It felt like a good time to go with nothing but hockey questions, now that September is here. And away we go …
Bruru71: What do you see the Penguins doing with David Perron this upcoming season? Does he play on the top two lines? If not, do they explore dealing the (soon to be) unrestricted free agent for defensive help?
JY: Perron is really someone of interest. Anything could happen with this guy.
After all, Perron did score eight goals in his first 13 games with the Penguins. That wasn’t a fluke. The guy is supremely skilled and did show some chemistry with the Penguins’ star centers. He was feisty. He was doing it all.
Then he disappeared. No one knows what happened. This is the story of his career. Up and down.
Perron is an unrestricted free agent next summer. Could the Penguins sign him to an extension should he have a great first half of the season? Sure, it’s possible.
But I wouldn’t be shocked to see Perron traded at some point, particularly if Sergei Plotnikov is indeed a viable NHL left winger. If that’s the case, the Penguins would have a surplus of forwards. And frankly, they are thin on the blue line. A rental for a rental trade — the Penguins trading Perron to a team that needs a forward for a defenseman in return — sure would make sense at some point.
Still, the Penguins want to give him more time to play with the big guns. Even though Mike Johnston has discussed the possibility of Perron playing on the third line, he really only makes sense if he’s playing in the top six. I believe he will get that chance, probably on the second line.
____________________
Csaupe55: With training camp set to start in a few days, is there a specific player you are watching closely?
JY: Funny you should ask, as I was pondering that very question today. There will be lots of players worth watching. I guess Phil Kessel is the easy choice.
But, in terms of seeing a young guy against top competition, I’m really looking forward to watching goalie Matt Murray. In his first full season in Wilkes-Barre, he produced 12 shutouts. That’s right. He produced 12 shutouts. That’s an astounding number. His save percentage was .941 for God’s sake.
He’s only 21, and I can assure you the Penguins love this kid. I saw him play in Syracuse last season in a playoff game. I had separate conversations with Bill Guerin and Tom Fitzgerald. It was easy to see that they were impressed.
Then I talked with Jacques Martin. Wow. This is a guy who has seen a goalie or two in his day, and he was blown away by Murray. Does this mean Murray will make the team? No. In fact, I’d be stunned if he were to pull that off. But down the road, this guy has the look of an NHL goalie. The Penguins haven’t produced a good goalie prospect since Marc-Andre Fleury. There’s nothing wrong with having more on the way.
____________________
jpknieriem: I’m ecstatic with the possibilities of the Pens’ forwards, BUT, who kills penalties?
JY: Much of this unit’s success hinges on Pascal Dupuis‘ health. When he’s in the lineup, he’s one of the NHL’s best penalty killers. He’s fast, he’s fearless and he’s smart. Great combination.
There are other options at forward. I think you’ll see Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin kill penalties more regularly. Eric Fehr is a good penalty killer. Nick Bonino is serviceable in this roll. Matt Cullen is a pretty good penalty killer, too.
You don’t want Chris Kunitz killing too many penalties at this stage of his career, but he can.
When healthy, I’d assume the top-four rotation on the PK would feature Dupuis, Fehr, Bonino and Cullen. That’s not bad.
I’d be more worried about the defensemen and how they handle killing penalties. Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta are great talents, but aren’t exactly going to knock Wayne Simmonds off the puck. Same with Rob Scuderi, Ben Lovejoy and Brian Dumoulin. This would seem like a bigger concern.
____________________
kylejackson87: Of the players the Penguins are bringing to camp on a PTO basis, do you feel any of them have a legitimate shot to make the team?
JY: I would say Sergei Gonchar and Tom Sestito are capable of making this team. Ultimately, were I to make a prediction, I’d bet that this training camp will mark the end of the road for the great Gonchar, and I believe Sestito will agree to begin his season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Let’s start with Gonchar. He was a healthy scratch much of last season and his foot speed is essentially gone. Sure, he can still run a power play, and having him around young players would be invaluable. But the Penguins have a lot of one-way contracts on that blue line.
Kris Letang and Maatta will be the top pairing. If healthy, they should be dynamic together.
Right now, Ian Cole and Pouliot will likely represent the second pairing. Those four guys will obviously make the team.
I see Lovejoy and Dumoulin as the third pairing. Dumoulin signed a one-way deal, so he’s making the team. You’ve still got Scuderi and his contract hanging around. Plus, the Penguins added a couple of other guys this summer who are capable of making the team.
The numbers just don’t suggest Gonchar has much of a chance.
Sestito is an interesting case. He’s a tough guy, something the Penguins don’t currently have. When his head is on straight, he can play a little bit. I wouldn’t label him a goon. And remember, Penguins brass wined and dined him before he signed the tryout contract. That should tell you that the team likes him and would like to keep him around in some capacity.
____________________
skeeziks7: Why did you want to become a reporter?
JY: It’s funny … most people in my profession say things like, “Deep down, I wanted to make a difference with my reporting and seek the truth … ”
Listen, I’m all for those things. Honestly. I take great pride in being a fair reporter and I respect the people in my business who want to make a difference. And I’m no different. But I’d be lying through my teeth if I told you that this was the reason I decided to pursue this for a living.
First and foremost, I love sports and I love the connection between Pittsburgh and its sports teams. From the time I was a little boy, I wanted to be a part of that. I think it’s something unique to our city.
Also, I simply love to write. When I was in 11th grade, I took a class called “Writing Workshop” at Peters Township High School. My teacher, Mr. Walsh, thought I plagiarized a paper. He called my mom at work to discuss this with her. She explained that she watched me write the entire thing. (She was telling the truth.) He looked at me the next day and told me I was good enough to do this for a living.
At that point, the light went on. It’s what I wanted to do. I loved sports, loved the idea of digging deeper to produce real stories that people wanted to read, and I loved to write. It all made sense.
September 2, 2015
Five Qs at 5: Perron, Murray, Gonchar
43by Josh Yohe • Five Qs at 5 • Penguins
It felt like a good time to go with nothing but hockey questions, now that September is here. And away we go …
Bruru71: What do you see the Penguins doing with David Perron this upcoming season? Does he play on the top two lines? If not, do they explore dealing the (soon to be) unrestricted free agent for defensive help?
JY: Perron is really someone of interest. Anything could happen with this guy.
After all, Perron did score eight goals in his first 13 games with the Penguins. That wasn’t a fluke. The guy is supremely skilled and did show some chemistry with the Penguins’ star centers. He was feisty. He was doing it all.
Then he disappeared. No one knows what happened. This is the story of his career. Up and down.
Perron is an unrestricted free agent next summer. Could the Penguins sign him to an extension should he have a great first half of the season? Sure, it’s possible.
But I wouldn’t be shocked to see Perron traded at some point, particularly if Sergei Plotnikov is indeed a viable NHL left winger. If that’s the case, the Penguins would have a surplus of forwards. And frankly, they are thin on the blue line. A rental for a rental trade — the Penguins trading Perron to a team that needs a forward for a defenseman in return — sure would make sense at some point.
Still, the Penguins want to give him more time to play with the big guns. Even though Mike Johnston has discussed the possibility of Perron playing on the third line, he really only makes sense if he’s playing in the top six. I believe he will get that chance, probably on the second line.
____________________
Csaupe55: With training camp set to start in a few days, is there a specific player you are watching closely?
JY: Funny you should ask, as I was pondering that very question today. There will be lots of players worth watching. I guess Phil Kessel is the easy choice.
But, in terms of seeing a young guy against top competition, I’m really looking forward to watching goalie Matt Murray. In his first full season in Wilkes-Barre, he produced 12 shutouts. That’s right. He produced 12 shutouts. That’s an astounding number. His save percentage was .941 for God’s sake.
He’s only 21, and I can assure you the Penguins love this kid. I saw him play in Syracuse last season in a playoff game. I had separate conversations with Bill Guerin and Tom Fitzgerald. It was easy to see that they were impressed.
Then I talked with Jacques Martin. Wow. This is a guy who has seen a goalie or two in his day, and he was blown away by Murray. Does this mean Murray will make the team? No. In fact, I’d be stunned if he were to pull that off. But down the road, this guy has the look of an NHL goalie. The Penguins haven’t produced a good goalie prospect since Marc-Andre Fleury. There’s nothing wrong with having more on the way.
____________________
jpknieriem: I’m ecstatic with the possibilities of the Pens’ forwards, BUT, who kills penalties?
JY: Much of this unit’s success hinges on Pascal Dupuis‘ health. When he’s in the lineup, he’s one of the NHL’s best penalty killers. He’s fast, he’s fearless and he’s smart. Great combination.
There are other options at forward. I think you’ll see Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin kill penalties more regularly. Eric Fehr is a good penalty killer. Nick Bonino is serviceable in this roll. Matt Cullen is a pretty good penalty killer, too.
You don’t want Chris Kunitz killing too many penalties at this stage of his career, but he can.
When healthy, I’d assume the top-four rotation on the PK would feature Dupuis, Fehr, Bonino and Cullen. That’s not bad.
I’d be more worried about the defensemen and how they handle killing penalties. Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta are great talents, but aren’t exactly going to knock Wayne Simmonds off the puck. Same with Rob Scuderi, Ben Lovejoy and Brian Dumoulin. This would seem like a bigger concern.
____________________
kylejackson87: Of the players the Penguins are bringing to camp on a PTO basis, do you feel any of them have a legitimate shot to make the team?
JY: I would say Sergei Gonchar and Tom Sestito are capable of making this team. Ultimately, were I to make a prediction, I’d bet that this training camp will mark the end of the road for the great Gonchar, and I believe Sestito will agree to begin his season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Let’s start with Gonchar. He was a healthy scratch much of last season and his foot speed is essentially gone. Sure, he can still run a power play, and having him around young players would be invaluable. But the Penguins have a lot of one-way contracts on that blue line.
Kris Letang and Maatta will be the top pairing. If healthy, they should be dynamic together.
Right now, Ian Cole and Pouliot will likely represent the second pairing. Those four guys will obviously make the team.
I see Lovejoy and Dumoulin as the third pairing. Dumoulin signed a one-way deal, so he’s making the team. You’ve still got Scuderi and his contract hanging around. Plus, the Penguins added a couple of other guys this summer who are capable of making the team.
The numbers just don’t suggest Gonchar has much of a chance.
Sestito is an interesting case. He’s a tough guy, something the Penguins don’t currently have. When his head is on straight, he can play a little bit. I wouldn’t label him a goon. And remember, Penguins brass wined and dined him before he signed the tryout contract. That should tell you that the team likes him and would like to keep him around in some capacity.
____________________
skeeziks7: Why did you want to become a reporter?
JY: It’s funny … most people in my profession say things like, “Deep down, I wanted to make a difference with my reporting and seek the truth … ”
Listen, I’m all for those things. Honestly. I take great pride in being a fair reporter and I respect the people in my business who want to make a difference. And I’m no different. But I’d be lying through my teeth if I told you that this was the reason I decided to pursue this for a living.
First and foremost, I love sports and I love the connection between Pittsburgh and its sports teams. From the time I was a little boy, I wanted to be a part of that. I think it’s something unique to our city.
Also, I simply love to write. When I was in 11th grade, I took a class called “Writing Workshop” at Peters Township High School. My teacher, Mr. Walsh, thought I plagiarized a paper. He called my mom at work to discuss this with her. She explained that she watched me write the entire thing. (She was telling the truth.) He looked at me the next day and told me I was good enough to do this for a living.
At that point, the light went on. It’s what I wanted to do. I loved sports, loved the idea of digging deeper to produce real stories that people wanted to read, and I loved to write. It all made sense.