed upon Monday night and the contract has been sent to NHL central registry to be made official.
Financial terms were not immediately known, but Cooke is one of the rare plus-30 players to re-sign with the Penguins on a multi-year deal since Shero was named to his post in May 2006.Cooke, 31, was one of eight Penguins eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Finding a resolution with him and defenseman Sergei Gonchar, 36, were the top offseason priorities of Penguins general manager Ray Shero.
Cooke originally signed with the Penguins in July 2008. In two seasons he scored 28 goals and recorded 61 points, and he became a staple on 'The Nightmare Line' with center Jordan Staal and right wing Tyler Kennedy.
Controversial for his penchant to push the envelope with his gritty and abrasive style, Cooke turned in arguably his most impactful season last year with 15 goals, 30 points and a plus-17 rating. He added four playoff goals, three more than he produced on the Penguins' run to the Stanley Cup in 2009.
His role on the Penguins changed with the hiring of coach Dan Bylsma in February 2009. Bylsma inserted Cooke onto the penalty kill, and that added responsibility sparked a level of consistency to his performance. He has scored 20 goals and recorded 46 points to go with a plus-22 rating in 104 regular-season games he played under Bylsma.
Cooke gained notoriety March 7 with his open-ice hit on Boston Bruins center Marc Savard. Not penalized because the hit was legal, Cooke and the hit were criticized because of the result. Savard was carried from the Mellon Arena ice on a stretcher. He did not play until the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs because of a concussion.
Cooke was not suspended for the hit, but league general managers drafted a new rule aimed at removing head shots from the game later in the month.
Cooke had stated his preference was to remain with the Penguins, with whom he had become a trusted dressing-room voice. His salary-cap hit was $1.2 million the last two seasons.
Unclear is how his re-singing will impact negotiations between Shero and Gonchar'As agent, JP Barry. The Gonchar camp was awaiting word from Shero on a submitted proposal, and Barry said Monday he hoped to speak with Shero midweek or at the NHL draft this weekend in Los Angeles.
Gonchar is seeking a multi-year contract and has not publicly expressed an eagerness to take less than market value to remain with the Penguins, who expect to be tight against the salary cap entering next season.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Sidney Crosby adds to his resume
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Comparisons follow Penguins center Sidney Crosby off the ice like the puck seems to on it, and his general manager offered a new one Friday."He's mentally very strong when it comes to critical situations in a game, in a series. He recognizes it and takes advantage of it," Ray Shero said. "(Hall of Famer Bryan) Trottier was the same way -- a great two-way player that was a winner. He made other players better. I loved watching him play."
Shero, who still owns a stick autographed by Trottier, has loved watching Crosby in four seasons guiding the Penguins. In that span, Crosby has won the Stanley Cup, an MVP and scoring title, produced a 50-goal season, scored a gold-medal-winning goal for Canada at the Olympics and helped revitalize hockey in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins will carry a sellout streak of three-plus seasons into the new Consol Energy Center.
"He's a game-changer," Penguins center Jordan Staal said of Crosby, whom he will join Wednesday at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas.
Staal, 21, is up for the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top two-way forward. Crosby, 22, can win the Hart Trophy (MVP) and Ted Lindsay Award (top player) for a second time, and he also is up for the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
That's just one reason why Sporting News deemed Crosby the top athlete under 25. The outlet considered major statistics, championships to which an athlete made a contribution, "buzz" factor and age. The top five: Crosby; Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, 24; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, 21; Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, 24; and Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, 24.
One of Crosby's favorite words is consistency. He strives for that in every game. That drive, Staal said, sets a standard of intensity and commitment for Penguins players.
"Sid is one of those guys who changes the way a game is going when he wants to, and he seems to want to every night," Staal said. "Obviously he contributes so many things offensively, but the thing is we count on him for so many things -- the goals, the passes, winning faceoffs, making plays in his own zone and leading us."
Staal, admittedly a biased observer, believes Crosby should win big next week in Vegas.
"I wouldn't say I've ever seen him better than he was last season," Staal said. "Every night he was battling, scoring goals, doing the right things. He never got tired. He just kept moving forward."
Crosby is still moving forward. He spent last offseason working on his shot. He's spending this one working on his jump.
"The last couple of offseasons were so short," he said. "I felt like I was just trying to get back to where I was. This year, I'm working to get strong and faster, so next season maybe I can be a little quicker."
Note: Shero said "nothing is imminent" regarding new contracts for the Penguins' impending unrestricted free agents. He said he has not set deadlines for any player, although that "is a possibility." Defenseman Sergei Gonchar, the Penguins' free-agent priority, has a no-trade clause that gives him final say on a destination if the club opts to move his rights before July 1, when free agency opens.
The Crosby file
A look at Penguins center Sidney Crosby's notable achievements through five NHL seasons:
» He has topped 100 points four times, including every season in which he appeared in at least 55 games.
» At 19, he was named the youngest captain in NHL history in 2007. At 21, he became the youngest captain of a Stanley Cup champion in 2009.
» He won the Hart Trophy (MVP), Lester B. Pearson Award (top player) and Art Ross Trophy (scoring title) in 2007. He is a finalist for the Hart, Ted Lindsay Award (top player) and Mark Messier Leadership Award this year.
» His 51 goals tied for the NHL lead last season.
» He scored the overtime goal to give Canada a victory over the United States in the gold-medal game at the Vancouver Olympics.
» His 506 regular-season points are seventh, and his 82 playoff points are fifth in franchise history.
Sources: NHL.com, Pittsburgh Penguins
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Interview: Evgeni Malkin
By Dmitry Chesnokov
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/
Sat May 29, 2010 1:30 pm EDT
Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin(notes) recently spoke on Russian TV (NTV Plus channel) and was his usual candid self in Russian-language interviews.
I've translated a portion of the transcript posted online in which Geno speaks about his admiration of teammate Sidney Crosby(notes); his opinions on Alex Ovechkin(notes) as an NHL player; and why stats don't always determine who the best players are.Here's Malkin's quotes from the interview:
"I got very lucky that I got on the same team with Sidney Crosby. I don't know why many underrate his talent, say that he is 'over-promoted,' that he has been talked about since he was 14. To me he is the No. 1 player in the world. I won't say why other players are not as good as he is; to me he is the best. I played with a lot of guys.
"I don't think that if a player gets 120 points -- for example, Alex Ovechkin or Henrik Sedin(notes) -- then he is the best. To me the main criteria are, in the first place, it is work in practice, work in the locker room, work during games. Crosby gives 200 percent every time, whether it is a practice or a game. To me it was a huge example when I came to Pittsburgh. I had never seen such a worker. Moreover, Sidney participates in every team meeting, films commercials, gives a lot of interviews. He does it for the team, in the first place.
