Season wrapup: Ruslan Fedotenko
by Hooks Orpik on Jun 15, 2010 6:00 AM EDT
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PrintThe sudden disappointment of a hope leaves a scar which the ultimate fulfillment of that hope never entirely removes." – Thomas Hardy
Season stats: 80 gp, 11g, 19a, 30p, -17, 50 PIMs
Playoff stats: 6 gp, 0g, 0a, 0p, -3, 6 PIMs
Month-by-month Pensburgh grades:
October: B-
November: C-
December: C-
January: B
February: D
March: B-
Playoffs: F
Contract status: Unrestricted free agent summer 2010 (had $1.8 million cap hit in 2009-10)
Interesting stat: Fedotenko scored 7 even strength goals in 24 playoff games in 2008-09. In 86 total games in 2009-10 he got 8 ES goals.
The Good: Once upon a time "Ruslan Fedotenko" hockey meant playing an aggressive style, hitting players, winning pucks from down low and along the walls. To some degree, Fedotenko did that. I tried to search for more good, but that's about all I could come up with.
The Not-so-good: Fedotenko played almost all season with Evgeni Malkin, last season's scoring champion, and managed 8 ES goals in 80 games. Say what you will about the plus/minus stat, but ‘Tenk's +/- was worst amongst forwards, and only two players were within 11 goals of him. No matter how you slice it, he was watching pucks go into the wrong net and creating virtually no offense. And short of Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz, Fedotenko got more ES + PP ice-time than any other forward other than the Big 3.
The playoffs were no better, as Fedotenko quickly relegated to healthy scratch status and only played a handful of minutes in 6 of the 13 Penguin playoff games. His Penguin playing days end with a whimper and leave fans with a negative memory, which is a shame for all he contributed last year in being a key player in the Cup run.
Final verdict: To understand just how far Fedotenko's fallen amongst Pens fans, one has to look back. Just last summer, coming off his strong playoff performance, I threw out an option to give Fedotenko a 6-7 year contract extension. Gulp, too bad that one will be on the internets forever. Now we just want Fedotenko gone.
Question and Discussion: Any circumstance in which you'd like to see Fedotenko return to the Penguins? Would you like to see the team try and sign him to a 6-7 year deal? (Just kidding).
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Tenks for everything, Ruslan
.
I’ll always remember the good times with Feds. Good luck with your next team.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jun 15, 2010 8:58 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Positive or not, I think it’s pretty literal. I mean, do YOU really think he’ll be back next season? Hooks said it best:
His Penguin playing days end with a whimper and leave fans with a negative memory, which is a shame for all he contributed last year in being a key player in the Cup run.
That’s basically how I feel as well.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
He should have been gone last summer. Maybe we could have had the money to keep either Gill or Scuderi. I was never one of his fans; he was just average when he was with Tampa Bay. He played well during their playoff run but if you looked deeper, you would have seen how average he is and how medicore he was with them.
Yes, he did play well during the playoffs for the Pens and helped them win the Cup.
But true colors are always shown sometimes we just don’t want to see it. When you win, you overlook everything staring in the mirror back at you. You see only the good and dust the bad under the rug.
I wish him good luck too, who knows where he will end up. He will probably shine bright for a season or two then burn out.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 9:02 AM EDT reply actions
That’s rooted too much in hindsight for me. Fedotenko had that great playoffs with 14 points — 4th on the entire team, btw, and was a physical force.
On top of that, he actually accepted less money from his 2007-08 salary to come back in 2008-09.
At the time signing Fedotenko was the absolute right move, especially on a 1 year contract. It’s just a shame he didn’t play well and was kept in a key role for too long.
Damn, took the post right off my keyboard. He definitely earned the 1.8 last year. He posted his best ppg of his career and was a +18. No one expects him to suddenly be a 30-goal guy, but we also couldn’t have predicted his total collapse this season.
Also, not sure how his 1.8 million would have helped us keep Gill or Scuderi.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jun 15, 2010 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions
You are right—the 1.8 million would not have helped with Gill or Scuderi.
I just wish—yes, in hindsight—that Shero had focused on Defense more.
But, I am wondering if Gill or Scuderi would have accepted alot less money to stay in Pittsburgh? I guess we will never know.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
We do know. Scuderi offered to let the Pens match or come close to the offers he was receiving, but that just wasn’t a possibility due to the salary cap.
