Pittsburgh Penguins free agency: Day 1 in review

by FrankD on Jul 2, 2009 1:21 AM EDT in Pittsburgh Penguins free agents Comment 15 comments

Over the past 24 hrs you've no doubt seen and heard stories of players coming and going throughout the league. If you need to play catch up on signings throughout the league I'd suggest checking out TSN's free agency tracker. If you're more interested in what's going on around the Penguins you're in the right place.

No one really expected the Pens to be big buyers on the market this year. After all, there's only so much cap space to work with and so many players in their price range. However the single addition to the Pens' roster after day one of free agency comes from within the division.

Mike Rupp, formerly of the New Jersey Devils, signed on to a two-year deal worth about $825K per year. Rupp is a fourth line forward who can also take faceoffs, known more for his fight total than his point total. Seeing as how the Penguins still have Eric Godard under contract, the addition has led to some speculation that a player or two may be on the move. In fact Godard is one of those players rumored to be in some sort of move with Pascal Dupuis. No obvious details of any kind out there yet, but the assumption is the Penguins are looking to retain Rob Scuderi and may need to open up more cap space. As of right now the Pens are about $4.7 mill under.

Another name to skip town today was Hal Gill, the monstrous defenseman whose slow skating and crease-clearing attempts really looked out of place with Pitt. The Montreal Canadiens picked him up for two years, valued at about $2.25 mill per.

Mathieu Garon, the Pen we hardly knew, signed a two-year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets valued at $1.2 per. No way Pitt could've offered enough to keep him on and there may likely be no reason for it if they decide to call up John Curry from Wilkes-Barre as Marc-Andre Fleury's back-up.

Last but not least, the man many want to see back in Pittsburgh, Rob Scuderi. No news may be good news right now as teams initially interested in signing Scuds (Minnesota, New York Rangers, Lightning and Stars) continue to fill up cap space and similar style defenseman. Take for instance Minnesota, who today signed defenseman Greg Zanon to a three-year, $5.8 mill contract. Zanon fills the Wild's shot-blocking needs and unless Chuck Fletcher is really set on stockpiling another put-your-life-on-the-line defenseman, it's likely that we can consider Minnesota out of the mix for Scuds. Same can most likely be said of Tampa after signing defenseman Lukas Krajicek.

Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko are still testing the market.

As we head into day two of free agency, the Penguins will continue their talks in filling a few holes and potentially move Godard and/or Dupuis to clear space. A back-up goaltender is also a consideration, but may be sent to the backburner as Shero and friends try to work something out with Scuderi.

As far as the Pens go, how do you think things were handled on day one?

With regards to the the entire league, which signing outside of Pitt do you think will make the most impact?

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Hossa, Kopecky, Maddon… Blackhawks are going to be dangerous, and in my mind, have to be the early favorites in the West.

by lovedempens on Jul 2, 2009 1:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Madden. As a Devils fan, his is the free agency departure that hurts the most. He will never be a flashy, big name forward, but has value as one of the best defensive forwards in the National Hockey League, the leadership he can bring to a team as young as the Blackhawks and his work ethic truly cannot be underestimated. Madden has been there, done that, and won it all with the Devils, and he’ll do everything in his power to do the same for his new team. I’m sad to see him go, but I wish him nothing but the best.

by kellyn on Jul 2, 2009 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Considering it's a bad day in the office for my Chicago Bulls

It’s always nice to come back to the Penguins. Sign SCUDS!!!

by Alighieri on Jul 2, 2009 1:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

As dirty as it makes me feel, I actually like Hossa to the Hawks. Seems like they’re doing good things there, and definitely took a big step in becoming a powerhouse in the West for years to come. Plus we only have to see them once a year. Win-Win!

by Big Ern on Jul 2, 2009 4:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You can't be serious....

The Hawks lost their #1 goalie and they are to be considered a contender in the West! Serioulsy?

Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying

by Dr Tre on Jul 2, 2009 8:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well, a few of their acquisitions at the forward position suggest that the Blackhawks are looking to shore up possible deficencies at defense and in goal by improving the defensive play of their forwards. The addition of John Madden, a former Selke Trophy winner and PK specialist, and Marian Hossa, who plays a solid two-game (at least during the regular season), definitely helps them to do that.

by kellyn on Jul 2, 2009 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

funny

It really is a Pittsburgh tradition – have a good season, and then watch players leave via free agency. The Steelers have the same problem. But realistically, the core players are in place, and a few over-achieving additions will definitely keep the Pens in contention next year.

by penguinsfan on Jul 2, 2009 9:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Having our core players locked up for upcoming seasons keeps us in contention every year. Any team with 87 & 71 has got to be feeling pretty good.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are your Stanley Cup Champions!!

by jetpen89 on Jul 2, 2009 10:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

From a different angle...

What is the biggest positive impact to one of our division rivals and how does it affect the Pens?

The Pens are not real players in free agency this year, we all knew that coming in, but which of our rivals got that much better? Not the Devils, maybe the Rangers (Does Gaborik = Gomez?), the Isles have had two banner years in a row in the personnel department, but are still a few years away. I keep going back to the Flyers. Yes, this may be a one and done deal for Pronger, but don’t discount all the positives (even if he is a marginally dirty player) Pronger can bring to a line-up. He clears the front of the net, matches well against Geno or Sid, tireless worker on PK, will punch you in the mouth for no apparent reason, which is always a plus, and his name is engraved. AND you can write him down for 25 mins a game. Sure, they still have goaltending issues, which the Rangers most certainly do not, but this is a team that pushed the Pens as hard as any team in the playoffs that was not the (former) defending cup champions.

by Ulf Murphy on Jul 2, 2009 9:54 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

My friend, a Rangers fan, started an over/under thread on facebook yesterday as to how many games Gaborik will stay healthy for next season. I don’t the Rangers have improved much at all. They spent a combined $5 million on their fourth line – they’re fourth line! It’s unreal the sort of stupid deals Sather works out. Will the fourth line carry a certain level of initimidation with Neil/Boyle/Brashear? Sure. But how many minutes do you really plan to play them? You can’t possibly match them against Malkin and Crosby every time. They’d eventually skate circles around them anyway…

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Jul 2, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Uh, forget Neil. I knew they made him an offer but i didn’t know he re-signed in Ottawa. Guess it’s only 2/3 as bad.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Jul 2, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Every one of our lines has a distinct advantage against this type of pairing.

by Ulf Murphy on Jul 2, 2009 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

what a day one!

The best deals of yesterday:

1. Hossa to Chicago. While I did a spit-take at the number of years, ultimately I think Hossa will put this past season behind him and be one of the best in the NHL for the next 5 years. He’s a proven, consistent scorer, a good two-way forward, and by all accounts a good teammate. If they keep Huet and he plays up to his ability, this makes them very dangerous. The move definitely suggests to me that Patrick Kane is not in the Hawks’ long-term plans, though.

2. Roloson to the Isles. It is a white flag of sorts on DiPietro’s future in LI, but Roloson is a solid, experienced goalie, and this is a reasonable contract.

3. Pahlsson to the Blue Jackets. For a team on the rise, adding a Selke-quality forward with Cup experience is a great move.

4. Madden to the Hawks. Way to address the loss of Pahlsson quickly, guys.

And, obviously, we have the worst deals of yesterday:

1. Gaborik to New York for 5 years and $37.5. This just in: Marian Gaborik ruptures a tendon in his hand while signing his new contract; he’s expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks.

2. Havlat to Minnesota for 6 years. Just what the Wild need: another talented sniper who’s injured all the time. Some people never learn.

3. Khabibulin to Edmonton for 4 years. Um, Oilers, this guy has been really inconsistent for a while now. And he’s 36.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Jul 2, 2009 10:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Would really like to see them sign Scuds

by CGNC on Jul 2, 2009 10:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah it seems the longer we get into free agency… the better i feel about signing scuds again. i mean how many more teams are going to be offering him outrageous contracts?

The Pittsburgh Penguins are your Stanley Cup Champions!!

by jetpen89 on Jul 2, 2009 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs