Tuesday links: New faces in camp, Petr Sykora to tryout for Wild, Tyler Kennedy looking for promotion
by FrankD on Sep 15, 2009 5:01 AM EDT
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PrintFirst preseason game of the 2009 season tonight. Before we get ahead of ourselves with anticipation and such, just keep in mind that we likely won't have any way of seeing this. WXDX will likely have a feed available for fans to listen online, but we'll get you that info as we get closer to game time. Either way, we'll toss up an open thread tonight. Feel free to hook up with any radio/video feeds you may find, if any exist.
- In light of not seeing the game, we all can at least check out the score sheet afterward. Now there will be a few new names on the lineup card, so don't be surprised if you don't see Crosby/Malkin/Staal scoring. Frankly I'd be fine with all three of them sitting out, but that's just me. Faceoff Factor breaks down the list of camp prospects, some of whom may make a start in tonight's preseason game. [Faceoff Factor]
- Remembers those rumors that teams were eyeing up Petr Sykora? Turns out they were true. Petr Gunn has a tryout with the Wild. If I could make a daring guess, I'd say an offer from former Penguins AGM Chuck Fletcher will soon follow. [TSN]
- There may be a promotion in the works for Tyler Kennedy. Given the fact that Max Talbot will remain out of the lineup until Novemberish, Kennedy may have a shot at a line promotion. Just yesterday the Pens were working with a Fedotenko - Malkin - Kennedy line. [Trib-Review]
- If you haven't seen the Penguins fantasy hockey preview yet I suggest you scroll down. Wamsley really went all out with his team preview. [One post down]
- Jared Staal is hoping to get in on the whole Staal brothers competition thing this season. Thankfully it's in Phoenix, so we don't have to see him more than once, should he make the team. But I'm sure the FSN-Pittsburgh, Versus and NBC guys already have Jared's favorite food and drink lined up and ready to go. [THN]
- This one's funny in that "I told you so" way. Apparantly the Rangers are treating Marian Gaborik like the fragile piece of glass that he is. Even coach John Tortorella said Gaborik is "tender." Puck hasn't even dropped on the preseason and already Gabby is skipping out on team drills and getting looked over by doctors. Oh New York, New York. [Rangers Rants]
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If Kennedy stays on Malkin’s line, who will be able to catch a pass on the third line? Dooper hasn’t caught a pass cleanly since the 2008 playoffs, Matt Cooke is…..Matt Cooke, and despite Jordan Staal’s flashes, he still goes on stretches where he handles the puck like a 15 year-old red bull addict.
Now I am an unabashed Staal supporter, and I love Cooke in the third line role, but I think they may need a different type of player on that line in place of Dooper. What type? I’m not sure. That’s Disco’s decision. And he may know a little more than I do.
(Watch each person on that line score 20 goals this year)
Good question. Cooke-Staal-Dupuis is the line they’re working with in camp. According to beat writer Jonathan Bombulie, they aren’t “missing a beat.”
I really like Dupuis. I always look at him and think, “Man, this guy is fast. If only he had a set of hands.” But he knows his role and he does it well. I just wish he could put up another 10 goals.
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Still one of my favorite pics from Pensburgh’s own Lavender. (It’s Dupuis, in case you can’t make out the 9)
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Here’s my question: why was Talbot automatically penciled into the wing on Malkin’s line for this season? He played there sparingly during the season (it was mostly Fedotenko and Sykora) and it wasn’t until Sykora’s scoring touch dried up and Satan showed he couldn’t keep up was Talbot placed there.
That was, what… halfway through the Carolina series? I like Talbot — he’s a terrific energy player that has shown that he can at times put the puck in the net (at very crucial times, mind you), but he scored 22 points last season. 22! Pascal “I like taking slap shots from the top of the face-off circle” Dupuis had 28!
Now, I’m not saying that with much better linemates he wouldn’t score more, but he took a step back last year.
And while his playoff performance was amazing, I’m not sure why everyone had him on Malkin’s line before we found out about him needing surgery.
It’s an excellent point and I’d be lying if I didn’t think the same.
Perhaps history has shown, particularly with the Pens, that some guys just do well with the right teammates. Rick Tocchet, Joe Mullen, Phil Bourque played some of their best hockey as members of the Pens. What happened when they went elsewhere? They weren’t “bad” by any means, but with the right teammates…
I guess what I’m trying to say is Talbot will put up a healthy amount of points on Malkin’s wing, but who wouldn’t? I think the goal here is to find the guy with speed and the ability to get to the net. Granted his performance in the SCF may have played a factor, but rightfully so. He comes up in big-pressure situations. The third line of Cooke-Staal-Kennedy was pretty set and the chemistry wasn’t worth risking in some cases. Of course now the pens are experimenting with TK, so that’s going to have a face lift as well.
Like Link_Gaetz said, the third line was working. Talbot isn’t a first liner but he’s definitely not a fourth liner. Gotta find a place for him somewhere. Line 2 seemed like the best option. Besides, since when are the Pens lines really etched in stone? I think we’ll see a few more experiments with Malkin before we hit November.
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You can’t compare Talbot with Mullen and Tocchet (one who is a 500-goal-scorer and scored 50 with the Flames before coming to Pittsburgh and the other who was one of the premiere power forwards of the 80s and 90s). They were heads and shoulders above Max. And Bourque had his best years with the Pens only because by the time he left, he was in the decline of his career (he left when he was 30 and already his best years were behind him).
I think Talbot’s best role may just be the guy who fills in holes. When Geurin goes down for a few games, he’ll play on Crosby’s line. When Cooke is suspended 3 games for spearing Cheechoo, he’ll play on Staal’s line. And he’ll always play great on the PK.
This might be true but I also wasn’t really comparing them to one another as much as I was comparing them to situational circumstances. Easy to misconstrue though, so my bad on that one.
His presence on the PK is definitely one of his best roles. Frankly, I think Max’s absence from the lineup is one of the main reasons why Dupuis is still with the team. Dup is good on the PK too, but like you said, he seems more intent on setting up rebounds on shots from anywhere on the ice than he does scoring.
Rumors are just rumors, but if the Pens were in fact considering the idea of moving Godard and Dupuis in a package deal this offseason, all intent on doing so was likely squandered when they discovered Max’s pending shoulder surgery. I’m not one to draw vast conclusions, and it’s likely based on whatever situation the Pens find themselves in at the time, but I think Dup is trade bait after Max returns.
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