The Pens added some depth at defense today, signing Mike Weaver. Weaver spent the last two seasons with the Kings, most of the time in the NHL.
Weaver has that special quality the Pens lack - he's right handed. He's also very short - only 5'9". Can anyone say Micki Dupont, but with less size and less scoring? Micki was signed by St Louis, by the way...
Showing posts with label 2007 Off-season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2007 Off-season. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Jordan Staal arrested
Jordan Staal was arrested, along with his brother Eric (and possibly Marc, though the story doesn't make that clear) on Monday night. They were charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process. Jordan was also cited for underage drinking.
The intersting thing in this is that their agent, Rick Curran, had this to say:
While the group had been partying at the Lutsen Resort and Sea Villas, they had been kicked out and were walking along Highway 61, where they decided that "harassing passing motorists" might be a fun thing to do. That's when 14 of them were arrested.
Someone explain to me how "had gone to bed" is equal to arrested while yelling at cars on the highway. Maybe they were arrested later... I dunno...
Anyway, this can't make Ray Shero or Mario Lemieux happy, but hopefully they'll see it for what it was - a rowdy bachelor party.
The intersting thing in this is that their agent, Rick Curran, had this to say:
"It's nothing. It's ridiculously nothing. Eric and Jordan and Marc had gone to bed."Curran goes on to say that he expects the charges to be dropped or reduced.
While the group had been partying at the Lutsen Resort and Sea Villas, they had been kicked out and were walking along Highway 61, where they decided that "harassing passing motorists" might be a fun thing to do. That's when 14 of them were arrested.
Someone explain to me how "had gone to bed" is equal to arrested while yelling at cars on the highway. Maybe they were arrested later... I dunno...
Anyway, this can't make Ray Shero or Mario Lemieux happy, but hopefully they'll see it for what it was - a rowdy bachelor party.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Pens sign D Alain Nasreddine
Nasreddine has signed a two-way contract. With the off-season acquisition of Sydor and the likely arrival of Letang, Nasreddine is probably going to be in Wilkes-Barre again.
Pens sign G Ty Conklin
The Pens have signed Ty Conklin to a two way contract, worth $500,000 if he plays in the NHL and $100,000 if he plays in Wilkes-Barre.
Why is the contract status significant? Because Dany Sabourin has a one way contract, paying him just over $1 million, no matter where he plays. That means that Ty is just depth, and he'll likely play in Wilkes-Barre.
Why is the contract status significant? Because Dany Sabourin has a one way contract, paying him just over $1 million, no matter where he plays. That means that Ty is just depth, and he'll likely play in Wilkes-Barre.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Crosby signs contract extension
Sid signed a 5 year contract extension with the Penguins today. It goes into effect in the 2008-2009 season. The Post-Gazette breaks it down like this:
08-09 - $9 million ($5 million of which is a signing bonus)
09-10 - $9 million
10-11 - $9 million
11-12 - $9 million
12-13 - $7.5 million
In signing the contract, Sid is not earning the maximum, which is currently just over $10 million per season. It's a small way of showing the winning is more important to him than the extra $1 million per year. In fairness, he does have several other revenue streams that make a statement like that a little easier to make. It is refreshing, however, to see a player accept less than they're "worth", since all we seem to hear about is how it's not about money, it's about the respect.
The other thing that the Pens are avoiding is someone throwing the max at Sid after next season when he'd be a restricted free agent. Vanek got a huge offer from Edmonton. It would be easy to imagine someone offering Sid whatever he wanted. Good not to have to go through that.
08-09 - $9 million ($5 million of which is a signing bonus)
09-10 - $9 million
10-11 - $9 million
11-12 - $9 million
12-13 - $7.5 million
In signing the contract, Sid is not earning the maximum, which is currently just over $10 million per season. It's a small way of showing the winning is more important to him than the extra $1 million per year. In fairness, he does have several other revenue streams that make a statement like that a little easier to make. It is refreshing, however, to see a player accept less than they're "worth", since all we seem to hear about is how it's not about money, it's about the respect.
The other thing that the Pens are avoiding is someone throwing the max at Sid after next season when he'd be a restricted free agent. Vanek got a huge offer from Edmonton. It would be easy to imagine someone offering Sid whatever he wanted. Good not to have to go through that.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Pens sign G Dany Sabourin
The Pens brought Dany Sabourin back into the fold with a 2 year deal for just over $500,000 per season.
