Saturday, May 22, 2010

Quickie for yinz...

It's been a rather uneventful week in the world of Pittsburgh sports. The Buccos have been showing signs of life, followed by signs of impending doom. It all depends on the pitching, because you can only count on them to score more then 4 runs about once a week...

As for the Pens, all the talk is of the impending free agency of some familiar faces, but I'm going to delve into that a little later on once I see which restricted free agents get tendered and blah blah blah...it'll be coming out right after the playoffs, or whenever the hell it is that players are tendered...stay tuned.

And with the Steelers, like always, no news is good news. Ben still isn't practicing with the team, and life is going on with Byron Leftwich under center. I'll let you know if any of that changes, but for now, that appears to be our direction.

That's about all I got for ya, I know it's nothing too significant but it's been a boring couple of days...things will pick up soon I'm sure (play ominous music)...

Until lata...

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Who comes, who goes, who stays? (Part 2)

Well, it looks like the PG stole a bit of my thunder, but here's the list of people who need to go one way or the other for the Pens, at least in my humble opinion. For now, I'm going to leave those players I consider prospects off the list, just because they will take up their own individual post at a later date...

Enjoy!!!

Forwards

Eric Godard - his only job is to fight, and while he does that well, we have plenty of others (Mike Rupp comes to mind) who can throw down. He's an absolute joke of a hockey player, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I could skate faster then him.

Tyler Kennedy - He's fast, sure, and was injured most of this season. But he seems to only have one move in the offensive end, and we can find plenty of speedy grinders in the minors. I think he's overrated, but I'm sure the Pens will keep him because of his youth and speed.

Ruslan Fedotenko - If you watched the Pens this year then you know why he needs to go. He's old, slow and stinks. Nuff' said.

Alex Ponikarovsky - Bar none the biggest trade deadline flop ever for Ray Shero, his size and scoring touch were supposed to produce at a top-six level. They didn't, and he will almost certainly not be brought back.

Defensemen

Jordan Leopold - He was injured early in the playoffs and wasn't as big of a factor as he could have been. I don't necessarily hate what he brings to the table, but he's a puck moving defensemen, not really the stay at home type, and unless we drop Gonchar, I think Leopold may be too much of a good thing.

Jay McKee - He was brought in on the cheap, and played well when he was needed, but I doubt he'd want to take on a 7th defenseman role. Plus, his salary is sure to rise and his legs are bound to get even slower, so no thanks.

Kris Letang/Alex Goligoski - As I said in the first post, one of these two needs to go. They'll both be back, but I would dump one because of their defensive liabilities and because we could definitely get a good return on one of them now, as opposed to two years from now when they will be worthless or at least devalued.

Goaltenders

Brent Johnson - We just signed him to an extension, and to be honest, it may be a good idea. He's well liked by his teammates and not horrible on the ice. My only problem is that I would prefer us to get a youngster some experience behind Fluery, but should an injury come up, I'll feel a little better with Johnson in then I would about John Curry or any of our prospects right now.

Well boys and girls, that's it for now...I'll be back lata this week with some free agents I'd like to see us target, and even a report on our prospects!

Hope you enjoyed it, and until lata...

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Who comes, who goes, who stays? (Part 1)

So I figure the best way to start the offseason for the PPB is to make a couple posts listing who I think the Pens should keep, who needs to go (from the team period, via free agency or just plain letting go of them), and then who we should target in the free agent market.

For today, I'm going to go with who we should keep -

Forwards

Sidney Crosby - I mean if you want to cut him then you're a moron and obviously a Flyer sympathizer.

Geno Malkin - See Sidney Crosby.

Jordan Staal - I know a lot of people wanted us to trade him or Geno this season to get a scoring winger, but let me tell you, there's no finer defensive forward in the game and he can certainly score if needed. Oh yea, and he's something silly like 22. Don't be fools.

Mike Rupp - His grit and early scoring touch were a great thing for the Pens, and you could tell he brought energy to the ice every time he played. And he can fight, which is nice because maybe we won't have to carry a horrible, horrible hockey player just to be an enforcer.

Matt Cooke - He became a real leader on this squad, and whether you love or hate him, no one (except maybe our old buddy Rutuu) can get under the skin of the opposition like him. Plus, his 15 goals this year were a career high, so we definitely need to resign him.

Craig Adams - I hate saying it (because he's Little Snack's favorite player), but Adams is a great penalty killer, and he wins faceoffs, which is something we desperately need. And his two Stanley Cup rings certainly brings some experience and clout that this team needs.

Pascal Dupuis - He's a very strong penalty killer, and has the speed needed to get in on the forecheck. He's proven that he can play on any line, and Coach Dan Bylsma loves trying different line combinations.

Chris Kunitz - He also fits into the Dupuis mold, but he's not as strong on the PK. I'd still keep him though because he's fast, gets the pucks in the corners, and has a little more offensive punch then Dupuis.

Bill Guerin - If he doesn't retire, this old gray beard can still get the job done. His minutes will have to be limited as there's not a whole lot of jump left in his legs, but on the PP no one on our team can get in front of the net like him. Plus, his wrist shot isn't bad for someone who probably played juniors without a helmet.

Max Talbot - He had an injury filled year, so I'm willing to give him a pass for this season, especially after his game 7 theatrics in 2009. But if he doesn't show early in the season that he's back to the old "Mad Max" I would not think twice about unloading him and his pricey (for a player of his style at least) contract.

Defensemen

Brooks Orpik - His physical play is a must have in today's NHL, and he logs a lot of minutes on the PK. We all saw him play in the Olympics for the USA, so I don't think I need to say much else.

