Should the Pittsburgh Penguins re-sign Petr Sykora?
by FrankD on Jun 16, 2009 11:00 AM EDT
in Pittsburgh Penguins free agents
27 comments
To say Petr Sykora had a rough season is a bit of an understatement. From the very first day when Pitt opened up 2008-09 with two games overseas, Sykora was unfortunately out of the lineup with an upper-respiratory infection. Right around the time when he was starting to recover from that, he stepped onto the ice in practice and tweaked his groin. It wasn't until October 14, the fourth game of the season that posted a 3-2 OT win over the Flyers, that Sykora was comfortable enough to return to the ice.
That's not to say the regular season wasn't met with some sense of accomplishment. After posting 48 two-goal games over the span of a 12-year career, Sykie netted his first ever hat trick against the New York Islanders on December 11 as part of a 9-2 win.
Sometime around March, Sykora started to show signs of slumping. For snipers this is often a thing that comes and goes over time, but evidence suggested that Syko wasn't going to crack the slump anytime soon. Rumors of an injury started to mount as his on-ice performance did little to disprove the theory. During the 16-game span from March 1 to April 11, Sykora picked up only two goals and a single helper to add to his point total. It came as no surprise that by the start of an April 15 game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Sykora was not in the lineup. It would remain that way until the playoffs.
The playoffs did little to help his cause, as he was held scoreless over seven games with a lone assist registering in the points category. By May 6, Game 3 against the Capitals, Sykora would once again take a seat. It wasn't until June 9, the sixth games of the seven games series against Detroit, that Syko would return to the lineup. His contributions didn't register on the scoreboard, but fans will be hard-pressed to forget the way he laid his body out to block a shot that sent him hobbling to the bench. At this point it seemed only fitting to hear the following day that Sykora was seen leaving the arena on crutches and would miss the season finale in Detroit.
Sykora will turn 33 by the time November hits. He's shown an ability to work side-by-side with Evgeni Malkin and will be forever known for his clutch performance in Game 5 of last year's Stanley Cup Finals. But the question here Pens fans is this: In light of all his 2008/09 struggles and injuries, do you bring Petr Sykora back next year?
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If the price is right, sure Bob Barker…..But the Penguins have shown they can win without Sykora.
Amazingly, none of us would have believed six months ago how much more important a priority Fedotenko would be over Sykora. Crazy turnaround.
Probably the end of the line for Petr with the Penguins. It’s been a good run.
by Hooks Orpik on Jun 16, 2009 11:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
“Amazingly, none of us would have believed six months ago how much more important a priority Fedotenko would be over Sykora. Crazy turnaround.”
Pardon me. I have been Tenks cheerleader all season. Since before it was cool.
by PensFan024 on Jun 16, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s true. PensFan has been chief officiating officer of the Ruslan Fedotenko Fan Club (Team Tenk) all season long.
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by FrankD on Jun 16, 2009 11:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Marketing genius:
the “Tenk Top” – a nice tank top with Fedotenko’s head on the front. Great for girls and guys. Make it happen, Pensburgh.
Back to the topic at hand, I think Fedotenko basically fills the “sniper” role on Malkin’s wing. He’s also more physical, younger, and probably can be had at a cheaper price. Sykora calling his shot in game 5 was epic (still have it on my girlfriend’s TIVO), but I think Fedotenko stays and Petr is gone.
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
by CBKWit on Jun 16, 2009 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Haha the Tenk Top. Now that is amazing.
I’d have to agree with that assessment. Tenk’s issue earlier in the year seemed to be his inability to really find a role. Ironically enough Satan had no problem settling in and getting some shots on net. As well know though, by the end of the season the similarities couldn’t have been more opposite. Tenk came up big when needed, put pucks on net and really developed some chemistry with Malkin. This is likely what will give Tenk an edge on landing another deal in Pitt, but consequently the potential back breaker on anything that may come Petr Gunn’s way.
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by FrankD on Jun 16, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
exactly
I think it’s going to be one or the other, and after the playoffs it seems like Tenk should be the choice. On second though, I’m sure if Fedotenko will be cheaper – he could end up costing 2.5 per season, while Sykora’s salary may have dipped to 2 after the playoffs. That said, I still think Fedotenko is the way to go.
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
by CBKWit on Jun 16, 2009 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's been a good run for all of Pittsburgh!