Some are saying that Sabourin will be Fleury's backup. I think that he'll have to battle Nolan Schaefer for the job.
Some are saying that Sabourin will be Fleury's backup. I think that he'll have to battle Nolan Schaefer for the job.
Pens sign RW Petr Sykora
The Pens signed a two year deal with RW Petr Sykora.
Petr is a speedy winger that will fit nicely on one of the top two lines. Supposedly he's a bit suspect in his own end, but you have to think that Therrien will be able to work that tendency out of him.
He's only 30, so if he fits well into the system here, you could see him as a complimentary part for years to come, as long as his speed holds up.
Upgrade over Michel Ouellet? Heck yeah!
Petr is a speedy winger that will fit nicely on one of the top two lines. Supposedly he's a bit suspect in his own end, but you have to think that Therrien will be able to work that tendency out of him.
He's only 30, so if he fits well into the system here, you could see him as a complimentary part for years to come, as long as his speed holds up.
Upgrade over Michel Ouellet? Heck yeah!
Pens sign D Darryl Sydor
The Pens signed defenseman Darryl Sydor to a two year contract for $5 million.
Sydor used to be terrific. He's bounced around a few times in the last few years, from Dallas to Columbus to Tampa and back to Dallas. He doesn't shoot the puck as much as he used to and he's 35, but for the price the Pens paid, he's a good addition. Look for Darryl on the second power play unit. That's an upgrade over Scuderi and Orpik.
Sydor used to be terrific. He's bounced around a few times in the last few years, from Dallas to Columbus to Tampa and back to Dallas. He doesn't shoot the puck as much as he used to and he's 35, but for the price the Pens paid, he's a good addition. Look for Darryl on the second power play unit. That's an upgrade over Scuderi and Orpik.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Tampa Bay signs Michel Ouellet
The Lightning have signed Michel Ouellet to a two-year contract. Listen to what Tampa GM Jay Feaster says about him (from the Lightning web site):
UPDATE: The deal was for $1.2 in year one and $1.3 in year two. That's more than Ray Shero was willing to pay, and reasonably so, I believe. Michel would have been a restricted free agent had the Pens made a qualifying offer to him of only $550,000. I think this was a case of Shero simply not wanting Ouellet.
"Michel Ouellet is a goal scorer and has been throughout every level of his career. He is extremely effective on the power play and he has a knack for burying his chances in the offensive zone. We feel his game is best suited to playing in a top-two line role and he will get that opportunity in Tampa. The fact he played junior hockey with Brad Richards in Rimouski is a real plus, as we believe there will be good chemistry between the two, and he knows how to win. For all of these reasons we feel strongly that Michel is the right fit for our hockey team."I'll agree that he's a force on the power play, and that he has that offensive knack for burying chances, but a top two line player? In the new NHL? I'm not so sure about that. I hope he does well, but I think the Lightning will grow weary with the lack of speed and lack of fore checking.
UPDATE: The deal was for $1.2 in year one and $1.3 in year two. That's more than Ray Shero was willing to pay, and reasonably so, I believe. Michel would have been a restricted free agent had the Pens made a qualifying offer to him of only $550,000. I think this was a case of Shero simply not wanting Ouellet.
Pens sign Ryan Whitney to new deal
The Penguins have signed Ryan Whitney to a new 6 year deal, valued at $24 million.
This is great news for the long term stability of the blue line. I think Whitney is a small risk, and this deal looks very good in comparison to the Kimmo Timonen deal doled out by the Flyers. That one was 6 years and $37.3 million. That may not be fair, however, I think most deals will look good in comparison to the contracts the Flyers agreed to with Hartnell and Timonen.
This is great news for the long term stability of the blue line. I think Whitney is a small risk, and this deal looks very good in comparison to the Kimmo Timonen deal doled out by the Flyers. That one was 6 years and $37.3 million. That may not be fair, however, I think most deals will look good in comparison to the contracts the Flyers agreed to with Hartnell and Timonen.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Just what the league needs...
The NHL Players Association, which has known it's share of turmoil in recent years, met with Donald Fehr to get some suggestions and thoughts about running it's union.
