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Free Agency is just days away and the Pens have made some moves to keep the core intact but still have some work to do. The big splash was earlier today when the Penguins and Billy Guerin announced that he will be wearing the Black and Gold again next season. Also two role players have been locked up in the last few days in Craig Adams and Alex Goligoski. Adams was a key reason for the turn-around in the PK unit down the stretch and Goligoski, IMO, is going to be one of the best offensive defensemen in the game eventually.

Players still available to the free agent market include:

Goalies:
-Mathieu Garon
-John Curry
One of these two needs to be kept as the back-up either one will be fine with me. I would prefer Curry just because he is younger and will probably come at a cheaper rate. I would say Curry will be kept because he is a restricted free agent.

Defensemen:
-Rob Scuderi
-Hal Gill
-Phillippe Boucher
My guess is one of these three will be back in the 'burgh next season with the contract given to Goligoski.

If Scuderi signs with the Islanders (which seems to be our competition right now with New York being his hometown) then I see the Pens signing someone of their own in the FA market. Scuderi is now the biggest target defensively and rumors are surfacing about a potential deal before FA starts. The only way Gill stays is if Scuderi doesn't.

IMO, Gill and Boucher are gone and Shero is trying to work his magic on Scuderi.

Forwards:
-Miroslav Satan
-Petr Sykora
-Ruslan Fedotenko
-Chris Minard
-Mike Zigomanis
IMO, of the FA's the Pens have left Fedotenko needs to be the number 1 priority of them all. I would almost put him in front of Guerin. This is a guy that doesn't make many mistakes and absolutely tears **** up come playoff time. He also fits perfectly along side Malkin.

Sykora and Satan are going to be interesting and I would like to find out how both of them feel about being scratched numerous times down the stretch run. I think the number of scratches will lead one of them elsewhere and I would not be surprised if either of them are gone next season.

I think Minard is gone, he probably can go somewhere else and play all season the NHL.

Zigomanis is very intriguing to me. He wins so many faceoffs that if he comes cheap I really dont think the Pens can pass this guy up. I wish he wouldn't have gotten injured so early in this season and I had a little more time to evaluate him and generate an opinion.

It is also important to point out that a lot of developing talent is FA's this offseason at the forward position. Billy Thomas impressed the hell out of me in his time with the big boy's last season and I want to see the Pens get him back. Heinrich, Connor James, Jeff Taffe, Jani Rita, and Tim Wallace all have the chance to move elsewhere.

Good stuff ak47....being the Antithesis of a Math Major I'll leave the # crunching to others but in a perfect cap world Ruslan F. comes back & fills hole on Malkins wing & Scuds signs for less than the Isles or others offer?? Definitely gonzo are Satan & Sykora along w/ Defensemen Boucher & Gil (these four all earned around 2.5 mil last yr. & Satan 3.5)

Therefore, just 2 holes in essence:

Kunitz - Crosby - Guerin
XXXXX - Malkin - Talbot
Cooke - Staal - Kennedy
Dupuis - Adams- Godard

Orpik/Gonchar
Eaton/Letang
Goligoski/ XXXXX

Other options......I could see a veteran winger taking a cut to play in Pens top 6 mix or Pesonen from the minors playing w/ Geeno......don't know if any of the blue liners from Wilkes Barre are ready to move up? Or again a bargain vet w/ a yr. or 2 left looking for a Cup run.....glad we have Shero making the decisions!!

Well after a few days of free agency here is how it is shaping up for the Pens:

Goalies:
Garon is off to Columbus and I am pretty sure Curry will be the backup next season

Defensemen:
LA gave Scuds a little better contract than I feel he was worth. This guy is very good defensively but puts up absolutely no offensive production. Gill is off to Montreal and Boucher is yet to sign with anyone but I am almost certain he will head elsewhere.

Forwards:
Fedotenko signed a 1 year deal to stay with the Pens. Minard, Zigomanis, Sykora, and Satan are yet to sign deals with anyone but they are going to leave the 'Burgh, I'm nearly certain.

The Pens have already signed a few players in FA.

Nate Guenin- PA guy that is 26 yrs old and has had little time in the NHL. He could be a possibility of filling the 6th defense spot but I don't see it being him this year. Maybe in a year or two.

Mike Rupp- Low productivity and high PIM type of guy. Only having 3 goals and 6 assists through 72 games last year yet still managed to only have a +/- of -2. Great guy for protecting assets. I hated him on the Devils and will probably love him on the Pens.

