Pittsburgh Penguins' coach Michel Therrien discusses camp

by FrankD on Aug 21, 2008 11:29 AM EDT in News

Mark your calendars: camp opens on September 16. No one could be more excited about it than the Penguins' own head coach Michel Therrien.

On the Penguins' website, Michel discusses a variety of subjects. Perhaps one of the most important questions he addresses is, "What will the Penguins do without Ryan Whitney?"

e’re going to let training camp dictate things. That’s why there is a training camp and there are some openings. There’s a young kid like Alex Goligoski, who played really well last year at Wilkes-Barre. We have some depth with our defensemen. We’re proud with our depth just in case injuries happen. The season hasn’t even started yet and Ryan’s not going to be there when we open up training camp, but we have depth. That’s the most-important thing for us."

Penguins site

Good to see he has some faith in Go-Go. That's been my personal nomination since the news of Whit's injury hit the wires. But I'd also imagine this isn't a lock for the youngin', and that this will pose as the most coveted position in prospect camp.

Here's what Therrien said about Kris Letang:

“Kris Letang really learned a lot last year. I was really pleased with the way he was capable of playing, for a young defenseman. He has one year under his belt this year and that’s part of the process with our young players. You have to be patient with young players and make sure you take the right decision and move them up at the right time because that’s a process with those young kids.”

Sure, there's going to be some real competition in camp; you can bet on it. Goglioski had the discomforting nomination last season during the finals when Letang took a bereavement leave to attend a funeral. Coincidentally, his absence from the WBS squad's Calder Cup run became more apparent when they wound up losing as well.

I'd like to see Letang shoot more. I'd like to see him on the top line, the top power play and lighting the lamp next to Gonchar. But these are all things I'd like to see, and perhaps Therrien is the best judge of what we can actually expect.

Random thought, but does Whitney's injury potentially put the Pens on the market for a defenseman? Granted Daryl Sydor is still with the squad, but it's more than apparent that he wants nothing to do with Pitt. For some reason I can see Sydor getting dropped to waivers around November...

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D-man

While I would agree that Go-Go should get an opportunity to go to the big dance, don’t forget about Joey Mormina. The guy is huge physically and should be given equal consideration for the spot Whitney seems to not want. Since you ask the question what will the Pens do without Whitney, sooner or later the question then turns to: What are the Pens going to do WITH Whitney?? How many more lax seasons do we endure, only to be disappointed yet again by the play or lack there of, by RW?? If he comes back from the injury and plays great, I think he stays. If he is slow coming back and continues to be a drain on payroll, let him go. It was rumored that several teams had interest in him during FA, maybe the Pens were going to get nothing in return. Who knows except for Ray. I have faith in him, and believe he will do whatever is in the best interest of the team, and if dropping RW, and his bloated salary are the solution—-so be it.

by batmanok on Aug 21, 2008 4:58 PM EDT reply actions

What are the Pens going to do WITH Whitney??

That’s a good point. Trust me, this site was hardly a friend of Ryan Whitney this past season. Too many times he fell flat on his face and didn’t hold up to his weight in cash. That give-and-go play was nifty but how many times did he miss a wide-open net?

I don’t think the Pens will forget about Joey Mormina. He definitely has the ability to smash people around a la Brooks Orpik. I guess it all comes down to what hole the Penguins are looking to fill. If you promote Letang to the first line, do you need a defensive defenseman, or do you want to keep with a guy who’ll want to put some shots on? That will most likely pose as the deciding factor between upping Go-Go or Stormin’ Mormon. As the Pens have shown in the past two seasons, it’s been focused on a heavily charged offense. But to have a crush line with Cook, Mormina, Orpik, Kennedy and Godard could easily be equivalent to the apocalypse.

And finally – welcome. Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Always good to see new peeps pop up.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Aug 21, 2008 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

D-man

Thank you for the welcome, mate. Long-time reader, long-time Pens fan. No fair weather guy here. Live in Baltimore, but don’t hold that against me. lol Telling my age here, but yes, I’m one of the guys that got hooked way back when Mario played, and haven’t left since. Met him a few times also.

I remember all those seasons at the bottom of the pile; and it does my heart good to see the team I absolutely go nuts for: accumulate draft picks, develop them, and bring them to the big dance. A true testament to the farm system and player development. Clearly you can see the team philosophy: Scoring with speed (the run-and-gun), and maintaining the lead with a stifling defense.

I also believe it may be a good idea to let the Taffe’s, Eatons, Pesonen’s play at the dance; say in the beginning of the season. That is, providing they show something at prospect and training camp.

With being so deep at D, Scuderi and Sydor are trade bait, and I thought I heard something in the beginning of the summer about a package deal that included Whitney, and maybe both of them. Cap space folks, cap space. Take the money saved from paying these guys, and save it for the trade deadline. Just my thoughts.

by batmanok on Aug 22, 2008 10:57 AM EDT reply actions

First off, I’m not from the Pitt area myself so no worries. In fact, a majority of the readers and commentors here are from all over the country. So we won’t hold that against ya.

Frankly I was surprised they re-signed Eaton. His history of injuries and ability to find them really make him a liability. But, in the case of how little we paid him to stay, at least a cheap one.

Last i read Sydor wants to be traded so his wish may come true soon enough. Whitney was always an iffy signing in my opinion and now it kind of proves that point. Ideally I’d love to see him come back from this surgery and put up at least 30 points to keep me a believer. But that’s just wishful thinking.

I can’t predict another crazy trade move at the deadline as witnessed this past season with Hossa, but with the way you lay it out it seems like it is a distinct possibility given the situation they find themselves in.

FrankD from Pensburgh.com

by FrankD on Aug 22, 2008 11:18 AM EDT up reply actions