Does anyone else think this might not be the best guy to meet with? The baseball model is what the NHL has successfully abandoned. The revenue streams in the NHL are a fraction of what they are in MLB. Personally, I think it's easy to dislike Fehr - anyone that thinks that illegal drug use should be a bargaining chip in negotiations is someone that I don't agree with.
Hopefully the NHLPA was just getting some advice on the organizational structure of their union and some ideas on how best to run it, and not strategy on tactics and how to proceed. The NHL can ill afford to go back down the path of the Rangers spending way too much.
Does anyone else think this might not be the best guy to meet with? The baseball model is what the NHL has successfully abandoned. The revenue streams in the NHL are a fraction of what they are in MLB. Personally, I think it's easy to dislike Fehr - anyone that thinks that illegal drug use should be a bargaining chip in negotiations is someone that I don't agree with.
Hopefully the NHLPA was just getting some advice on the organizational structure of their union and some ideas on how best to run it, and not strategy on tactics and how to proceed. The NHL can ill afford to go back down the path of the Rangers spending way too much.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Penguins draft Angelo Esposito
The Pens selected Angelo Esposito with the #20 pick in the NHL draft.
Espo was the consensus #1 pick overall prior to his 06-07 season. He had been expected to slide to close to #10. The Pens had him as #6 on their draft board. By all accounts, Angelo is a steal at #20.
He is a center, but he has a reputation for being a little more selfish with the puck. That's probably not a bad thing to mix in with the distributors the Pens have in place.
I'm excited about the pick. I know it's another center, but you can't pass up a guy like Espo when he falls into your lap.
Espo was the consensus #1 pick overall prior to his 06-07 season. He had been expected to slide to close to #10. The Pens had him as #6 on their draft board. By all accounts, Angelo is a steal at #20.
He is a center, but he has a reputation for being a little more selfish with the puck. That's probably not a bad thing to mix in with the distributors the Pens have in place.
I'm excited about the pick. I know it's another center, but you can't pass up a guy like Espo when he falls into your lap.
Pens sign Recchi and Roberts
The Penguins have kept both Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi in the fold for another season. Both were signed to one-year deals. Roberts will count $2.5 million against the cap, while Recchi will count $2 million.
I'm glad to see them both back. I think Recchi ran out of gas at the end of the year, but he can still be a valuable contributor. Roberts, as Pensblog is fond of pointing out, is essentially Jesus on skates.
I'm glad to see them both back. I think Recchi ran out of gas at the end of the year, but he can still be a valuable contributor. Roberts, as Pensblog is fond of pointing out, is essentially Jesus on skates.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Crosby wins MVP, Malkin wins Calder
The Pens won several awards tonight in the NHL awards presentation.
Sidney Crosby was named the winner of the Hart trophy. The voting wasn't close - he received 91 first place votes to Luongo's 25.
Evgeni Malkin won the Calder trophy for rookie of the year.
Crosby also won the Pearson award, which is the MVP as voted on by the players - that's a big honor, I think.
The only disappointing finish was Michel Therrien losing out on the Adams award for coach of the year. That went to Alain Vigneault of Vancouver.
Let's hope all of these lovely awards translate to some playoff wins next season!
Sidney Crosby was named the winner of the Hart trophy. The voting wasn't close - he received 91 first place votes to Luongo's 25.
Evgeni Malkin won the Calder trophy for rookie of the year.
Crosby also won the Pearson award, which is the MVP as voted on by the players - that's a big honor, I think.
The only disappointing finish was Michel Therrien losing out on the Adams award for coach of the year. That went to Alain Vigneault of Vancouver.
Let's hope all of these lovely awards translate to some playoff wins next season!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sidney Crosby to be named captain
According to TSN, Sid the Kid will be named the Penguins captain. The news will be announced tomorrow.
Sid will be the youngest captain in NHL history, and even at that it is probably overdue. He is the heart and soul of the team and leads the team by example every game. Congratulations to him.
Sid will be the youngest captain in NHL history, and even at that it is probably overdue. He is the heart and soul of the team and leads the team by example every game. Congratulations to him.
Pens sign RW Tim Wallace
The Pens signed Notre Dame RW Tim Wallace to a two year entry-level contract. He played for both Wheeling and Wilkes-Barre this season, contributing well in Wheeling and being an "energy" guy for the Baby Pens.