"We have a good, friendly relationship with Crosby. In principle, I have good relationships with all the guys. Sidney is a quiet boy. [Laughs] Actually, not a boy, but a man. Certainly without a crown on his head, quite adequate, very demanding to himself, very forthcoming, fun. He can party just like everyone else.
"As far as who is better, Malkin or Ovechkin -- here everyone has their own opinion. What sort of a discussion could it be? If Ovechkin is the best to me, then for someone else it's Malkin, for another one it is Crosby. Of course, it is interesting for viewers to talk, but... How can you determine who is the best? I don't know to what extent Ovechkin and I may be viewed as representatives of the same school. When Ovechkin came to the NHL, he adjusted very quickly, adapted to the Canadian style. And it is a huge plus for him.
"In my first years [in the NHL] I felt a bit uncomfortable, unconfident. I felt bounded somewhat. Until I understood the essence of the rink, the essence of the game... Alex has such a talent that he quickly adapts to rink sizes, the style of play, plus he has this insolence, in a good way, helps him a lot. I think that right now he is already a 'Canadian,' you can say. This is what he is called in the NHL - the 'Russian Canadian,' because he completes so many hits in a game. In this setting he's like a knife in butter.
"I needed more time, but with time I got used to, and in my third/fourth year in the NHL, I feel quite confident already. And, to be honest, I am also becoming a Canadian. Because you start thinking more about a shot, you don't think about a pass anymore. It is difficult to keep your Russian style of play when you're at a different arena in a foreign country, on these small rinks.
"That's why in Germany it was interesting when we played with Pavel Datsyuk(notes): a lot of passes. We played, of course, a little different than in the NHL. It's just when you are required to shoot more during a game, you don't think about passes. If you start passing, you will be benched. And you start implementing coach's plan, and when you're implementing it then you switch to the different type of game."
Next week, I should have more offseason news involving the NHL, the KHL and free-agent decisions.
Related: Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Sedin, Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins, Crosby vs. Ovechkin vs. Malkin
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Crosby deserves the Hart
http://www.behindthenethockey.com/
I posted this fanpost over at From the Rink because I had some of these ideas bouncing around in my head the past couple of days. I'm re-posting it here because I'd love to get some feedback and see what you all think.
(For the record, DeltaOpp and DeltaSOT are metrics used at Puck Prospectus to evaluate player's performances. Here's where I found the data. This article is also inspired in part by Tom Awad's article on the same topic).
Quality of Teammates: The first aspect I want to analyze is the quality of teammates these three skaters spent the majority of their time with. Crosby centered a line with Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz, Henrik Sedin was between his brother Daniel and Alexander Burrows, and Ovechkin was flanked by Niklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble. I used Tom Awad's GVT ratings to analyze the quality of teammates that the Hart trophy candidates had on their line, and then took the average to get a single number for comparison's sake. For Pittsburgh, Kunitz finished the year with a 6.2 GVT and Guerin finished with a 2.8, for an average of 4.5. For Vancouver, Daniel Sedin finished with a 21.2 GVT, and Burrows finished with an 18.1 GVT, for an average of 19.7. For Washington, Backstrom finished with a 24.6 GVT and Knuble finished with a 12.7 GVT, for an average of 18.7. While Sedin and Ovechkin were playing with almost identical line mates, Crosby was toiling with only 1/5 the quality of the other two.Advantage: Crosby
(For those interested, GVT numbers can be found here, and an explanation of what GVT is can be found here, here, and here).
Quality of Competition: Henrik Sedin almost never gets matched up against quality opponents, as that role is reserved for the defensive line of Mason Raymond and Ryan Kesler. Therefore, his -0.1 DeltaOpp indicates average opponents at best. Ovechkin has a higher DeltaOpp than Sedin at 1.3, while Crosby blows the other two out of the water with a DeltaOpp of 2.7. This indicates that Crosby is going up against the opponent's top lines, and consistently producing at a rate almost equivalent to that of Sedin and Ovechkin.
Advantage: Crosby
Offense: Now that we have some perspective on the teammates and competition that the Hart candidates are equipped with, we can look at the offensive statistics that each one put up. Sedin finished the season with 112 points in 82 games, while Crosby and Ovechkin tied for second at 109 points in 81 and 72 games respectively. That's 1.37 points per game for Henrik, 1.35 for Crosby, and 1.51 for Ovechkin. With regards to the powerplay, Crosby and Sedin produce almost the same goals per 60 minutes, with Crosby at 1.6 and Sedin at 1.5. Ovechkin takes the cake on this account with 2.0 goals per 60 minutes, but it's important to remember that he's playing on a much more talented powerplay than either Sedin or Crosby. Also, as a minor note, though Ovechkin finished with only one less goal than Crosby, only one of Crosby's goals was an empty netter, while five of Ovechkin's were.
Another offensive consideration that should be taken into account is the quality of divisional opponents. This is significant because almost 30% of a team's games are played within their division. To get a rough estimation of the quality of each division, I added up the goals against for each other team in a Hart candidate's division. Crosby's division (Atlantic) allowed the fewest collective goals of the three, with 898. Sedin (Northwest) was next with 973 collective goals against, and Ovechkin's division was last with 1,016 goals against. It seems like Ovechkin plays in a weaker division than both Crosby and Sedin.
In conclusion, Crosby and Sedin put up almost identical offensive numbers, but Crosby gets the advantage because of the lack of quality line mates and better competition he played against. In terms of Ovechkin versus Crosby, Ovechkin's numbers look better outright, but when weighed against the data on line mates, competition, and divisional quality, they take on a less flattering appeal for Ovechkin.
Advantage: Draw between Ovechkin and Crosby
Defense: Defense is always tougher to measure than offensive capabilities. +/- alone is typically misleading, but fortunately, Gabriel Desjardins has compiled a lot of advanced +/- statistics that can paint a better picture. What I'm looking at is the difference between a player's +/-ON/60 (which is the player's +/- per 60 minutes of ice time) and +/-OFF/60 (which is a player's +/- per 60 minutes of time off the ice). For Crosby, the difference is 1.08, Sedin is at 1.95, and Ovechkin is at 2.08.
Included in defense is also a forward's penalty killing work. On this front, Ovechkin gets no points because he doesn't kill any penalties. In terms of Crosby and Sedin, both kill penalties for roughly the same amount of time per game, and both scored two short-handed goals on the year. Using another Puck Prospectus metric, DeltaSOT, Crosby led the league in 4-on-5 play this year with a 2.7, and Henrik was at 1.1. Of course, if both players killed penalties at the rate of their teammates (like Jordan Staal and Ryan Kesler) then the bigger sample would probably depress their numbers. Yet looking at what penalty killing stats we have for the three, Crosby is the best.
In conclusion, Ovechkin has the best adjusted plus minus of any of the three players, but he did this in a weaker division with great line mates and slightly above average competition. Sedin was almost as good, though he did this against the worst competition of any of the three candidates. Crosby put up good numbers, and had the best pk stats of the three. I'll give the slight nod to Ovechkin on this one.
