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Pens looking at Matt Cullen?

February 19, 2013, 12:34 PM ET [131 Comments]
John Toperzer
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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-- If you’re a Sabres fan, you have to be happy your team didn’t lose an All-Star defenseman after the Pens’ previous two opponents saw Erik Karlsson and Tobias Enstrom go down, respectively, against Pittsburgh. Of course, Buffalo doesn’t have an All-Star defender despite paying Tyler Myers a $12 million contract for 2013.


-- Even though I wasn’t necessarily a big fan of NBC’s announcing crew Sunday, comments made about Sidney Crosby’s condition were interesting. Crosby apparently felt he was a little bit overweight playing at 210 pounds last year, when he couldn’t train the way he wanted to. He’s now at 203 pounds where he was a couple years ago.


-- From Elliotte Friedman’s 30 on 30

19. Another exec on Snow: "Some guys are masters of the salary cap. He is master of the salary floor." Great line -- and not intended as an insult.

Sorry, but that is too funny. It will be a sad day when Charles Wang sells the Islanders. The Penguins benefit from a perennial second-division team in the tough Atlantic Division.

24. It was an under-the-radar move, but Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero did a huge favour for defenceman Ben Lovejoy. Lovejoy is the kind of player who really could have been screwed by the lockout. At age 28, he is making $525,000 and in just the second year of his NHL career, he hasn't been on a two-way deal. An unrestricted-free-agent-to-be on a deep Pittsburgh blue-line, Lovejoy was looking at the loss of NHL salary security. But in Anaheim, he's got three assists in six games and is playing five more minutes a night. If Lovejoy turns this into full-time future employment, he should send Shero a nice watch.

Maybe he can make Brian Strait money next year.

25. So who was Shero watching last week in Minnesota? He attended Avalanche/Wild game the night before Pittsburgh won in Winnipeg. You know who has Penguin written all over him? Matt Cullen.

Cullen ranks ninth in ice time for the Wild. He’s been on the ice most frequently with Devin Setoguchi (47.2% TOI with Cullen), Mikael Granlund (39.1 TOI) and Tom Gilbert (38.5 TOI).

Cullen’s career numbers can be found here.

He’s in the final season of his contract at $3.5 million. Cullen ranks ninth in short-handed ice time and 11th on the power play. If he could play a wing, then he might make for an upgrade over Tyler Kennedy. The 15th year NHL vet is 36 years of age.



*****

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As promised, here's an assortment of the comments generated from Monday's five questions

1. What’s wrong with Evgeni Malkin, who has one even-strength goal?

hardnosed Geno getting on track should scare the crap out of the rest of the NHL.


2. Should the Pens send Beau Bennett, playing on the third line, back to Wilkes-Barre?

nbartley9 Yes, it would greatly benefit him to play in the AHL for a while. He is going to be a good NHLer just not yet. I hope Shero doesnt screw him over Pittsburgh Pirates style.

HopintheCordoba No. He needs to stay, in my opinion and play a top 6 role. He needs that time to develop chemistry with the top tier players on this team. He has the makings of being one himself.

Oneonta Penguin Bringing up Bennett and playing him on the third line is worthless. We need to see how he can do with high end talent. He is the only internal candidate left that possibly could resolve this hole. Play him on the top two lines, or send him down.

Genev21 Yes, I'm taking the barry melrose approach let him play and develop where he is the man.


3. Who do you like better on the point for power plays, Kris Letang or Paul Martin? Why?

ChrisMS Paul Martin... he's on my fantasy team


4. Can you name the Pens’ top three forward prospects after Bennett?

fatman00 Honestly I can't name many of our forward prospects and that is the scary part.


5. Are you concerned with the penchant of opponents having success knocking the Pens’ top players off their games with retaliatory penalties?

cap1681 Depends on the player. Malkin really seems to get away from his game when this happens. Making Crosby mad seems to have the opposite effect.


Extra Comments

simethos I actually wish they could tell Geno that Sid wasn't there. Like some kind of psychological experiment. "Sid isn't real, Geno. We need you, now more than ever. Go get us the win." And then watch him go apepoop, getting four points a night and winning the scoring title again.



What’s wrong with Evgeni Malkin, who has one even-strength goal?

The transition from KHL to NHL is a factor, but also teams are gameplanning against him and Neal. This line needs a Kunitz type player to throw around his body and free up the puck
- cap1681


I think this is the most accurate point that anybody has made. James Neal is a great sniper, but he's not exactly great at winning puck battles along the boards. What makes Kunitz and his ilk so valuable is he makes life miserable for the opponent on the boards. He's a bowling ball that works his ass off to win puck battles. Basically, the "left wing of the night club" are not those kind of players. Matt Cooke brings some of that which is why he has looked pretty good so far......not as gifted as Kunitz though.


cap1681 What i want to see on Crosbys line, which he hasn't seen since Hossa was here, is a pure sniper. This is why i suggested weeks ago that Kessel would be a perfect match for Crosby's wing


Allstarzz Giroux is the best player in the game. What Sid is better because he has more points? What happened in the playoffs? Giroux outplayed him big time. Giroux is off to a slow start just like Malkin.


Allstarzz OVIE still has more points than Crosby in his career hahaha


Kineada Here are some very simple solutions to improve all of Letang's issues:

1) Shooting practice - Chain him to the ice for a few days and don't let him leave. Maybe that will teach him where the net is (although he leads the rush so often you would think he'd already know this...).

2) Move him up to wing - Why on Earth does a team this loaded up front with offensive talent need some sort of Orr or Coffey type? Just because the Oilers did it in the eighties doesn't mean the Penguins have to copy them over twenty years later. I know I'd feel a lot better if the premier defenseman on the team was a stay-at-home defensive guy.

3) Get a damn haircut - 'Nuff said.


dbell646 I chuckled at the idea to move Letang to wing. I have to stop coming here and reading this nonsense.


cap1681 Who does he think our coach is, Michel Therrien??????


Gunner Staal Maybe Whitney should have stayed at wing.


Kineada How dare you compare that girlie-mess of a haircut to the majestic and powerful mullet? A mullet screams business in the front, party in the back ...


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Treasure Life!
JT

Keep the great comments coming. Flyers on Wednesday!
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