Who can take on Max Talbot's role?

I would love to see Caputi get a shot at some top six minutes for a good stretch of time.

I just made a fanpost last night with my pick.

Tyler Kennedy is not getting enough credit for his goal scoring and playmaking. 15 goals and 20 assists in 67 games isn’t shabby, and he’s only 22 (23 next week). That’s better scoring than Talbot, and Kennedy brings a lot of the grit and dirty work that Talbot brings.

I’m looking for a breakout year from Kennedy with this being his third season and how young he is. I think a bump up to Malkin’s line might kick that off.

The biggest thing is speed and goal scoring. Malkin needs someone who can skate with him and finish as well as pass the puck and fight for pucks, I think Kennedy can do a good job at all of those. And with Fedetenko and Malkin being bigger guys, Kennedy could fit in as a smaller player without losing presence in front of the net.

Sure, Mad Max will be out a few months, and he probably won’t find his game until sometime in December. Talbot will be missed. But he’s part of the puzzle. A piece, one might argue;) Like every year, there’s going to be a lot of line juggling in training camp, and into the first few weeks of the regular season. This will be Bylsma’s first year with the Pens in training camp, so maybe there’s additional tweaks he wants to make with his system now that he has time to implement it at his leisure. So it won’t be one player replacing Max while he’s out, but his absence opens up a roster spot which will be filled based upon the needs of the team, when those needs are determined by the Pens’ braintrust. For instance, Shero could sign a scoring winger, and pencil in Talbot for 4th line duties when he returns, and trade away Dupuis. Or make any number of other moves that are geared around filling a need. It might be best to revisit this issue closer to the end of training camp when we all get a feel for how this team is coming together. Then we can arm-chair speculate…

The one as a 2nd line winger, or the one looking damn good in a suit?

Shero said today in the Post Gazette that Max would be replaced internally. Don’t you people read………….?

what exactly are the penguins waiting for to resign curry, lovejoy, bissonette, pesonen, wallace… they have had over a week to do this and they still havent resigned some of them.
if they ever do sign these guys they might want to try janne pesonen on that 2nd line.

your right about bissonette

This may not be an answer for Talbot’s replacement, but does anyone else think we should try to sign Mike Zigomanis? I know we have centermen coming out the ying yang but he is a whiz on the faceoffs, and probably would come cheap as well. I was re-watching game 7, and we were still really badly beat on faceoffs.

Also, I think youngsters like Dustin Jeffery or Luca Caputi should have the chance to show what they’ve got in Max’s absence.

i dont think there is anyone on the roster, maybe even the league who can fill that role like max. finding someone who can throw a hit and doesnt get in the way of geno and tank is more realalistic

thats not the answer either, our third line was the best in hockey, if you keep talbot on the second line that gives geno and feds the oppurtunity to do what they do best, why do you think once talbot moved to that line feds had such a productive post season because he became a guy that didnt have to get the puck in the corners first and throw his body first he was thinking more offensivley then getting to the puck first, you put max on that line hes more physical and gets to the puck first to start the cycle, also he has the finishing skills and can also do the dirty work in the crease, he also provides some protection for geno b/c lets face it mad max aint scared of no one