Advantage: Ovechkin
Miscellaneous: In this section, I'm going to look at a couple of other statistics that I think are relevant to this analysis.
First, faceoffs. As a winger, Ovechkin doesn't take any faceoffs, but since Crosby and Sedin are both centermen, they take plenty of them. Crosby has taken the most draws in the NHL, and has the most wins with 1,001. In terms of percentage, Crosby won 55.9% of his draws, good for 11th in the league, and Henrik won 49.5%, good for 59th in the league. Crosby was also more consistent, winning 56% of his draws at home and 55% on the road, while Sedin won 53% of his draws at home but was a below average 46% on the road.
Next, I'm going to look at shootout numbers. While some may think the shootout is an assault on the purity of the sport, you're completely entitled to that opinion, but nevertheless, the shootout is still a significant part of the game right now because it can be the difference between 1 or 2 points (and for Philadelphia, the difference between the playoffs or not). For those with at least four shootout attempts, Sidney Crosby led the league in success rate, potting 8-of-10 opportunities. Ovechkin was 2-for-9 on the year, and Sedin did not take any shootout attempts.
Finally, a quick look at penalties taken and drawn. Crosby drew 27 penalties and took 21 on the year, with a +6 differential. Henrik took 18 and drew 23, with a +5 differential, and Ovechkin drew 24 and took 17, with a +7 differential. Ovechkin also had three game misconducts assessed against him.
Advantage: Crosby
Conclusion: Looking at all of the statistics, Crosby is the most deserving of the three Hart candidates. Given the vast gap between his line mates and those of Ovechkin and Sedin, as well as the difference in competition, it's incredible that he was able to put up comparable offensive numbers. That he did is a testament to his talent. He also succeeded in everything that he was asked to do, whether it was faceoffs, killing penalties, or scoring goals. Perhaps most significant for the MVP award, Crosby was involved in 42.4% of his team's goals this season. For Sedin, it was 41.1%, while Ovechkin was involved in only 34% of his team's scores. Simply put, Crosby deserves the Hart.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Penguins not interested in trading Malkin
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Friday, May 21, 2010
Evgeni Malkin will play for the Penguins next season.
Two sources told the Tribune-Review that Malkin, the Penguins' No. 2 center and co-highest paid player, will not be traded during the offseason.
MONTREAL- MAY 6: Evgeni Malkin(notes) #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins stick handles the puck while being defended by Roman Hamrlik(notes) #44 of the Montreal Canadiens in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 6, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)The topic of trading Malkin has become a hot-button issue on the local talk-show circuit in the days after the Penguins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens.
Malkin and top center Sidney Crosby combined to score two goals in that series. Each player will count $8.7 million against the NHL's salary cap next season, and the Penguins are committed to $21.4 million among Crosby, Malkin and No. 3 center Jordan Staal for the next three seasons.
No other team has that much cap-space tied into three centers, but Penguins management believes this blueprint is the franchise's best bet to win the Stanley Cup in the first season at Consol Energy Center.
Malkin and Crosby finished 1-2 in playoff scoring during the Penguins' 2009 run to the Stanley Cup.
There has been debate among fans - though not internally within the Penguins - that moving one of the so-called "Big Three" centers could help address franchise needs for a scoring-line wing and high-end prospects.
The Penguins have entered the last two seasons within about $1 million of the cap, and ownership has signed off on again spending to the upper limit next season. The crop of NHL players expected to test free agency is considered strong at defense and weak at wing.
Malkin, 23, produced career lows in goals (28), points (77) and games (67) during the regular season. The previous year he paced the NHL with 113 points and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for the Stanley Cup champion Penguins.
He has served as an alternate captain the last two seasons and will enter the second season of a five-year extension. He was the second overall pick in the 2003 entry draft. The Penguins selected Crosby at first overall in 2005 and Staal at second overall in 2006.
Crosby, 22, is a finalist for the Hart Trophy (MVP) and Ted Lindsay Award (best player) after finishing the regular season tied for the NHL lead with 51 goals. Staal, 21, is a first-time finalist for the Selke Trophy (best defensive forward).
More Penguins headlines
Canadiens break out in Eastern Conference finals
Blackhawks' Bolland bothers Sharks
NHL bouncing its way back
Blackhawks come home with lead
Canadiens' first goal is scoring a goal on Flyers
Penguins extend defenseman Engelland
Bruins look to put collapse behind
Penguins face tough decision with free agency
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/?m=1
Sometimes, things just don't make any sense ...
After the 2007-08 NHL season, the Penguins lost good friend Marian Hossa, Jarkko Ruutu and Adam Hall to free agency and would have lost Ryan Malone if they hadn't traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning first. The losses hurt the team so much that it won the Stanley Cup the next season.
Crazy.
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
After that Cup year, the Penguins lost Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. This time, the losses stung more than hardly anyone could have imagined; the team was eliminated in seven games by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the playoffs.
Who saw that coming?
Which leads to another pertinent question:
What impact will the Penguins' free-agent losses this summer have on the team next season?
Not much, I'm thinking.
That isn't to say it wouldn't be wonderful to keep winger Matt Cooke and defenseman Mark Eaton. But the rest? No Sergei Gonchar? No Bill Guerin? No Alexei Ponikarovsky? No Ruslan Fedotenko? No Jordan Leopold? No Jay McKee?
No problem.
I hear you screaming, Gonchar fans. Sorry. It's time to part ways. Gonchar is 36. It's hard to say he's indispensable on the power play when it ranked 19th in the league this season and 20th last season, when it struggled so badly against the Canadiens, going 4 for 25 in the final six games, including 0 for 6 in Game 7. It might be different if Gonchar would take a one-year deal. But he wants more. The Penguins should thank him for five fine, fun years here and move on.
Guerin also deserves a big thank you for his role in winning the Cup. Another contract is another matter. He will hit 40 in November. You know what they say, right? Time stops for no one. Guerin is terrific in the dressing room -- captain Sidney Crosby adores him -- but he shouldn't have a place on the Penguins' 2010-11 roster.
Nor should Ponikarovsky and Fedotenko.
When the Penguins traded high-end prospect Luca Caputi to Toronto to get Ponikarovsky in March, they did so with every expectation of trying to do a new contract with him. That thinking had to change when Ponikarovsky showed them little in 16 regular-season games (two goals) and less in 11 playoff games (one goal). He was so bad that he was scratched for Games 5 and 6 against the Canadiens.
Fedotenko was worse. He was a healthy scratch for seven of the 13 postseason games. You want him back? I didn't think so.
Nothing against Leopold and McKee, it's just time for the Penguins to look for a tougher, better defenseman on the free-agent market. Do you realize they don't have even one defenseman who can fight? It's also time to go with one or two of the young guys in the system. Ben Lovejoy, for sure. Perhaps Deryk Engelland. Maybe Robert Bortuzzo down the road ...