Just ask Jay Mariotti. Great column on why Steel City rules!
http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/2009/06/16/yinz-should-admit-it-pittsburgh-rules/
by Michael K on Jun 16, 2009 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So does Fanhouse pay you to go around SBN promoting their stuff in comments? Or is it Mariotti himself?
Your transparency gives me heartburn.
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by FrankD on Jun 16, 2009 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’d see a nice 2 year contract at or around 2 mil a clip.
by tehchico on Jun 16, 2009 11:19 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
yeah, I was thinking about 2 mil would be worth it.
by PensFan024 on Jun 16, 2009 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’d love to keep Sykora, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. He certainly deserves his name on that cup though.
Speaking of which, I didn’t shake my garbage man’s hand even though he waited for me for 2 minutes today. I better call Lidstrom and Draper and see if that’s ok
stop by Waving the Wheat (http://wavingthewheat.wordpress.com/) and The College Hockey Blog (http://thecollegehockeyblog.wordpress.com/)
by fetch9 on Jun 16, 2009 12:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Ugh that post was supposed to go here – rewinding in 5,4,3,2,1 …"OMG too funny!
by CGNC on Jun 16, 2009 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I certainly like Sykora, and this is a non-biased argument for him.
He was in a contract year, and was fairly banged up and injured throughout it. To boot, he’s injured himself in the STanley Cup playoffs, admirably while blocking a shot. That all put in, it really lowers the asking price on it’s own, it becomes a matter of raising the stakes if two or more bidders get involved, but, I feel Petr will have a slight edge to play with Pittsburgh for two reasons: Championship caliber team, and a team he likes playing on.
We know when he’s on, he and Geno are a great tandem, so I think the rewards outweigh the risk of a further injury proned season.
PensBurgh penalty - Lavender - 2 Minutes for Excessive Stanley Cup Raising.
by Lavender on Jun 16, 2009 1:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
No one’s posed the real question (for those that want to bring Sykie back) so I will….
Sykora ran out of gas and had some injuries, but he only scored 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 24 games (dating back to the end of February)….Despite playing an awful lot of even strength time with Evgeni Malkin.
If he’s not scoring he’s not helping….Can Sykora bounce back? Also KHL teams will be calling for him, will he want to return to Europe now that he’s got another Cup if the money is good?
by Hooks Orpik on Jun 16, 2009 1:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I guess I lean in the “no” direction, unless he takes a steep pay cut. While I loved him last season, and was really pulling for him this year, the fact is that he didn’t really get it done. In a league with a hard salary cap, GMs don’t have much latitude to make choices based on sentimental reasons; at his age and given his production last year, I’m not sure resigning Syko to a similar contract is a good business decision. And Fedotenko earned a good contract offer from Pittsburgh with his postseason play.
P is for Latrobe.
by holiday park on Jun 16, 2009 2:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I voted “maybe-for the right price”, but you have to sign him, knowing that he’s a risk. After he trailed off, you can’t assume he’ll come in and score with Geno next year. He isn’t comfortable in Bylzma’s system and one other thing:
Peter Sykora nearly cost Geno the Art Ross and he may have cost him the Hart Trophy. I lay that on Sykora. How in hell do you win the league scoring title with your sniper RW scoring 2 goals in the last months of the season? If Sykora played anything like he should have, Malkin might have put 130 points and cruised to the Hart Trophy over Ovechkin, who is the media’s favorite to win. I like the guy, but what do you do if he only has 10 points come december?
That also serves as a testament to Geno’s brilliance. Ovechkin topped 100 points playing with Backstrom and Semin. Geno’s linemates were Sykora and Fedotenko. Very impressive. Geno clearly would be my MVP vote.
by Life Irritates Art on Jun 16, 2009 3:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
speaking of injury proned forwards!
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
by Dr Tre on Jun 18, 2009 9:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Pens have $10M in cap space headed into next season. All their core players are signed (Crosby, Staal, Malkin, Gonchar, Fluery). Of the free agents up to be resigned, I see only three that need to be resigned (with my estimated cap hit in parenthesis):
- Bill Guerin ($2-3M)
- Rob Scuderi ($2-3M)
- Ruslan Fedotenko ($2M)
- Ben Lovejoy ($900K)
- Alex Goligoski ($900K)
That leaves the Pens with approximately $1M to sign quite a few remaining free agents. All in all, the Pens couldn’t afford to keep Sykora even if they wanted him. Keep in mind that Malkin and Staal’s salaries both jump a combined $6M+. It’ll be interesting to see how Shero navigates this.