The Pens would have surely brought Scuderi back for Eaton money ($2 million), which would have been a hefty cut from the $3.4 over four years he got from LA.
So no, neither would have accepted a lot less. Their actions are obvious there.
by Hooks Orpik on Jun 15, 2010 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for claryifying that for me.
I always hope that the player will be the one to take the lower salary because he really wants to play for the team and try and win another Cup. I always thought that that was more important.
I don’t think the GM should be held hostage by any player, either.
I can be a little naive, but I know some do not play in the NHL just for the money.
I wonder if Scuderi is happy with the decision he made? Perhaps, because the Kings have a very bright future and a lot of talent. But if he had stayed with the Pens, we could say the same thing.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL!!!! Hooks knows everything always. I quote you sometimes to my hockey friends that do not frequent this blog or are Pens fans. Thanks for making me look smart :-D
Haha thanks. Yeah, no worries PFID.
I think Scuderi’s happy. Like you said, he landed on a good team and living in Southern California can’t be the worst thing in the world when you have that sort of lifestyle.
Shame he had to leave, but I doubt either side could have done anything different.
living in Southern California…that sort of lifestyle.
That’s an interesting point. Factor in cost of living, and the money he’s making in LA probably isn’t any more than what he could have made in the burgh.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jun 15, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Not so sure on Scuderi...
If he was willing to take a little less than 3.4M LA offered, wouldn’t the Penguins LOVE to have Scuderi signed for, say, $3M/year?
If you look at the FA class this year, who can you reasonably expect to get for that kind of money. Much has been written here about Michalek. Is he signable at $3M per? Is he an upgrade over Scuderi? Or a downgrade?
by Mario Lemieux #66 on Jun 15, 2010 1:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I think he would be a downgrade but you never know. You never know who is going to show up.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
That’s what I’m thinking too. I have a preference for homegrowns as well.
And the Pens would prob be pretty pleased if he were signed for “only” $3M.
by Mario Lemieux #66 on Jun 15, 2010 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions
If he was willing to take a little less than 3.4M LA offered, wouldn’t the Penguins LOVE to have Scuderi signed for, say, $3M/year?
In hindsight, I think the answer might be yes. But at the time I don’t think they wanted to spend more than, say, $2M on Scuderi. And they may have wanted to limit it to a 1 or 2 year contract. From everything I’ve heard about the situation, I think Scuds would have stayed for $3M/year and a 2-3 year contract. But that was too much for Shero at the time, given the Pens’ other needs and the supposition that defense wasn’t going to go to the crapper without Scuderi. Which, again “at the time”, made perfect sense.
Go, Shero, Go!!! And also Brian Burke.
ah, isn’t it the worst that hindsight is 20/20? oh well. i still love shero.
/dailydoseofoptimism
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE OR JUST THE HART AND THE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD. THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
by katielynn906 on Jun 15, 2010 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s more like hindsight looking through rose-colored glasses. This goes somewhat against the myth that last year’s defense is all that stood between us and another Summer with Stanley, but our “crapper” D this year gave up 2 fewer goals than last year’s world beaters. This year we had 84.1% PK and 28.3 shots allowed per game, vs last year’s 82.7% and 30.3.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jun 15, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE OR JUST THE HART AND THE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD. THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
by katielynn906 on Jun 15, 2010 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
PAYD, good stats. I think everyone is hip to the PK #s, but, to me at least, the overall GA #s are a bit of a surprise.
I’m with Katie on this…for whatever reason, they just didn’t have “IT” this year.
Even IF Scuderi AND Gill were still on the blueline — without losing any players they still wouldn’t have won the Cup. That might have been enough to squeak by Montreal, maybe, but without “IT,” they could not repeat.
by Mario Lemieux #66 on Jun 15, 2010 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s tough to argue with that, but I’m not convinced that we couldn’t have won it again. I think we just ran up against maybe the worst possible matchup in Montreal (or 2nd worst…Devils may have given us more trouble).
I look back at last year. We were in overtime of game 3 in the 2nd round, just a Caps goal away from trailing 3-0 in the series and being out of the playoffs. Instead, Tanger scored and we were on our way.
Look at our Cup runs from 91 and 92. There were several times where if things didn’t go just right (like Francis from 65 feet out on Richter), we could have exited early. Or, conversely, there was the debacle in 93.
This year we went to game 7 in the 2nd round. We lost, and miserably, but if we could have gotten through this series I would have felt very confident about beating the Flyers, and then I think we could have given Chicago a run for their money.
It is sometimes a very fine line between winning and losing.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jun 15, 2010 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions
i see what you mean. i think we could have won against philly, but against chicago, it’s hard to say. depends on which one of our defenses showed up. =)
i really, truly think that our boys played a TON of hockey in the past few years and it just finally caught up to us. way i figure, let ‘em sleep in all day this summer, let ’em just have a longer summer, and they’ll be rarin’ to go next year.
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE OR JUST THE HART AND THE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD. THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
by katielynn906 on Jun 15, 2010 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions
If I wasn’t sick as a dog and coughing up both lungs I could probably find a way to say what I’m trying to say. The gist of it is that just because we lost this year doesn’t mean that everything we did was crap (which is what I’m hearing about our D, Flower, Geno, etc), and just because we won last year doesn’t mean that everything we did was golden (like all the longing for the return of gill and scuderi as the panacea for our problems).
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jun 15, 2010 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope you get better—that sounds nasty!
I think you stated your thoughts quite well.
That’s what we all do—talk about all the issues, who did what, what could have been, what might never be. It’s good to vent and we all agree to disagree on some things. I am glad I joined up and it’s been a blast listening to everyone.
I am looking towards the future. And the NHL awards. Hope Sid wins everything his nominated for and Staal wins, too!
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d be surprised if Sid wins the Hart, even though there’s no reasonable argument to be made otherwise. He was so dominating this year, and the stats back his performance up in every category.
But alas, hockey writers care not for what really happened.
Author at Pensburgh.com
i think mirtle or someone (apologies, i can’t remember exactly) actually gave sid the edge, vegas odds style.
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE OR JUST THE HART AND THE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD. THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
by katielynn906 on Jun 15, 2010 8:49 PM EDT up reply actions
on PuckDaddy
“The Vegas odds for the NHL Awards came out Monday, via Bodog, and there’s one stunner:
Odds to win 2010 Hart Memorial Trophy as League MVP
Sidney Crosby(notes), Pittsburgh Penguins — 2/3
Alex Ovechkin(notes), Washington Capitals — 5/4
Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks — 9/2
That’s a hefty underdog right there. Real hefty. Consider that Joe Sacco is an 11/2 choice to win the Jack Adams behind Dave Tippett (1/9), and you get the picture."
ah, that was it. thank you!
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE OR JUST THE HART AND THE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD. THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
by katielynn906 on Jun 15, 2010 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions
and Doughty for Norris - HOORAY!
"Odds to win 2010 James Norris Memorial Trophy for the Top Defenseman
Drew Doughty(notes), Los Angeles Kings — 1/2
Duncan Keith(notes), Chicago Blackhawks — 11/4
Mike Green(notes), Washington Capitals — 3/1"
if i were a GM and could pick any player around which to build my team...
Two choices stand above the rest:
1. Crosby
2. Doughty
After that, its less clear for the 3, 4, and 5 spots, but those two are just so amazing AND so young.
I don’t know if it would have been Mirtle because he personally voted for Hank.
Author at Pensburgh.com
i was wrong, apologies!
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE OR JUST THE HART AND THE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD. THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
by katielynn906 on Jun 15, 2010 9:36 PM EDT up reply actions
gotcha and i agree.
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE OR JUST THE HART AND THE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD. THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
by katielynn906 on Jun 15, 2010 8:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Not Convinced We Couldn't Have Won It Again.
I completely agree. I think we could have won it all—gotten past the Habs, beat the Flyers and beat Chicago in 7 games.
That does not mean we would have won but we COULD have won. And I think, yes, we would have.
Those two guys, Scuds and Gill, they just did what shut-down D do and I believe they would have played a HUGE part in helping MAF in front of the net…that piece…I remember laughing when Scuds was mis-quoted, saying he “was” the piece but meant to say “a part of the piece.”
I do think they were tired, worn out, out of gas, stressed, like Katie and others have noted. They played alot of Hockey with no time off to rest and recoop.
We will never know if the Pens could have won the Cup two years in a row….now we can look ahead. Is it July 1 yet!?!