Don't get me wrong. I'd still try to find a spot for Eaton. I like that guy. So smart. So steady. So serviceable. You hardly ever see him out of position or make a mistake. If his price isn't outrageous, he definitely should be brought back.
The same is true of Cooke. He's much more than just an "agitator," a description that he despises. "An agitator, to me, is someone who gets 10 points a year and does his job. I like to think I contribute more to the team than that," he said a few weeks ago. Cooke had 15 goals during the regular season -- playing mostly on a formidable third line with Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy -- and was one of the Penguins' best players in the playoffs with four goals. He's also a superb penalty-killer.
There's no question Cooke wants to stay. "I love it here. It's an amazing place," he has said. But that price thing frightens me with him. He might have played so well that the Penguins can't afford him, if not because of the dollars, then because of the years. That's what happened with Ruutu. The Ottawa Senators trumped the Penguins' two-year offer to him by giving him a three-year, $3.9 million contract. Cooke is a much better player than Ruutu. There's a good chance another team will make him an offer he can't refuse.
Good for Cooke, if that happens.
Not so good for the Penguins.
Not the end of the world, though.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Vinnie and Cook" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan. More articles by this author
Monday, May 17, 2010
SHERO ISN'T PERFECT
KDKA Pittsburgh Sports Insider
http://pod08.prospero.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=kdka_sports
May 16, 2010 9:18 AM
PITTSBURGH - MAY 12: Matt Cooke(notes) #24 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles for a loose puck with Jaroslav Halak(notes) #41 of the Montreal Canadiens in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Mellon Arena on May 12, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
With the hockey season over with, it's time to evaluate everyone and that includes Pens General Manager Ray Shero. I've noticed that he's a guy that rarely gets questioned or criticized by the media. I'm not here to say he's done a bad job, only to say that his reputation might be abit overrated.
First of all, the Penguins made the Stanley Cup Finals in consecutive seasons because of the core put together by former GM Craig Patrick. That group of players includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Sergei Gonchar, Kris Letang, Max Talbot, Rob Scuderi. Shero did draft Jordan Staal and acquired Marian Hossa, Billy Guerin and Hal Gill but they won the Cup because of the core.
To this point, the Shero era is entirely known for his deadline deals. He's done alot of trading away the future in order to help the present and alot of time that's helped. However, he has traded a lot of prospects and draft picks in order to do this. Let's take a look:
2006-07 Season:
*Traded Noah Welch to Florida for Gary Roberts (Good deal)
*Traded Daniel Carcillo and a 3rd round pick to Phoenix for Georges Laraque (Real bad deal, I'd love to have Carcillo on this team, plus he included a 3rd round pick)
*Traded a fourth round pick (2007) to Florida for Joel Kwiatkowski
*Acquired left wing Nils Ekman and goaltender Patrick Ehelechner from San Jose in exchange for a 2007 second-round pick. (Another wasted 2nd round pick)
*Signed Mark Eaton to a 2-year deal (Good signing)
2007-08 Season:
*Acquired Hal Gill from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second and fifth round draft pick in 2008. (Good deal because they won the Cup but another traded 2nd round pick)
*Acquired Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis from the Atlanta Thrasers in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first round draft pick in 2008 (Alot given away for a rent a player.....Top prospect plus a 1st round pick (Is this one of the reasons that the Penguins haven't been able to develop a solid winger in years? Just asking)
*Acquire a third-round round pick in 2007 from Atlanta Thrashers for Chris Thorburn.
2008-09 Season:
*Traded a 2nd round pick for Bill Guerin (Good deal)
*Claimed forward Craig Adams off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks. (Good signing)
*Acquired left wing Chris Kunitz and winger Eric Tangradi from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Ryan Whitney (Good deal but I don't think Kunitz is worth $4 million per season.....This will be a real good deal if Tangradi turns into a productive winger)
*Signed forward Matt Cooke to a two-year contract worth $1.2M per year. (Very good deal, maybe on of his best)
*Signed forward Miroslav Satan to a one-year $3.5M contract and forward Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year $2.25M contract. (Not good deals)
*Signed right wing Eric Godard to a three-year, $2.25M deal. (Alot of money for a goon)
2009-10 Season:
*Acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold from Florida in exchange for a second round pick in the 2010 NHL Amateur Draft. (Leopold was bad defensively and wasn't worth a 2nd round pick)
* Obtained forward Alexi Ponikarovsky from Toronto in exchange for Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula. (I'd rather have Caputi)
Here are two other observations: 1) When talking about Rob Scuderi everyone says the Pens couldn't afford to keep everyone and Scuderi priced himself out of Pittsburgh. True, but, he wouldn't have priced himself out if the Penguins would've thought ahead and signed him prior to the season and not let him reach his free agent year. Same goes for Matt Cooke. Unless he decides to give the Penguins a hometown discount, Cooke is gone. He'll command too much on the open market. The Penguins knew what they had with Cooke and shouldn't have let him become a free agent. 2) Why haven't the Penguins and Shero been able to develop a winger in 4-5 years? It's amazing that not one winger has been able to be developed since acquiring Crosby and Malkin? Why is that? The sad part is that aside from Tangradi (who they didn't draft), there's still nothing in the minors. All of the winger prospects with the Baby Pens team are all considered to be 3rd line players. What's going on with the Penguins drafting? Maybe they haven't been able to draft an wingers because they've traded away some many high picks for rent a players.
Shero has done an OK job as Pens GM but he has a lot of work to do to convince me that he's better than Craig Patrick.
Penguins: Organizational Analysis
Sunday, May 16, 2010
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/?m=1
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
All anyone has been able to remember the past few days is how the season ended Wednesday for the Penguins and Alexei Ponikarovsky. But there was more to the year than one game.
The Penguins truly believed that they were different, that they could become the first team in more than a decade to win consecutive Stanley Cups.
They just did not play like it nearly often enough.
There are plenty of theories to explain their upset loss against Montreal in Round 2 of the playoffs -- everything from fatigue borne of consecutive trips to the Cup final to a shortage of defensive defensemen to sub-par performances by some big-time talent has been mentioned -- and a lot of them are rooted in reality.
Whatever the reason, though, the Penguins became just another victim in the run of upsets by lower-seeded teams in the playoffs this spring, rather that taking advantage of the watered-down field it created to reach the final for the third year in a row. And coming to grips with that squandered opportunity might be even tougher for them than getting pucks past Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak was for most of Round 2.
Nonetheless, the Penguins' nucleus has few, if any, equals and the roster needs fine-tuning, not a complete overhaul, to have them back in contention in 2010-11.
What follows is a look at where the Penguins have been, and where they are headed.
