Some thoughts for Thursday after the Penguins have fnished up their preseason game slate:
Peter Mueller was put on waivers by the St. Louis Blues. Peter Mueller can still be an effective NHL player on the cheap. He also plays center. This is a great low risk opportunity for the Penguins. The more playable guys you have, the more trading options you have. The Penguins roster as it stands is not Stanley Cup caliber, but its not far off either. Apparently Mueller has played well at camp, it’s just that the Blues have too many really good young forwards and no room for him.
What the heck are they going to do with Craig Adams? By merit there is no chance he is one of the best 15 NHL forwards in the system. Keeping him around as the 13th forward is blocking a better player. This is not an ideal situation. I don’t think the team has many options here. This situation is unfortunate. Complete negligence by Ray Shero in this particular case.
Penguins have received quality goaltending so far.
Marc-Andre Fleury has stopped 36 out of 39 shots for a save percentage of .923%
Thomas Greiss has stopped 34 out of 36 shots for a save percentage of .944%
Those numbers won’t look as good if the Penguins allow as many shots from the home plate area as they did last night in Detroit. Last night it was a well-earned shutout by MAF, on another night it could be 4+ goals against.
What can you say about Oskar Sundqvist? Guy was great in the prospect camp and his play has carried over to training camp/preseason. He has put himself in a spot where the brass is going to have to make a very difficult decision about him. Whether or not he sticks around this year he has proven to be an NHL talent that Pittsburgh can look forward to in the very near future. They will be able to get quality bottom six center play on the cheap.
Sidney Crosby played and he looked great. Of course he did, he is great. The best part about last night for me was seeing him play on the off wing on the power play. That is where he belongs whether it is down low or on the half wall. He should NEVER be on the left side. Also having Hornqvist as a right handed shot is going to be great. You could see how Sid can get passes into his wheel house from both the half wall and from down low. James Neal was a very good power play presence for the Penguins, I think Hornqvist is a better fit.
Letang Ehrhoff continues to be dominant at even strength but I really have enjoyed their work on the power play. Ehrhoff is just as clever as Martin but with a harder shot. Just wait until Ehrhoff is feeding Geno bombs like Sergei Gonchar used to.
Dan Carcillo has been released. Apparently he had a foot injury he was playing through. I saw no problem in letting him try to earn a roster spot, he didn’t, oh well.
Chris Kunitz has not looked good to me. Does that mean it is panic time? Of course not, but it is still a valid observation from the games played so far. One thing I am certain of is that Kunitz and Hornqvist on the same line is overkill and they should always be separate.
Dupuis is also a little bit rusty but that’s OK. His speed and conditioning looks fine. The rest will take care of itself as he gets more game reps.
There has been some uncertainty about what happens to Kasperi Kapanen if he does not make the Penguins roster. Some people think that he can’t go to the AHL because he is still under contract with his Finnish team. His father is the majority owner of that team. If the Penguins believe the best spot for Kasperi is in the AHL I can’t imagine there will be a problem with getting him there.
As far as Sundqvist’s situation goes. I am looking into that as we speak.
Steve Downie is a great pickup. Will be a terrific third line player on the cheap. Well done by Jim Rutherford/Jason Botterill.
Evgeni Malkin is still a mystery. Did ‘The Summer of Malkin’ take him to Liberia? Does he have Ebola?
On a serious note, the Penguins are way better prepared to deal with the absence of a Crosby or Malkin than they were last year. If both are out the Penguins are screwed but they can survive with just one out. Pittsburgh could survive October without Geno, but I still don't think they'll have to.
Thanks for reading!
Follow me on twitter
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»