I wouldn't look for too much from Tim for a few seasons at least, though he is exactly the type of player the Ray Shero seems to excel in finding.
I wouldn't look for too much from Tim for a few seasons at least, though he is exactly the type of player the Ray Shero seems to excel in finding.
Pens sign D Jonathan D'Aversa
The Penguins signed Jonathan D'Aversa to an entry-level contract. According to the linked article, D'Aversa will begin next season with Wilkes Barre.
D'Aversa is only 21, plays defense, and is a (say it with me) right-handed shot. He was in camp last year with Columbus, but didn't stick. He managed 13 goals last year in the OHL (with Sudbury), though he was one of the older guys on the team. He also had 18 points in 21 playoff games last year with Sudbury. He has decent size (6'2", 190 lbs), but not many PIM.
He'll be interesting to watch - he was undrafted, but he is right-handed.
D'Aversa is only 21, plays defense, and is a (say it with me) right-handed shot. He was in camp last year with Columbus, but didn't stick. He managed 13 goals last year in the OHL (with Sudbury), though he was one of the older guys on the team. He also had 18 points in 21 playoff games last year with Sudbury. He has decent size (6'2", 190 lbs), but not many PIM.
He'll be interesting to watch - he was undrafted, but he is right-handed.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Pens sign Aaron Boogaard
The Pens signed Aaron Boogaard to an entry-level contract. Boogaard was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2004 and has been playing the WHL for the past 5 seasons.
Aaron is still only 20 years old, and will likely be a fixture for Wilkes-Barre for a few years. He hasn't put many points on the board (only 21 this season - 10 G, 11 A), but has racked up 384 penalty minutes over the past two seasons in the WHL. Can you say Dennis Bonvie replacement?
Hat tip to Will for pointing this out in the comments.
Aaron is still only 20 years old, and will likely be a fixture for Wilkes-Barre for a few years. He hasn't put many points on the board (only 21 this season - 10 G, 11 A), but has racked up 384 penalty minutes over the past two seasons in the WHL. Can you say Dennis Bonvie replacement?
Hat tip to Will for pointing this out in the comments.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Pens in the World Championships
According to the Tribune-Review, the following players will compete in the World Championships:
Jordan Staal sure has come a long way, hasn't he? He'll have a chance to play with his brother in this tournament.
Nice to see Geno playing for Mother Russia despite the way he left there. Hopefully those goofs in Magnitogorsk don't try to kidnap him (I think I'm only partially kidding on this one, sad to say).
I'm also completely shocked that Ryan Whitney isn't playing for Team USA. I guess maybe it's due to his injuries - he was pretty nicked up at the end of the playoffs. I'm also mildly surprised that Ryan Malone isn't there either, given that Team USA will be offensively challenged.
- Jordan Staal - Canada
- Evgeni Malkin - Russia
- Sergei Gonchar - Russia
- Ronald Petrovicky - Slovakia
- Jarkko Ruutu - Finland
Jordan Staal sure has come a long way, hasn't he? He'll have a chance to play with his brother in this tournament.
Nice to see Geno playing for Mother Russia despite the way he left there. Hopefully those goofs in Magnitogorsk don't try to kidnap him (I think I'm only partially kidding on this one, sad to say).
I'm also completely shocked that Ryan Whitney isn't playing for Team USA. I guess maybe it's due to his injuries - he was pretty nicked up at the end of the playoffs. I'm also mildly surprised that Ryan Malone isn't there either, given that Team USA will be offensively challenged.
Crosby played with a broken foot
Sidney Crosby had a broken foot for the last month of the regular season. See the Post-Gazette article here (though I'm not terribly impressed with it) and the Trib article here (much better article).
This is just more icing on the respect cake. Crosby sets the tone for this team. The fact that he was able to kick it up several notches in the playoffs despite the problems with the foot is amazing. Remember when Kovalev played with a broken foot? Nothing close to this... but to be fair, we can't really compare the injuries.
Sid will miss the World Championships as a result of the injury.
This is just more icing on the respect cake. Crosby sets the tone for this team. The fact that he was able to kick it up several notches in the playoffs despite the problems with the foot is amazing. Remember when Kovalev played with a broken foot? Nothing close to this... but to be fair, we can't really compare the injuries.
Sid will miss the World Championships as a result of the injury.
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