As we all know, the Penguins made a handful of player moves over the past couple of days. They involved a couple of signings, a couple of demotions and waiver moves. I wanted to take an opportunity to break these down a bit for you all, as I have been a little frustrated at the microscope with which Ray Shero has been scrutinized by a handful of fans out there.

First off, every Shero move has not been brilliant, but he has been right far more often than he has been wrong. He has a couple of trips to the Stanley Cup finals to show for it…including last year’s Cup victory. I realize that we are all armchair quarterbacks and what would fandom be with out debate, but I can’t believe the amount of urine and vinegar that has been cast Shero’s way over the moves of the past two days.

The questions that I have received in emails, read in board posts and just come across as I conducted my normal business are as follows….

“Why would Shero sign Bayda only to waive him and demote him to Wilkes Barre-Scranton?”

“What the heck is he thinking signing Martin Skoula when he had two perfectly good options in Nate Guenin and Deryk Engelland?”

“Why sign Skoula after he couldn’t make the Columbus Blue Jackets!?”

“Why would he waive Guenin, Engelland and Bissonnette?”

“Why would he pick up Chris Bourque? A dreaded Washington Capital cast off!!?”

Personally, unless he does something ridiculous, such as trading Sidney Crosby at this stage of the game, he is sort of above my questioning. I tend to give him a break considering that he has found a way to keep not only Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc Andre Fleury on one team, but also Jordan Staal, Brooks Orpik, Tyler Kennedy, Max Talbot and company.

However, since the above questions were raised, I will answer them for you…

Let’s start with Ryan Bayda…yes, he played well enough in training camp to open some eyes around the organization and earned himself a contract. The team wanted to keep him in the organization, as they liked his work ethic and all around ability. Though they were not willing to sign him to a one way deal, thus handcuffing themselves into paying an NHL contract for a player that they might have been able to acquire an upgrade on. Shero is all about flexibility and that is what he got by signing Bayda to a two-way, one-year deal.

He very well might have wanted him for the Wilkes Barre-Scranton roster the entire time…no one can be sure, however he couldn’t have had him on any roster without signing him. He was in camp on a tryout and would have been able to be signed by any team in the league had he shopped his services. Shero did what was necessary to keep a player he liked in the organization…and did it on his terms.

He then turned around and made his waiver moves to get the roster down to size, waiving Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Bayda, Deryk Engelland, Nate Guenin and Chris Conner. Unfortunately, these players had to be waived in order to be sent to WBS, as they were “out of options” so to speak. They ended the day by signing Martin Skoula, a 9 year NHL vet, who can kill penalties, makes a nice first pass and doesn’t make many mistakes in the defensive zone. A great fit as a seventh defenseman. I don’t know about you, but I am a lot more comfortable with the defense knowing that they have an experienced player available to slot in. Sure, Guenin and Engelland looked good during camp, especially Guenin, but the duo combine for less career NHL games that this team will play in the month of October. It serves the team better to have Guenin, Lovejoy and Engelland sitting there as their 8th, 9th and 10th option. It also gives Shero what he always like to have…10 defenseman that can play games in the NHL if need be.

I realize that Skoula was on a try out with Columbus and didn’t get a contract offer from them. You have to ask yourself why that is before you assume it is that he isn’t capable. It really comes down to roles and he is much better suited to be the Penguins “extra” defenseman, than to have to fill a top six role…which is what the Blue Jackets are looking for at this point. Scott Howson probably didn’t see Skoula as a good fit in his top six and I don’t blame him for that. I think he looks pretty good in that 7 hole here though.

As we hit the sheets last night many in the hockey world fully expected Paul Bissonnette to garner some serious attention as he passed through waivers. He did just that and the Phoenix Coyotes snagged him. Personally, I am thrilled for him, as he will probably get the big break he has been waiting for and get that NHL job that has eluded him for so long. I told you guys last week that he was ready for that shot, be it here or somewhere else and unfortunately it came elsewhere. The Penguins knew they were taking a chance, but Biz Nasty wasn’t rated above Eric Godard, the player he would have had to replace on the parent team. (On a side note…if he does in fact make the Phoenix roster, keep an eye on him in your pool. He is a great source of PIMs and can play the game a bit chipping in on a score sheet a bit as well.)

Not surprisingly, Ryan Bayda and company passed through waivers, keeping them all in the organization. They will all provide great depth for this team as the season rolls along.

The last move of the day came in the form of claiming Chris Bourque from the Washington Capitals. Bourque, who is a former second round pick, was on the verge of making the Washington Capitals this season. To hear some Caps insiders talk, they lost him only because they have yet to resolve the Mike Nylander situation. They aren’t thrilled to have lost one of their top prospects either. Bourque is going to get a chance to make he Penguins roster as a third liner. He has a game that should mesh well with Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke. He also seems to have great offensive upside and a nice shot that apparently puts him in the 20-goal realm.

This move could leave Pascal Dupuis in limbo, which should make many out there happy, as he has been the player that most fans would love to see dealt.

Overall, you have to look at the moves this way. Shero is going to be active in waiver situations and the free agent scrap heap every season…he has too based on his line-up. He is always going to be up against the cap, loaded with high-end talent, and is going to have to plug holes in a cost-effective way.

In looking at the moves, Martin Skoula is a better NHL 7th defenseman than Nate Guenin, Ben Lovejoy and Deryk Engelland. Ryan Bayda is a better all around player than Paul Bissonnette, while Chris Bourque is potentially better than Bayda. You have three depth players in your organization that will fill roles more effectively than the ones that were there yesterday. Losing Bissonnette is a tough one, but it is the type of sacrifice that Shero is going to have to make every year in order to keep his team on the winning track.

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For anyone heading down to the Tribtron for Friday night's game, be advised that the Penguins have also added a fireworks display to the menu...weather permitting!

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