Management
Ray Shero has made a habit of pulling off shrewd personnel moves in the four years since he replaced Craig Patrick as general manager, and he filled some holes well last summer with free agents such as Jay McKee and Mike Rupp.
He never replaced Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill on defense -- not that matching the contracts they got from Los Angeles and Montreal would have been wise, or even possible -- and as the trade deadline approached, opted for a defenseman better known for his skating and puck-moving than his physicality, Jordan Leopold. Adding some muscle and a stay-at-home presence or two should be a priority this summer. So should, if Shero can free the money required, bringing in at least one top-six winger who can score more than 20 goals.
It is hard to argue with Shero's strength-down-the-middle approach to team-building, since it helped the Penguins earn a Cup last year, but they could be a lot more dangerous if they add a legitimate goal-scoring threat on the wing. Nothing new about that, of course.
Coach Dan Bylsma received, and deserved, much of the credit for the Penguins' remarkable turnaround after he replaced Michel Therrien as coach 15 months ago because he introduced an attacking style tailored to the strengths of the team's best players and dramatically changed the atmosphere in the dressing room.
But if he is praised for the part he played in the Penguins winning the 2009 Cup, Bylsma deserves some of the responsibility for their inconsistency throughout the regular season and playoffs and, ultimately, their premature departure from the postseason.
It's not Bylsma's fault when Marc-Andre Fleury leaks in a bad goal or Sergei Gonchar tries to stop a shorthanded rush by Travis Moen by staring hard at him, but either he failed to devise a game plan to overcome Montreal's rope-a-dope strategy or was unable to get his players to execute it on a regular basis. Bylsma talks a lot about the importance of having his team "get to our game," but that did not happen nearly as often as it should have.
Goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury -- His inconsistent season was a microcosm of his team's, with some flashes of brilliance that promised great things, but too many lapses and letdowns to make another championship possible. Fleury's playoff performance underscores the wisdom of the adage about goaltending that, "It's not what you stop, it's what you allow." He had some excellent games and made some exceptional saves, but allowed far too many soft goals. Fleury was not the entire problem, by any means, but neither was he part of the solution. He can -- and must -- do better in coming seasons.
Brent Johnson -- The ideal No. 2 goalie. Willing to accept his role without complaint, but able to stop pucks even when he goes weeks between starts. Getting his name on a two-year contract a couple of weeks ago was an underrated move by Shero.
Defensemen
Mark Eaton -- Sure, he would be more noticeable -- and valuable -- if he punished opposing forwards with his hitting or made regular end-to-end rushes, but that is not going to happen. Eaton settles for getting in good position, reading plays well and making good first passes. Keeping him around for something close to his current salary of $2 million would be wise.
Alex Goligoski -- He looked like a Norris Trophy candidate the first month of the season, a guy who was in over his head for much of what followed. While Goligoski's offensive gifts are obvious, what he still has to learn about playing the position could fill a how-to manual.
Sergei Gonchar -- There's no question he has been the cornerstone of the Penguins' defense the past few years. There also is none that, at 36, his role is going to diminish in coming seasons, and that should be reflected in his next contract, if he stays. Re-signing him would be fine, but it should be for less money than his current cap hit of $5 million and no more than three years.
Jordan Leopold -- He was becoming a prominent contributor when a concussion inflicted by a hit from Ottawa defenseman Andy Sutton knocked him out of the lineup early in the playoffs. Leopold is eligible for unrestricted free agency and bringing him back at a modest increase on his $1.75 million cap hit would be a good move, especially if Gonchar departs.
Kris Letang -- There's no doubt that he has everything needed to be a total package; putting it all together will be the challenge for Letang and his coaches as his career progresses. If he is able to harness his shot and get it on goal with any sort of regularity, Letang could develop into one of the NHL's better offensive defensemen.
Jay McKee -- A quality shot-blocker who was an excellent addition at $800,000, but his salary was artificially lowered because of a contract buyout by St. Louis. McKee, an unrestricted free agent, would be a good guy to keep around; whether there will be room under the salary cap to do so -- and whether McKee would be content to serve again as a No. 7 defenseman -- is another matter.
Brooks Orpik -- One of the NHL's most consistent hitters, he is the only consistent physical presence on the Penguins' blue line, and that's something that has to change. Orpik played the past four months with a painful abdominal problem that often cut his practices a bit short, but did not have an obvious impact on the way he performed during games.
Forwards
Craig Adams -- There are certain things he should not be asked to do -- scoring a regular-season goal is high on that list -- but he is an effective fourth-liner who forechecks well, hits hard and kills penalties effectively.
Matt Cooke -- Matched his career-high with 15 goals, kills penalties well and is an integral part of what might be hockey's finest third line. He is an unrestricted free agent, and signing him should be a top priority for Shero. That said, Cooke has to recognize that he is in an ideal situation and avoid overplaying his hand in negotiations.
Sidney Crosby -- Becoming a big-time goal-scorer was a major step in his development, but being neutralized offensively by Montreal in Round 2 figures to gnaw at Crosby all summer. He, as much as anyone on this team, should benefit from having a longer offseason during which to rest, rejuvenate and train, because no one in the game takes his work more seriously.
Pascal Dupuis -- He is best deployed on a third or fourth line because of a so-so scoring touch, although his speed and a surprisingly accurate shot coming down the left side made it possible for him to score 18 goals. Every good team's supporting cast includes guys like Dupuis.
Ruslan Fedotenko -- Until this year, he had a reputation for lackluster regular seasons and productive playoffs. This time, his regular season was downright awful, and he lost his spot in the lineup on three occasions in the postseason. It is hard to imagine that, as an unrestricted free agent, he is a guy the Penguins will make a major effort to retain, or even that Fedotenko would care to come back.
Eric Godard -- His job description might be the most narrow on the team -- Godard is paid to be an enforcer -- but he handles it well. He is one of the game's best fighters and is just unpredictable enough that opponents seem to think twice before doing anything that might provoke him.
Bill Guerin -- He still is pretty effective for a 39-year-old, but the $2 million he made this season might be better used to lure a younger winger to play on Crosby's right side. While Guerin's knack for working the front of the net on power plays would be missed, that is a duty others can learn to handle.
Tyler Kennedy -- A good fit on the third line with Cooke and Jordan Staal, although Kennedy should be able to contribute a little more offensively than he did this season, with 25 points in 62 regular-season games and none in 10 playoff games.
Chris Kunitz -- When healthy, he is an enthusiastic and effective forechecker who is not afraid to go to the net. Kunitz is good for 20-plus goals over 82 games, but it would be nice if he could get closer to 30 with Crosby feeding him pucks.
Evgeni Malkin -- A season after earning the regular-season scoring title and MVP honors in the playoffs, he did not come close to a repeat, on either count. It says something when a player can average better than a point-per-game during the regular season and nearly one per game during the playoffs and still be a major disappointment, but that is the case with Malkin. He has to be better in 2010-11, and there is no reason he should not be.