Sergei Gonchar - I'd like for the Pens to keep him if he's willing to take a home town discount, because I think he runs the PP better then anyone else on the team, but if he still wants elite money at the age of 36, we may have to take a pass.

Mark Eaton - Eaton is nothing spectacular, but he's a sturdy, stable NHL defenseman who won't make many mistakes in his own zone and has become a leader on the team. The other players like his style, and he's definitely an asset we need to hold onto.

Alex Goligoski/Kris Letang - I would keep one of these two, because they both possess rare speed and offensive talent for a defenseman and are definitely assets on the PP. However, they are both absolutely horrible in their own end, and they have a nasty habit of turning the puck over at inopportune times. I would probably try to keep Go Go, because it seems Letang makes more stupid mistakes then he does, but some in the organization may think Letang has better offensive potential. I guess we'll find out...

(Sidenote - the Pens will almost certainly keep both Go Go and Letang, this is just what I would do)

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury - Sure, he didn't look great during the playoffs this season, but after going to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, not to mention representing his country in the Olympics, I think we'll let this one slide. He is still maddeningly inconsistent at times, but maybe this year's early exit from the playoffs will recharge his batteries somewhat and get back that competitive edge he seems to have been lacking this season.

Well, that's about all I'd for sure keep...hope you enjoyed the list, and I'll be back soon with the players I'd dump (I realize you can tell who they will be, but I'll explain why in the post).

Until lata...

Friday, May 14, 2010

Penguins Wrap Up

Well, by now we all know the fate of our Pittsburgh Pens - a second round loss to the Cinderella Montreal Canadiens. In the end, Halak was too good, and Flower was not very good, which is not a good equation if you want to advance in the playoffs.

In the next day or two I'm going to compiling my "who should stay and who should go" list for the Pens, and let's just say there will be more going then you think. And sometime in the next week or so I'll be looking at potential free agent targets for the Pens, which is an avenue we'll have to hit harder then usual this offseason.

So make sure you stay tuned to PPB for all of your Pens offseason moves and rumors, and I'll be back with a big post tomorrow.

Until then...

PS - The Pirates are still horrible, and no news is good news for the Steelers....

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Live Blog 5/12/10

Well our big Game 7 starts in about 2 hours, so make sure you check back here around gametime for the start of the live blog...

1st Period

20:00 - Puck drops, Sidney Crosby wins it cleanly.

19:50 - And Crosby is already in the box...crap. let's go PK.

19:28 - Habs score...1-0 Montreal, and obviously the NHL wants us to lose, because that was a miserable call on Crosby. Oh and the Pens were called for another penalty so Montreal is still on the PP.

17:28 - PP is over, we held...but were certainly under fire.

16:10 - The Poni keg can't shoot to save his life...prolly explains why he hasn't been in the lineup...we need to shape up here very quickly...

14:40 - And that's why I like Mike Rupp; he just charged into the offensive zone, dumped the puck, got it himself and took a shot. Man he plays hard, unlike that lazy bum Ponikarovsky...

12:45 - And the Habs hit the post beside Fleury...

12:32 - The Pens are on the PP...I think a goal here would whip this crowd into a frenzy!!!

11:11 - Letang gives it away and causes a breakaway, thankfully he gets back to help stop the shot...

10:34 - PP is almost over, we tried to be waaaay too fancy...faceoff in Montreal's zone.

8:08 - Billy Guerin just misses on an open slapper...we need a goal badly.

6:45 - The Pens get the crowd back into it with a little sustained pressure from the third line, including two wrap around attempts...great shift.

5:37 - Lucky bounce comes out in front to Dominic Moore...2-0 Habs...not looking good right now. I knew Diego was the whammy!!!

4:44 - Halak comes out of the crease, almost lets one in...we can't catch a break maybe this team just doesn't have whatever it was last year's did.

1:34 - Horrible first period so far. We're playing scared, and that's not how you win a game. The only saving grace is that there's still two periods left, but there is absolutely no room for error now...

End of 1st - Boy, this was just about the worst case scenario for the Pens; down 2-0 and not looking good by any stretch of the imagination. If we don't score rather quickly in the second I think it could be lights out on the season. Better wake up and play some hockey Pens!!!

2nd Period

20:00 - Sid wins the draw.

19:01 - Sarge looks horrible this game, maybe he's excited to leave us via free agency?

16:54 - We certainly don't look any better this period. Crap.

16:28 - Cammellari scores, 3-0 Habs and almost certainly the end of our season. There's still time but there's no indication the Pens feel like playing any more.

16:01 - PP for the Pens, if we don't score now there's almost no chance...

14:46 - Short handed goal for the Canadiens, and I am officially calling it quits for the night, as no one in Pittsburgh cares what happens now. Nice season I guess boys....

Until lata...

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Update...

RAW was amazing, but as you all know the Pens lost...So make sure you stop by tomorrow night around gametime as I will be live blogging again in the hopes it leads us to another victory (again)...lol

Anyway, tomorrow afternoon I'm going to post a couple of pics from RAW, none of them are that spectacular but it was quite an evening at the Mellon Arena. Let's just say they really went all out for the last wrestling event there...

Until tomorrow morning...

Monday, May 10, 2010

WWE RAW

So I'll be heading to the WWE event tonight at Mellon Arena...obviously that means no live blog. Hopefully the Pens can knock these bozos out but rest assured if they don't do it tonight I'll be back at the live blogging for game 7.

Anyway, check back tomorrow for all of your Pens news, and there even may be a recap of the last wrestling event ever to be help at Mellon. I have even have a source or two who have meet and greet passes, so maybe I'll get a little inside info on the superstars of RAW.

Until tomorrow...