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Penguins’ 3rd-Line Center Options

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With the loss of Nick Bonino to Nashville via free agency, the reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins have a gaping hole down the middle. For the first time in over a decade, the center position is now one of relative weakness. It’s always a possibility that Matt Cullen decides to re-sign for one more year, but he will not be able to carry the load of a typical 3rd-line center. Cullen showed signs of slowing down toward the tail-end of the team’s playoff run, and he was only averaging 13:55 a game through the regular season. At 41 years old, he simply won’t be a viable long-term option. The Penguins likely have high hopes for Zach Aston-Reese to make a push in training camp, but he is an unknown quantity at the NHL level. GM Jim Rutherford had 5 potential trade options in the works prior to July 1st, according to the very reliable Josh Yohe of DKPittsburghSports. Talks either fizzled or were put on the back-burner, but one might imagine the number of available targets is far fewer now. With Dallas’ three-year signing of Radek Faksa, there is one fewer name left for consideration. Vegas seems to be content with merely flipping defensemen from here on in, although names such as Cody Eakin and William Karlsson shouldn’t be thrown out entirely. Erik Haula is likely a pipe-dream, but he’s another possible target. Matt Duchene was linked for a time, but between the high cost and the stubbornness of Colorado GM Joe Sakic to make a move, he seems incredibly unlikely.

Who are the safest bets for an off-season move? Or will Pittsburgh enter the season with someone unproven slotting behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?

Tyler Bozak

Bozak has made tons of sense since his name was first mentioned. A lot has been made of his relationship with Phil Kessel. When they played on a line together in Toronto, Kessel saw some of his best career production. More than that however – the Leafs are in a bit of cap pinch as they will look to free up dollars for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander in the next two seasons. They certainly aren’t in any hurry to drop underneath the ceiling due to LTIR intricacies, but moving out Bozak’s $4.2 MM for this next season would be a forward looking move. If he’s due a raise, it’s likely they’ll lose him for far less, as his contract expires at the end of 2017-18. The move makes sense for Pittsburgh because of the Kessel relationship, but also because he fits the mold of the Pittsburgh squad. He’s a solid skater, sees the ice well, and hustles back into his own zone. His playmaking abilities would be a wonderful fit on the cheap to aid the high-powered offense, and the player would be a positive possession asset to remove the stress from the bigger guns. Bozak does have a modified no-trade clause, but it’s hard to see Pittsburgh being included on his list of non-tradeable teams.

Jordan Staal

Staal saw a lot of success in Pittsburgh before he was traded away to Carolina at the 2012 draft. Jordan was traded to that team in particular due to his desire to player with his older brother Eric Staal. Seeing as Eric is no longer in the picture, it would make sense that Staal might be open to a Pittsburgh reunion. Staal is one of the better defensive centers in the league, and has been forced to take a more uncomfortably offensive role in Carolina. Staal’s biggest downside is that he isn’t the most agile skater, but he’s not any slower than Nick Bonino was. That said, he can play the shutdown role and be a total nuisance for top opponents. Rutherford loves the player, as he was the GM of Carolina when they initially acquired the player, for a hefty sum of Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin, and a 1st-round pick (which became Derrick Pouilot). According to Yohe, Staal is apparently open to a return, and the nostalgic element of the team’s fanbase is clamoring for this to happen. Rutherford stated on a local radio segment with Ron Cook that “to his knowledge he (Staal) isn’t available”, but he’s played coy with the media in the past.

Out Of Left-Field

Rutherford has been known to throw the hockey world for a loop with some of his trades. The James Neal–Patric Hornqvist trade shocked just about everyone, and the Phil Kessel trade is still being discussed to this day. If there’s one thing we should expect from him, it’s the unexpected. There are a few lesser options out there for Rutherford to explore, and management may want to have the Conor Sheary and Brian Dumoulin contracts put to paper before making any sort of transaction. It seems unlikely that anything will happen until those deals get done. Rutherford told Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette that there are “hundreds of names on (his list)”, and that it’s “a patient process”. Could Detroit be willing to move Andreas Athanasiou? Could Bryan Little be pried from Winnipeg for a young defenseman? It’s hard to speculate as to where exactly management have set their sights, but Rutherford is generally willing to overpay to “get his man”. There is the slight likelihood that they enter the season with that hole left unfilled, but it’s hard to imagine. Until more dominoes fall, Rutherford is likely to bide his team and search for the correct deal.