Pens add a young winger today in Chris Conner. At only 25 years old next season he played in 38 games last season for the Stars scoring 3 goals and recording 10 assists. I see him spending most of next season with the Baby Pens but is nice to add some NHL experience in case of injuries depleting out lineup.

vman wrote:Good stuff ak47....being the Antithesis of a Math Major I'll leave the # crunching to others but in a perfect cap world Ruslan F. comes back & fills hole on Malkins wing & Scuds signs for less than the Isles or others offer?? Definitely gonzo are Satan & Sykora along w/ Defensemen Boucher & Gil (these four all earned around 2.5 mil last yr. & Satan 3.5)

Therefore, just 2 holes in essence:

Kunitz - Crosby - Guerin
XXXXX - Malkin - Talbot
Cooke - Staal - Kennedy
Dupuis - Adams- Godard

Orpik/Gonchar
Eaton/Letang
Goligoski/ XXXXX

Other options......I could see a veteran winger taking a cut to play in Pens top 6 mix or Pesonen from the minors playing w/ Geeno......don't know if any of the blue liners from Wilkes Barre are ready to move up? Or again a bargain vet w/ a yr. or 2 left looking for a Cup run.....glad we have Shero making the decisions!!

Well there Penguin fans, of course we have already snared Fedotenko for another yr...& today the reliable, tough, defensive minded, accountable defenseman:

The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Jay McKee to a one-year contract, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.



McKee, 31, recorded eight points (one goal, seven assists) along with 44 penalty minutes in 69 games with the St. Louis Blues during the 2008-09 season. He finished seventh in the NHL with 185 blocked shots while ranking fourth on the Blues with a plus-eleven rating. McKee played in four playoff contests, helping the Blues in their first playoff appearance since 2004.

“Jay is a strong defensive defenseman who will bring additional experience to our lineup,” Shero said. “He has great size and is an outstanding shot-blocker, and his veteran presence will help in the continued development of our young defensemen.”

The 6-4, 203-pound defenseman has played parts of 13 seasons in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues and the Buffalo Sabres. McKee played parts of 10 seasons with the Sabres, tallying 17 goals and 98 points along with 470 PIM in 582 games. He played in 51 playoff games with Buffalo, scoring nine points (three goals, six assists) and 60 penalty minutes, while posting a plus-18 rating. McKee appeared in the 1999 Stanley Cup Final with the Sabres before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars.

The blueliner has appeared in 740 career games in the NHL, collecting 115 points (20 goals, 95 assists) and 568 penalty minutes while recording a plus-49 rating. McKee has tallied three goals and nine points along with 64 penalty minutes in 55 post-season appearances.

The native of Kingston, Ontario was originally a first-round selection (14th overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in the 1995 Entry Draft.
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Good Stuff Shero :!: :!: :!:

Well now every piece is now put together in the starting line-up. Depth looks nice as well.

And the way I figure w/ McKee getting around $800,000 from the Pens (St Louis bought him out & are paying like 2.67 mil this yr) the Pens are up to about $52 mil even....still under cap (approx $53.5 mil) but that 1.5 may be needed later in 09'-10' season (Injuries, stretch run pick-ups) & there will certainly be a few salary increases next yr....K. Letang is a $835,000 cap hit this yr & will definitely earn a significant pay hike but next yr he is only a RFA; therefore, they have, in essence, 2 yrs to negotiate w/ him!

Ray Shero keeps the train rolling with 2 key additions.

The first is the backup goaltender for next season is now in place when the Penguins signed Brent Johnson. He went 12-6-2 last season for the Capitals with a 2.81 GAA and a .908 Save Percentage. His career statistics are unbelievable for a backup netminder 111-94-13 with a 2.63 GAA and a .903 Save Percentage.

Brian Strait who the Penguins selected in the 3rd round of the 2006 draft, who decided to play at Boston U instead, has decided to forgo his senior season and sign an entry level deal with the Pens. In his career at Boston U (111 games) he scored 5 goals and posted 23 points as a defensive defenseman. This kid has a lot of excitement around Penguinland. He was the caption of the U.S. national under-18 team for 3 years and led them to gold in 2006.

Its kind of weird, I was always a big football fan, but for some reason Im anxiously awaiting the hockey season return more than football season.