"Oh, buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!" - Mike Lange
by gorgalor on Jun 16, 2009 8:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I’m glad I’m not the one that has to crunch these numbers and make these decisions.
I like Sykie a lot and I appreciate the way he has performed for this team over the past two seasons. But having said that, I have to agree with Gorgalor: there are other priorities the Pens have to deal with, contract-wise, in the off season, and keeping Sykora, sadly, is probably not an option. The only problem with that, though, is who is Geno’s other winger (assuming they sign Fedotenko)? Like I said, I’m glad I don’t have to make these decisions.
by Creamer'sHead on Jun 16, 2009 8:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think this is tied to our minor league system as well. If Caputi, Tangradi, Moon, Pesonen (if he stays) are ready for the bigs and can handle top line duties, it saves the pens a great deal of money
by Hansmoleman on Jun 16, 2009 10:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The organization gives off the impression that as long as you get someone with speed, regardless of overall capability, they will flourish on a line with Sid and Geno. I guess Colby Armstrong was an example of someone who did well with Sid but wasn’t really known as a goal scorer or sniper. As TK said during the playoffs – you just have to get open and keep your stick down. Keeping next season’s forwards all in the family with a few call ups would definitely benefit the Pens. I just don’t know who out of the bunch is ready for the NHL.
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by FrankD on Jun 16, 2009 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’d also throw TK into the mix of young, upcoming forwards. He works well on the third line with Staal and Cooke, but it also might make sense to move him up to first or second line role and see how he performs.
Also, I doubt Pesonen will resign with the Pens. If my memory serves me correct, he signed with the Pens so he could have another shot at making it back into the NHL. He was relegated to 4th line duties when he was promoted to the big club even when the Pens were sorely lacking top-6 talent. I don’t necessarily know what that means. Either he didn’t have what it takes to be a top-6 guy in the NHL (he’s already 26), or management soured on him for some other reason. My armchair quarterback guess is that he resigns with another club, or he resumes his successful career in Europe.
As far as Tangradi is concerned, he might need a year or two in the NHL before he is ready to come up. The kid is 19, but has only played in the OHL. True, Crosby, Staal, and Malkin made the jump directly into the pro’s, but that’s rare. Tangradi is not that type of player. Tangradi’s performance in the OHL has been mixed. He had a great year this year, but he was playing mostly against 16-20 year olds. Tangradi’s numbers from the previous two years were much less impressive. Tangradi has lot of potential, but I’m penciling him in as an NHL’er when the puck is dropped for the first time at the Consol Energy Center.
"Oh, buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!" - Mike Lange
by gorgalor on Jun 17, 2009 2:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I beg to differ good sir...
TK is NOT a top 6 forward in this league. I love the guy but, he has cement hands and can’t play with Sid or Geno as a scorer. The game that TK plays is played by Kunitz and Talbot on the top two lines, and they play it better. I just don’t see TK as a long term Penguin for he is restrcited in ability, but again I really do love the guy and his game, but it is what it is.
Pesonen is on the record as saying he WANTS to come back to the Pens. He has said that he needed that year in WB-S to get acclamated to the North American game and culture. If it weren’t for injuries he would have been on the taxi squad that came up with the Pens late in the playoffs. Pesonen will be an X-Factor during next’s year’s camp.
Good read on Tangredi, he won’t see NHL ice, assuming he does, until 2010-11 at the earliest.
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
by Dr Tre on Jun 18, 2009 9:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Regular Season vs Playoffs
The reason why everyone wants Fedotenko over Sykora is because of how he played in the playoffs. When there is time and space, Sykora will do more with the puck and score more. I think We will have the big 3 up the middle next year and fill them with Jam and wonder why they aren’t scoring more. We need 1 Jam guy (Fedotenko) per line. When there is no space Fedotenko makes it, but we will miss the finess in the regular season mark my words, but as long as we make the playoffs you’d rather have the jam its just the way it goes, and with the Cap you can’t have it both ways.
Phili B
by ColeHarbour on Jun 21, 2009 10:23 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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