Rangers Must Begin To Worry About McDonagh

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The New York Rangers have emphasized defense this offseason with the signing of top free agent Kevin Shattenkirk and the re-signing of trade deadline acquisition Brendan Smith. Between the two of them, the Rangers have exactly $11MM per year locked up until the 2020-21 season. Tie in the $5.7MM invested in veteran Marc Staal, who not that long ago was being discussed as a buyout candidate, and New York has $16.7MM invested in three veteran defensemen over the next four years. That’s all well and good (even if Staal proves to be worth that type of money). The Rangers wanted to beef up their defense and they have done that even if it’s at the cost of their offense. However, there is one key aspect missing in their defense. Ryan McDonagh.

Yes, the team captain – heart and soul of their defense. He’s only locked in at a very reasonable $4.7MM for the next two years and the New York Post’s Larry Brooks suggests that he is the third most underpaid player in the NHL, which may cause the Rangers some problems in two years when he becomes a unrestricted free agent in the 2019-2020 season. Listing just Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and the New York Islanders’ John Tavares as the most underpaid, the scribe writes that while Crosby’s career is cemented in Pittsburgh, that may not be the case for Tavares, who is currently making the Islanders sweat and possibly consider trading him before he leaves New York for nothing. That may be the same story for McDonough one year after that.

McDonough has two years to decide whether he wants to spend the rest of his career in New York. Brooks writes that he may be interested in returning home to Minnesota and joining a Wild team that should have the money to pay him handsomely in two years. Everything may come down to how he enjoys playing with offensively-gifted Kevin Shattenkirk compared to his previous long-time partner, defensively-gifted Dan Girardi. In the end, it may come down to money and whether the Rangers are willing to commit what is likely to be $7-8MM per year for possibly seven or eight years to keep their then-30-year-old captain when they are already overloaded with a large number of defensive contracts. The point is that McDonough will not make it to free agency as a Ranger. He will have enough power, like Tavares does with the Islanders now, to command whether he gets that long-term deal as a Ranger or force them into dealing him in a year.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Chris Kunitz

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Four-time Stanley Cup champion Chris Kunitz is off to Tampa Bay, where he has signed a one-year $2MM deal with the Lightning. The deal also includes $1MM in performance bonuses according to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, based on ice time, games played and the team making the playoffs.

Kunitz is coming off a strong playoff performance for Pittsburgh. Most notably, he scored the double-overtime winner in Game 7 against Ottawa which propelled the team into the Finals. He’s always been a solid possession player – never posting a Corsit For below 51% since the stat was tracked in 2007-08. His productivity on the wings of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin placed him in the upper echelon of wingers in the league. Last season, the 37-year-old saw his first major decline in goal production during the regular season. He dropped to 9 tallies from the previous season’s 17, and noticeably looked a step slower. He became an expendable piece who moved up and down the lineup with the emergence of forwards Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel.

Still able to provide leadership and a physical element, Kunitz will hope to prove that he belongs on a Tampa Bay team that is thin on the left wing. Tampa will look to lean upon his intangibles to catapult them back into playoff contention after a rough 2016-17 season. If he can regain some of his previous production, the deal will look all the better. His previously noted flexibility will come in handy in the case of injuries, and he has shown his ability to play effectively along top talent. It’s difficult to imagine him looking out of place slotting alongside Steven Stamkos or Tyler Johnson in a pinch. The biggest risk of course is with regards to his age, and whether he will continue to be as unproductive offensively as he was in the latter half of the season in Pittsburgh.

Nashville To Sign Nick Bonino For Four Years

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TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the Nashville Predators are signing Nick Bonino to a four-year deal.

The former Pittsburgh Penguin had 37 points (18-19) in 80 games and added 7 points (4-3) in the playoffs. PHR had Bonino listed as the 11th best free agent out there, and correctly predicted a four-year deal.

Bonino will give the Preds some more depth up front, while playing a solid two-way game. What remains to be seen is how he does without having superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby facing other team’s top talent every night. Regardless, Bonino is a solid pickup which adds another piece for the defending Western Conference Champion.

