Poll Results:
Question --
When do you anticipate Beau Bennett making his debut for the Pittsburgh Penguins?
More voters (42 percent) want Bennett to put in a full season in the minors before making his NHL debut. Thirty percent would like to see the rookie join the Penguins sometime around the trade deadline and another 20 percent would like to see the Cailfornia native up in the next week. Only five percent believe the Penguins will use him as a trade chip.
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The 1986-87 Pittsburgh Penguins started the season 8-1 and didn’t make the playoffs. The 1992-93 Pens won the organization’s only President’s Trophy yet couldn’t win the Cup. The 2008-09 champions were five points out of the playoff on February 15.
The Pens have the big guns to go far in 2013 but the adjustments they make between now and the end of the regular season will likely determine how far they advance in Lord Stanley’s Cup. Would you take the team’s current roster, as it stands now, and give it a decent shot at a long Cup run? What areas do you believe need shored up or improved?
Two areas stand out to most observers, including a winger for Evgeni Malkin and proven, battled-tested veteran on defense.
Things change quickly in the NHL. As Ferris Bueller says in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Hopefully, Pens GM Ray Shero has kept close tabs on the both the wins and the losses for his team thus far.
Even our Hockey Buzz community might want to re-evaluate some of the opinions from the last couple weeks.
For example, 55 percent of readers wanted
Simon Despres traded for Devin Setoguchi in a poll two weeks ago. Despite a shaky pairing with Dylan Reese on Sunday, Despres has played a part in the Pens’ success in recent games.
Raise your hand if you really believe that Zach Boychuk will slot next to Evgeni Malkin in the first game of the playoffs. I’ve got some cheap knockoff Taiwanese or Chinese team sweaters I’d like to sell you – “that’s Bortuzzo with two ‘z’s’.”
We’re at the 27 percent mark of the regular season. On one hand, there’s still time for improvement. On the other hand, injuries could force this conversation to take on a whole new direction – we still don’t know how badly Kris Letang is hurt. That said, the Pens are better off than most.
If you’ve ever had the fortune (or misfortune) of watching gold reality shows like Bamazon, Bering Sea Gold or Gold Rush, then you know it takes a lot or work to filter through a tiny bit of gold. Basically, that’s what the Penguins are doing right now. They’re sifting through bedrock and granite to get to the good stuff.
Just remember, whenever Pittsburgh goes through a long losing streak or a five-game win streak, for that matter, it’s a pre-cursor to what counts – the playoffs. Right now the team’s digging for gold. Let’s hope they find some.
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Tweet ‘O the Day
Dave Molinari @MolinariPG
Penguins have returned defenseman Joe Morrow to their farm team in Wilkes-Barre.
It might have been a bit silly to think that Morrow was going to play Sunday after the Baby
Penguins had played two straight days before his recall. Three games in three days is a bit much, though Morrow would’ve surely jumped at the chance to make his NHL debut.
Gotta bolt. Another shopping day with Aunt Helen in Bellevue.
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Treasure Life!
JT
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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