Alexei Ponikarovsky -- He seemed like an excellent, albeit expensive, pickup when acquired from Toronto for Luca Caputi at the trade deadline: Good size and work ethic, decent hands. Ponikarovsky never came close to producing the way the Penguins believed he could in a top-six role, however, and it is unlikely that either side will move aggressively to keep him here.
Mike Rupp -- He more than doubled his previous personal-best by scoring 13 goals during the regular season, but Rupp's duties going forward should be the same blue-collar ones he has handled throughout his career.
Jordan Staal -- The best No. 3 center in hockey, and one who only is going to get better. Not necessarily a great pure talent, but he is big and smart and ridiculously tough -- playing on a surgically repaired foot a few days after the operation was an incredible show of commitment -- and should be a major part of this team for years to come.
Max Talbot -- If 2008-09 was a dream season -- hey, he scored the Penguins' only two goals in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final -- 2009-10 was a nightmare. Talbot never seemed to shake the effects of offseason shoulder surgery or to have the big-game impact that his history shows he can.
Minor league prospects
Chris Conner (RW) -- Filled in well enough when given a chance in the NHL that re-signing Conner, a restricted free agent, should be a given. He is an ideal guy to have just a phone call away.
John Curry (G) -- Was the heir apparent to the job as Fleury's backup at this time last year, but now stands fourth on the organizational depth chart. Needs a strong bounce-back season, or he likely will be moving on in 2011.
Deryk Engellland (D) -- A nice physical presence to have on the farm team, but he is eligible for unrestricted free agency and might opt go somewhere with a shorter, more certain path to the NHL.
Dustin Jeffrey (C) -- Is versatile and has good hockey sense. Likely is ready to move into a third- or fourth-line role with the Penguins if such a spot comes open.
Nick Johnson (RW) -- Has shown a pretty fair goal-scoring touch in the minors, but whether that can translate to the NHL remains to be seen.
Mark Letestu (C) -- His solid work in four playoff appearances should have him squarely in the mix for a full-time job in the NHL this fall. Letestu is smart and responsible and can handle a variety of roles.
Ben Lovejoy (D) -- Barring some surprising pickups in free agency, Lovejoy is a pretty good bet to be on the Penguins' opening-night roster, if not in their lineup. He is solid, reliable and tough in his own end and can add a dash of offense to the mix occasionally.
Eric Tangradi (LW) -- The only consensus top-six forward prospect the Penguins have, now that Caputi is gone. Tangradi figures to get every opportunity to claim an NHL job at training at camp, but he is only 21, so if he does not seem ready, the Penguins should not force-feed the league to him.
Brad Thiessen (G) -- Supplanted Curry as the No. 1 goalie in Wilkes-Barre this winter and, at least for now, looks like Johnson's eventual successor as the backup to Fleury.
Tim Wallace (RW) -- A borderline NHL player, but he can handle a blue-collar, physical role when called upon.
PDFs
The hard numbers
More Penguins stuff
Sit-down chat with Pens
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Sunday, May 16, 2010
I am Penguins general manager Ray Shero. I am Penguins coach Dan Bylsma.
Call me Ray Bylsma.
I just completed exit interviews. Thought you might like to know how I opened the conversation with select players ...
PITTSBURGH - MAY 12: Bill Guerin(notes) #13 of the Pittsburgh Penguins battles with PK Subban(notes) #76 of the Montreal Canadiens as Jaroslav Halak(notes) #41 of the Montreal Canadiens keeps an eye on the play as does Evgeni Malkin(notes) #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Mellon Arena on May 12, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Canadiens defeated the Penguins 5-2 to win the series 4-3 and advance to the Conference Finals. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)• Matt Cooke: "I meant to offer you a three-year deal about four months ago, Matt, but somebody cracked me in the skull with a blind-side hit, and I forgot. Now look: You'll be asking for Steve Ott money (Ott recently signed with Dallas for $11.8 million over four years), and you might get it, too. Just not here. My bad."
• Alexei Ponikarovsky: "Well, Alex, at least we found out why they call you 'Poni Express.' You mail it in all the time. Thanks for nothing."
• Sidney Crosby: "I meant to find you a winger, Sid, but somebody cracked me in the skull with a blind-side hit, and I forgot. Seriously, you deserve a summer's rest. Can't wait to see what you add to your game next year. Our responsibility is to get you a goal scorer."
• Jordan Staal: "Gary Roberts? A wimp compared to you. Now let's talk about the art of manning the front of the net on the power play. That'll increase your ice time and point total."
• Marc-Andre Fleury: "Flower, we appreciate your ability to bounce back from bad games, we just hope there's less need for it as we move along. Find some consistency. Return ready for your best season."
• Brooks Orpik: "You'll get an 'A' for good reason, Brooksie. Keep bringing it."
• Tyler Kennedy: "Have you ever been to Wheeling, W. Va., Tyler? No? Well, you'll be spending some quality time there -- with the Nailers of the East Coast League -- if you don't redeem your sorry playoff act (no points, minus-6 rating). Wake up."
• Alex Goligoski: "It wasn't a good sign when fans started calling you 'Goal-against-ski,' Alex. We need the confident, skilled player we saw early, not the natural disaster we sometimes saw late. We believe in your talent. We believe you can run a power play."
• Craig Adams: "Just keep doing what you're doing, Craig (and if you could score a regular-season goal, well, that'd be special)."
• Sergei Gonchar: "Sarge? You awake? (I forcibly shake him). Look, you were an incredible player and leader over the years, which made it so odd to see you play Game 7 as if you had one skate out the door. The way you quarterback a power play, we'd love to keep you. But I'm guessing someone else is ready to make an offer you can't refuse."
• Bill Guerin: "Your veteran presence has been invaluable. We might still find room if you'll play for less than $1 million."
• Jordan Leopold: "Jordan, we hardly knew ye."
• Max Talbot: "No superstar treatment this summer, my friend. Love how you elevate your game in the playoffs. Need to see more the six months before that."
• Kris Letang: "At one point this season, your shot was so inaccurate they started calling you 'miss' Letang, but that changed in the playoffs. You could become an all-star, Kris. You need to cut down on the spectacular mistakes and be confident in your abilities. If Sarge leaves, you da man. Or at least one of them."
• Chris Kunitz: "Love your commitment. Love your courage. Love the way you bury defensemen. But if you're going to earn that $3.725 million, you need to bury more pucks."
• Evgeni Malkin: "Here's a plane ticket to Halifax, Geno. Go visit Sid for a week and watch how he hones his game this summer. He keeps adding new dimensions. So must you. Want to be the best player in the world. And if you find a winger or two in your travels, by all means, bring him back."