Pittsburgh Penguins Win The 2017 Stanley Cup

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After a back-and-forth battle and a goaltending showcase for the ages, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally broke a 0-0 tie with the Nashville Predators with 1:35 remaining in the third period of Game Six on Sunday night and added a empty netter with seconds left to take a 2-0 win and capture the 2017 Stanley Cup title. The Penguins successfully defended their 2016 championship to become the first team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998 to win back-to-back titles. It is the first time in the salary cap era of NHL hockey that any team has won consecutive Stanley Cups.

On their road to another championship, the Penguins entered as the #2 seed out of the Atlantic Division and wiped out the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets in just five games. Pittsburgh then took on the top-seeded Washington Capitals, knocking out the President’s Trophy-winners for the second straight season, in a hard-fought seven-game series. The Ottawa Senators, out of the Atlantic Division, also took the Penguins to a Game Seven in the Eastern Conference final, but again the Penguins were victorious. The Stanley Cup Final was a face-off against an unexpected opponent, a Nashville Predators team that had entered as the second wild card team in the Western Conference and the 16th-seed overall, but swept the powerhouse Chicago Blackhawks and beat both the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks in six games. The performance of the Predators and the enthusiasm of the city of Nashville should not be understated and will likely be how many remember the 2017 playoffs. However, the Penguins were too much for the Predators, outscoring Nashville 17-4 in their four wins, including a shutout in the series-clinching win on the road.

The Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs, was given to Sidney Crosby. The captain of the team and the NHL’s leading scorer, Crosby notched 8 goals and 19 assists on his way to the title. Crosby became just the third player to ever win back-to-back Conn Smythe Trophy’s, joining Bernie Parent and Penguins owner Mario Lemieux. Other standouts of the playoff run include Crosby’s partner in crime, Evgeni Malkin, who outscored the captain by one point to lead all postseason scorers with ten goals and 18 assists. Both goalies, veteran Marc-Andre Fleury and rookie Matt Murray were phenomenal, with Fleury winning nine games while Murray was sidelined, and the youngster taking over to win the final seven and take home his second Stanley Cup despite still being a rookie. Murray posted a .931 save percentage and 1.87 goals against average in 10 appearance as he continues to develop a legacy as a clutch performer. Chris Kunitz lifted the Stanley Cup for the fourth time, the most among active players, while on the flip side trade deadline acquisition Ron Hainsey, who at 35 years old had never even played in the postseason, made the most of his first appearance. Justin Schultz was incredible as the surrogate leader of the defense for the sidelined Kris Letang, as he fought through injuries himself and posted 12 points during the Cup run. And who could forget rookie Jake Guentzel, who led the team with 13 goals, including an amazing five game-winners. In an ironic twist, Patric Hornqvist the final pick of the NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators in the same year that Crosby went #1, got the game winning goal to deny his former franchise their first ever Stanley Cup.

The frightening part for NHL fans is that, unlike their dynastic rivals in Chicago among others, the Penguins should remain largely intact heading into 2017-18. Fleury will likely be gone, but is no longer the starter anyway. Several veteran defenseman and bottom-six forwards could go as well, but Pittsburgh will for the most part return at full strength in October as they look to keep this incredible streak going. Crosby is still just 29 years old and he and the Penguins are far from finished. Congratulations to the 2017 Stanley Cup champs from the staff at PHR.

Snapshots: Oleksiak, Crosby, Sheary, Stephenson, Shipachyov

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The Stars are facing an interesting decision when it comes to their back end and the upcoming expansion draft.  John Klingberg and Esa Lindell are expected to be protected which leaves one opening for several blueliners who are at risk of being exposed.  One of those is Jamie Oleksiak and Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News opines that the hulking rearguard should not be protected over youngster Stephen Johns even though the early thought seems to be that they may be leaning towards doing so.