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
that's what i was telling myself too, during the season...
i’m a fan, so i believed up until the end
well, no, i believed up until Moen’s shorty — to be honest
but in retrospect, the 09-10 Pens just didn’t have “IT” like the Pens from 08-09 AND the Pens from 07-08. Those two teams came back from so many 3rd period deficits you almost expected it. Except for that OT game against Boston early in the year, this team lost every time they fell behind and got absolutely slaughtered by the top teams in the league.
they were probably mentally tired.
some were injured (Orpik all year, Flower with his wonky glove hand, Talbot w/ his bum shoulder, etc).
there were lots of factors….
The Flyers, meanwhile, DID have “IT”
they had more injuries than almost any other team
they played their 2nd string, 3rd string, and emergency FA 4th string pickup between the pipes and they STILL won. The Pens have “owned” them recently, but — IN RETROSPECT — I think they would have spanked this year’s version.
October can’t come soon enough. The Pens WILL be back. I believe they will hoist the Cup less than 1 year from now.
by Mario Lemieux #66 on Jun 15, 2010 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I Believe They Will Hoist The Cup
I love that thought!
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions
me too.
depends on what they do come in free agency, but i have faith in Shero.
he’s not perfect, but he’s really, really, really good.
and i agree w/ katie and mario…the pens were gassed or something
they just didn’t have the magic this year (well, except for Crosby, but he’s superhuman — a report in Scientific American proved it. true story)
I am particularly pleased that something I said brought you to use the phrase “our ‘crapper’ D”. I’m not sure what that says about me, but I think it’s a positive!
Go, Shero, Go!!! And also Brian Burke.
I thought you’d like that :-)
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jun 15, 2010 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions
And I did forget Fedotenko was only signed for 1 year—thanks for reminding me. You all have been writing on this website for a long time; I only found you a couple of months ago.
I don’t mean to dwell on hindsight; sometimes it is hard not too, of course.
I do remember wishing Shero had concentrated on D more; but then, I do not know what he really could have done. We have too much money tied up with only a few guys.
I always think about D; that is what wins Championships. Something the Caps have not figured out yet.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Feds was signed after the fact that Scuderi was leaving for LA, so you can’t really say that the money used to sign him could have been used to keep Scuds. Hooks is right, at the time it was definitely the right move. I’ll always try to remember Feds’ good times, not last season’s bust.
by Mario's Mullet on Jun 15, 2010 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Feds...
agree that it was the right move at the time
he was the last signing, and looked like a viable winger for the money Shero had remaining
ie, there weren’t many options
that said, i was much less impressed with his “great” playoffs last year than most…
he missed glorious opportunities too many times to count
yes, he potted some
but Malkin was setting him up left, right, and 6 times on Sunday
and Talbot was doing all the gritty work
by Mario Lemieux #66 on Jun 15, 2010 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
PAYD,
Hey, another nice collage. You have so many of them! Just great photos.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jun 15, 2010 9:02 AM EDT reply actions
Thanks, though I wish I could get better at predicting who will be recapped the next day so I can be a little better prepared ;-)
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jun 15, 2010 9:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Darn shame...
I also remember the good times and great moments the he brought, but after last year, there’s no way I’d like to see him stick around and take minutes from some of the Baby Pens that will need to step up at some point in time.
I don't know what happened to Feds last year
he was half the player from the previous year. For a guy who used to hit he was so soft, makes me wonder if he had a shoulder injury. There was a point in the late middle of the season where he looked like he was back, crashing the boards, scrumming at the net, but it just lasted a few games. Really wish him well, he was a contributor to winning the Cup.
One more good season from him and who knows, the Tenk Top might have been the fashion craze.
Sadly, we’ll never know.
I really think it's my fault
I said I would create the Tenk Top and I never did. Tenks was upset about my lack of follow-through so he “tenked” it this year.
www.californiagoldenblogs.com
Time to work on the Crosby Corset.
Or the Brent Johnson Long Johns
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
staal socks!
they can come in red, blue, or black for your favorite one!
STAAL FOR SELKE. SIDNEY FOR EVERY OTHER ONE OR JUST THE HART AND THE MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD. THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.
by katielynn906 on Jun 15, 2010 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Tenks for the memories, Ruslan
cue drum sounds
by stoopidtom on Jun 15, 2010 1:14 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
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