• Ruslan Fedotenko: "We thought about having you arrested for stealing $1.8 million, Feds, but you did help us win a Cup, so let's just leave it at this: In the words of the late, great Myron Cope: 'Bye now.' "
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Sarge's last stand?
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Saturday, May 15, 2010
If the Eastern Conference semifinal series against Montreal goes down as his last stand with the Penguins, Sergei Gonchar admits he is unsatisfied with the way his five-year tenure ended.
Gonchar would prefer not to be remembered for allowing Canadiens winger Travis Moen to get past him at the blue line to score a short-handed goal in the Penguins' 5-2 Game 7 loss Wednesday at Mellon Arena.
"I am not satisfied, and it has nothing to do with free agency," said Gonchar, who becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. "As a team, I felt like we had a good chance in that series. But it didn't work out."
Now, Sarge is in charge of his future.
MONTREAL- MAY 4: Sergei Gonchar(notes) #55 of the Pittsburgh Penguins passes the puck while being chased by Mike Cammalleri #13 of the Montreal Canadiens in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 4, 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)The team's top defenseman and power-play quarterback left the Igloo Friday to go to Germany for the IIHF World Hockey Championships amid uncertainty over whether he will return to play for the Penguins next season.
"Walking out of here and not knowing if you're going to come back, it's not a great feeling," Gonchar said. "But we have plenty of time until July 1."
Gonchar said he met with Penguins general manager Ray Shero yesterday and plans to speak with him again before the opening of free agency. His agent, JP Barry, agreed in March to resume negotiations after the season.
Gonchar is one of eight unrestricted free agents for the Penguins, along with defensemen Mark Eaton, Jordan Leopold and Jay McKee and wingers Matt Cooke, Ruslan Fedotenko, Bill Guerin and Alexei Ponikarovsky.
After completing a five-year, $25 million deal, Gonchar is expected to be seeking a multi-year deal at the same annual salary. Gonchar said the length of the contract will "not necessarily" be a sticking point in negotiations.
"I'd like to stay here, but the deal has to work for both sides," Gonchar said. "We're not going to look at my contract and say it's the last one. We're going to weigh in everything - the city, the fans, the length of it, the teammates, the coaches."
Penguins coach Dan Bylsma pointed out that Gonchar, 36, would be the same age as the 39-year-old Guerin at the end of a three-year deal.
Gonchar, an alternate captain who has served as a confidante and father figure to fellow Russian Evgeni Malkin, was productive in scoring 11 goals and 50 points despite missing 20 regular-season games with a broken wrist and added two goals and 12 points in 13 playoff games.
"That's what Gonchar delivers, and I think he can deliver into the future for our team, for our power play," Bylsma said.
If Gonchar elects to sign elsewhere, the Penguins have a pair of potential replacements in Kris Letang for the top defensive pairing with Brooks Orpik and Alex Goligoski as the point man on the power play.
"I've always run power plays - I feel comfortable in that role," Goligoski said. "That being said, we're hoping to have 'Gonch' back. He's unbelievable at running the power play. He's a great defenseman."
More Penguins headlines
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Malkin, Gonchar to play in worlds
Letdown masks Pens' potential
Gorman: Blame Canadiens for being better
Crosby won't play in Hockey Worlds
Winger Cammalleri joins ranks of Canadiens greats
Pens gone, but Igloo $9.3 million in debt
Friday, May 14, 2010
Blame Canadiens for being better
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Friday, May 14, 2010
When the defending Stanley Cup champions lose a Game 7 at home to the No. 8 seed, the blank stares and shock inside the Penguins' dressing room are accompanied by finger-pointing outside of it.
PITTSBURGH - MAY 12: A general view of the last game at Mellon Arena, played by the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Mellon Arena on May 12, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Canadiens defeated the Penguins 5-2 to win the series 4-3 and advance to the Conference Finals. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)Blame Sidney Crosby for not duplicating his Olympics heroics and losing his "Rocket" Richard Trophy goal-scoring touch.
Blame Evgeni Malkin for his scoring shortage one year after winning the Conn Smythe.
Blame both Penguins superstars for not living up to their $8.7 million salaries by combining for two goals and eight points in the seven-game series. Blame defenseman Sergei Gonchar and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for letting the puck get past them too easily and too frequently.
But here's something to consider in the blame game: The Montreal Canadiens were the better team.
That's right.
Montreal is not nearly as talented or as accomplished as the Penguins, but it was no accident that the Canadiens won their Eastern Conference semifinal series, just as beating Washington in the first round was no fluke.
They have the best goal-scorer and hottest goalie of the playoffs, went deep enough on defense to seamlessly replace their best blue-liner and power-play quarterback with a rookie and relied on a shutdown defensive pairing.
Sound familiar?
That was the Penguins last year.
Crosby scored the most goals and Malkin the most points in the playoffs. Fleury stoned the Capitals and Detroit Red Wings on the road in Game 7s. Alex Goligoski stepped in for an injured Gonchar, allowing him to overcome a devastating knee injury. Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi combined to keep Alex Ovechkin, Eric Staal and Henrik Zetterberg from dominating.
That is the Canadiens this year.
Mike Cammalleri has a league-best 12 goals, including seven against the Penguins. Jaroslav Halak stoned the Capitals and Penguins on the road in Game 7s, turning away their shots and making stars into mere mortals. PK Subban stepped in for an injured Andrei Markov, allowing them to overcome a devastating knee injury. And Gill and Josh Gorges combined to keep Ovechkin, Crosby and Malkin from dominating.
Let's see these Penguins for what they were, a talented but incomplete team whose weaknesses were exploited by both the Ottawa Senators and Canadiens. Those series were a microcosm of their season, one in which the Penguins proved they could play with anyone — and usually did, no matter the caliber of opponent. Remember, they finished fourth in the East.
Don't say that defenseman Brooks Orpik didn't warn us multiple times during an inconsistent regular season that the Penguins weren't as good as everyone expected them to be.
The Game 7 loss also illustrates the difficulty of winning the most demanding playoffs in all of pro sports, even with home-ice advantage. There's a reason no NHL team has won back-to-back titles since the Red Wings in 1997-98. It's an unforgiving grind. As good as Montreal has been through two rounds, it still needs eight more victories to claim the Cup.
General manager Ray Shero deserves some blame, too.
The Penguins are unparalleled up the middle with Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal, and the team has invested heavily in those three, Fleury and Gonchar. Shero has done such a marvelous job of locking up the core that he has virtually no salary-cap margin for error in free-agent signings and trades.
But he made some mistakes.
It's time to declare the trade-deadline deal for Alexei Ponikarovsky a major flop. Ponikarovsky was supposed to be the high-scoring wing the Penguins needed to play on one of their top two lines, but he scored three goals and 14 points in 27 games and was so unproductive that he was demoted to the fourth line before being benched for Games 5 and 6 against Montreal.