GM Jim Nill has been extremely patient with Oleksiak, their first round pick back in 2011.  Big defenders often have a longer learning curve and that seems to be their thinking with him, who has played a limited role the last two years.  Heika argues that the team would be better off trying to deal him and protect Johns but it stands to reason that Oleksiak’s limited playing time over the past two seasons (just 60 games combined) could potentially make dealing him a bit more of a challenge.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary both passed their baseline tests and are listed as game-time decisions for tonight against Washington, NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika was among many to note (all Twitter links). Crosby didn’t take part in the morning skate but head coach Mike Sullivan advised that doing so is normal for him.  Both players were diagnosed with a concussion following Game Three on Monday night.
  • The Capitals announced that they’ve re-assigned center Chandler Stephenson back to Hershey of the AHL in advance of their second round series getting underway against Providence today. Stephenson was recalled to the big club back on May 1st but didn’t see any action with Washington in this stint.  He did, however, get into four games with the team in the regular season, being held off the scoresheet while averaging just shy of nine minutes of playing time per game.
  • Vadim Shipachyov’s decision to join the expansion Golden Knights came as a surprise to some but Elliotte Friedman suggested to Sportsnet 590 in Toronto (audio link) that a big factor was their willingness to give him a second guaranteed year, something that other teams weren’t willing to do. The 30 year old has yet to play outside of Russia and while his KHL numbers this year were quite strong (26-50-76 in 50 games), it appears most teams around the league weren’t completely convinced that they’d be able to translate to NHL success.

Injury Notes: Crosby, Ryan, Karlsson

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Sidney Crosby took to the ice today before practice and is continuing to be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain was diagnosed with a concussion, and amazingly has not been ruled out yet for game 5 on Saturday night. While it would be unbelievable to see him back in the lineup so soon, it is encouraging to see him back on the ice.

Crosby’s absence was definitely felt in game 4, as the Capitals dominated play for long stretches and kept the Penguins under 19 shots on goal despite five powerplays. The fact that the team won without him is a testament to their depth, but they would obviously welcome him back with open arms when he is deemed ready. That readiness is an interesting debate though, as even if he’s feeling perfectly fine he could still be in danger of suffering a further head injury. With a long history of concussions, the Penguins ought to be very careful not to bring him back too soon.

  • Bobby Ryan will be back in the lineup for the Ottawa senators tonight, along with Tom Pyatt and Chris Wideman. Ryan exited game 3 after taking a slapshot from teammate Erik Karlsson, playing just under 12 minutes. He’s an important piece to get back, as he’s turned a terrible season into an excellent playoffs, recording eight points in nine games. Zack Smith, who also exited game 3 with an injury will be a game-time decision for the Senators.
  • Speaking of Karlsson, Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated penned an excellent piece talking about the hairline fractures that the Senators’ captain has been playing with. The article goes in-depth on how the Senators viewed Karlsson as a youngster, and how he has now developed beyond even their wildest dreams. “Zubov without the cigarettes” has turned into a legitimate contender for the Hart trophy every year, and at just 26 will have a chance to earn one of the biggest contracts ever given out to a defenseman when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2019.

Sidney Crosby’s Injury History

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without their captain for an undetermined amount of time after today’s concussion diagnosis.

This isn’t the first time that Sidney Crosby has missed time due to head injuries, though. Over the course of his twelve-year NHL career, Crosby has missed 168 games. The vast majority have been in the last seven years, where he has missed 129 games out of a possible 540.

Let’s take a look at Crosby’s history of major injuries:

2007-08 – missed 29 games with a high-ankle sprain – Crosby crashed feet-first into the boards during a mid-January game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played just seven games over the rest of the season, ending up with 53 games-played.

2010-11 – missed 41 games with a concussion – During the 2011 Winter Classic, Capitals forward David Steckel caught Crosby with a blind-side hit as the puck went passed the Penguins’ captain. Crosby returned to the lineup for the next game, but took an innocent-looking hit from Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman behind the net. For the second time in two games, Crosby left the game holding his head. He didn’t play again that season; it was an early end to one of the most dominant seasons in recent history, as Crosby had 66 points in 41 games. That included a 25-game point streak where he scored 51 points.

2011-12 – missed 60 games with concussion-related symptoms – Not only did Crosby miss the final half of the 2010-11 season, he missed the first 20 games of the following season. Many fans will remember Crosby’s legendary return to action, when he scored four points in a 5-0 win over the New York Islanders. Unfortunately, after eight games, an awkward hit from Bruins center David Krejci lead to Crosby being diagnosed with soft-tissue issues in addition to the return of his concussion symptoms. Crosby returned in mid-March and played the final 14 games of the season and participated in the Penguins’ six-game loss to rival Philadelphia. In 22 regular season games, Crosby had 37 points. He followed that up with eight points in six playoff games.

2012-13 – missed 13 games with a broken jaw – After a dominant lockout-shortened season, Crosby missed the end of the regular season and first game of the playoffs after he took a (then-teammate) Brooks Orpik shot to the face. He retuned early in the playoffs, scoring 15 points in 14 games as the Penguins were swept by the Bruins in the Eastern Final.

2016-17 – missed 6 games with a concussion – Crosby enjoyed three mostly-healthy seasons between 2013 and 2016. After winning the Stanley Cup and World Cup in four months, the injury bug struck again. Crosby suffered another concussion in an unspecified incident at Penguins practice. He missed the final pre-season game and the first six games of the regular season, before returning to his dominant form, posting 89 points in 75 games and winning the Art Ross to go along with nominations for the Hart and Lindsay awards.

Based on his history of interrupted comebacks, the Penguins need to be careful with Crosby’s return. The potential for a repeat championship is dwarfed by the future health of their superstar.

Ted Lindsay Finalists Released

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The NHL has revealed the three finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award: Brent Burns, Sidney Crosby, and Connor McDavid.

The award goes to the player judged to be the most outstanding player in the league. The biggest difference between the Hart and the Lindsay is who votes; the Hart is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) and the Lindsay is voted on by NHL players. It’s for this reason that players often seen the Lindsay as a more prestigious award to win, as it’s voted on by their peers.

Burns had a fantastic season, finishing ninth in NHL scoring. His 29 goals and 76 points were the highest by a defenseman, six more than Senators captain Erik Karlsson. Burns lead the Sharks in scoring by eight points (Joe Pavelski had 68), and was the most dangerous player on the ice for the Sharks on most nights. Going against Burns, however, is his 16-game goalless drought towards the end of the season. After scoring 27 goals in 59 games, Burns didn’t score between February 19 and March 28. However, that also illustrates the sheer dominance of Burns prior to the drought. Also, Karlsson had 82 points in 82 games in 2015-16 and failed to even be nominated for Lindsay or Hart. The last time a defenseman won the Award was 1974-75 when some guy named Bobby Orr won it.

Crosby is the only finalist who has won the award before, having won it three times in 2006-07, 2012-13, and 2013-14. Crosby had 44 goals and 89 points in 75 games this season. His 44 goals were good to win the Rocket Richard Trophy for the NHL’s leading goal scorer. Crosby scored 17 more points than his Penguins teammate Evgeni Malkin. Crosby is three-for-three when nominated for the Award.

However, the odds-on favorite is likely Oilers captain McDavid, who was the only 100-point scorer in the NHL this season. The 20-year-old McDavid scored 30 goals and 100 points in 82 games, winning the Art Ross trophy by 11 points over Crosby and Patrick Kane, both of whom had 89 points. While the other two finalists play for perennial contenders, McDavid was a huge part of the Oilers’ jump up the standings from 29th to 8th in the league.

The winner will be revealed at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on June 21.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recall Josh Archibald, Oskar Sundqvist

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After learning earlier today that they would be without both Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary due to concussions, the Pittsburgh Penguins have decided to call up Josh Archibald and Oskar Sundqvist from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. Crosby and Sheary are both out indefinitely, though they will each be evaluated every day as they try to come back from their latest head injuries.

Archibald and Sundqvist leave a WBS Penguins team that was just eliminated by the Providence Bruins on Sunday in their first round playoff series, and would have likely come up anyway as “Black Aces”. They’ll now wait to see if they’re inserted into the lineup for Pittsburgh’s game 4 on Wednesday night. If they are, they at least both bring some NHL experience with them from this year. Archibald played in 10 games for the Penguins and scored three goals, while Sundqvist was held pointless in his 10 game stint.

While neither of the call-ups can replace Crosby or Sheary, they are skilled replacements that can fit into the bottom of a lineup. The Penguins will need more contributions from their unheralded youngsters this year, just as they did from Bryan Rust and Sheary himself last spring.

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