Trading for puck-moving Jordan Leopold didn't address the need for a stay-at-home defenseman in the postseason. Shero thought he was getting just that — not another Phillippe Boucher — in free agent Jay McKee.
The Penguins never found suitable replacements for the Gill-Scuderi pairing, but that wasn't their biggest problem in the playoffs. Instead, it was that their highest-paid players didn't produce when it mattered most.
That should serve as a learning experience that the most talented team doesn't always win.
The best team does.
More Columnist Kevin Gorman headlines
Igloo-minious end for Penguins
Gorman: Nonagenarian comes up aces
Penguins downplay Game 7 failures
Pens lethal in road clinchers
Race2Four: Ponikarovsky, Fedotenko sit for Game 5
Race2Four: Montreal a mixed homecoming
Gorman: Bell Centre provides a celebration of hockey
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Habs' good karma in Game 7 the result of Pens' mistakes, lethargy
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May 13, 2010
Now we know what that great "White Out" at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh truly represents.
Capitulation.
In a stunning display of indifferent hockey that can only be summed up in two words -- no mas -- the Penguins, now ex-defending Stanley Cup champions, closed the Igloo with an ignominious 5-2 loss to destiny's darling, the Montreal Canadiens.
Maybe the Penguins really were 50 percent more talented than Montreal, but that didn't give them the right to play only the second half of Game 7. Despite arousing themselves in the second half of the match -- only to be snuffed by brilliant goalie Jaroslav Halak -- Pittsburgh looked like a team that simply was hockey-ed out. Considering Game 7 was their 303rd of the past three seasons, the Penguins, who had played in the past two finals, can be excused, in a sense, for being exhausted. When you factor in the Olympians on the Penguins who were obliged to go through a two-week hockey inferno for their countries in Vancouver, it was not necessarily a shock that Pittsburgh fur-balled a 3-2 lead in the series over a team that, based on points, was the 19th best in the NHL this season.
For the franchise, this was the most disappointing loss since Game 7 of the 1993 second-round series when they fell at home to David Volek's hat trick and the New York Islanders. (At that point, Pittsburgh had won two straight Cups and the path seemed cleared for a third, the kind of achievement that would have nudged Mario Lemieux & Co. toward dynasty status.) But a more telling historical precedent actually occurred five years later, a Western Conference first-round Game 7 between Edmonton and Colorado: The Avalanche oozed Olympians, but the Nagano experience for a team that always played deep into the playoffs simply overwhelmed them. After winning three of the first four matches, the Avalanche lost the last three to the lightly regarded Oilers, including a 4-0 naptime season-ender in Denver. Seemingly the Penguins announced their intentions 10 seconds into the match when captain Sidney Crosby, the same player who received the "Nice leadership" bouquet from Detroit coach Mike Babcock in the Game 7 handshake line at the 2009 Stanley Cup final, rammed Montreal defenseman Josh Gorges into the boards. If this was showing leadership -- physical presence, and all that -- it was also showing the Penguins the path to the penalty box. Some 30 seconds later, Montreal point man P.K. Subban, who didn't have many options, drifted down the boards and floated a backhander in the direction of goalie Marc-André Fleury. When Fleury is having a case of the shakes -- surprising, really, because he had won the only two Game 7s of his NHL career -- the modest act of shoveling a puck toward the net will always be a decent play. Brian Gionta tipped the puck as it knuckled toward infamy, exactly the kind of smelly goal, 32 seconds into the match, which can make even a veteran team unravel.
The Canadiens added to the lead some seven minutes later, again thanks to another player with enough poise and portfolio to have played in the Olympics. The first Montreal goal can be blamed on Team Canada mainstays Crosby and Fleury. The second was the indirect handiwork of Team USA defenseman Brooks Orpik, who seemed more concerned with settling a score than the big scoreboard suspended from the roof at Mellon Arena. Orpik became entangled behind the net with Maxim Lapierre, who filibusters as well as any NHL player. And while Lapierre is the kind of pot-stirrer whom opponents hope will get his eventually, they generally don't mean in a Game 7. With Orpik otherwise engaged, the puck came out to an unmarked Dominic Moore, who, like he did in Game 7 of the first-round Washington series, scored a backbreaking goal, from maybe 30 feet. Orpik was a good second late in getting into a shooting lane.
PITTSBURGH - MAY 12: Sidney Crosby(notes) #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins misses a scoring opportunity against Jaroslav Halak(notes) #41 of the Montreal Canadiens in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Mellon Arena on May 12, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Canadiens defeated the Penguins 5-2 to win the series 4-3 and advance to the Conference Finals. (Photo by Dave Sandford/Getty Images)Montreal would add to the lead in the second period, first with Mike Cammalleri's NHL-leading 12th goal of the playoffs. Cammalleri would be getting more acclaim if he did something more dramatic than a simple first pump after each goal, although he looked a little more animated this time after finding a seam, as he does uncannily, and whistling a shot past Fleury's glove, his seventh goal of the series.
But a subsequent Montreal goal some two minutes later was more problematic for the Penguins because of what NHL coaches, in their on-going effort to enrich the English language, call "compete level." Travis Moen, killing a penalty, was tentatively skating down the left, gaining the Penguins' line, when, like a traffic cop working a busy intersection at rush hour, defenseman Sergei Gonchar basically waved him through. (Ole, ole, ole is what the fans in Montreal sing, not what venerated Penguins defensemen are supposed do.) Moen took the free pass from Gonchar, skated to the faceoff circle and beat Fleury some five minutes into the period.
Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma finally excused Fleury after four goals on 13 shots, replacing him with Brent Johnson, who last played a month ago. The move seemed to snap the Penguins out of their lethargy. Chris Kunitz scored some two minutes later on a rebound of a Kris Letang shot that caromed off the end boards while Jordan Staal, one of the few Penguins who was involved from the start, scored on a tip with 3½ minutes left to pare Montreal's lead to a manageable two goals heading into the third period.
But Halak was bulletproof in the third, stoning Crosby from in close in the opening minute on a Penguins' 4-on-3 and flashing his left pad to foil Evgeni Malkin on a subsequent power play. Given their own opportunity on a Pittsburgh too-many-men penalty midway through the period, Cammalleri feathered a pass over a sliding Mark Eaton near the goal crease and Gionta batted the puck in to restore the Canadiens' lead of three goals.
For Montreal, the trip to a conference final was its first since 1993, when Patrick Roy's 10 straight overtime wins coated a Stanley Cup spring in pixie dust. Clearly Halak has picked up the Roy torch, making 37 saves -- 18 in the third -- to complete his second series upset. In the end -- and for the Igloo, this was truly the end -- the goalie and swarming Canadiens defenders would hold Malkin and Crosby to a combined three goals in the series. Montreal played all-in hockey, committing to a defensive style leavened with a smattering of counterattack and special teams. Judging by the first 25-plus minutes of the game, the Penguins, all tuckered out, just folded.
