Pens Points: No Plans to Trade Martin

Good morning one and all,

The Pens had an off day yesterday, and they resume practice today in preparation for the key matchup against the Caps tomorrow. Off we go with news and things.

The Pens absolutely need Paul Martin and plan to keep him. That much is obvious from management's spoken and unspoken actions. [Trib]

Geno says relax. We relax, we play our game, we are score. We all love Geno. Some guys talk the talk, and Geno walks the walk. [Penguins.com]

That should all come very handy as the Pens try to remember how to beat the Capitals. I suggest they watch the 11/20/2013 game in DC. That's how it's done. [PPG]

Here are some interesting numbers. Ranking the possession stats of all 30 teams, from most to least improved from last season to this. Pens sport a healthy #4 ranking of the most improved teams. [Pro Hockey Talk]

Just for laughs, a couple who are also big Pens fans are proud parents of a cute baby boy named Malkin Crosby Long. Apparently if there's another one, he'll be Beau Bennett Long. [Sportsnet]

Another right-handed top four defenseman, James Wisniewski, hits the trade block. That immediately reminded me of the Stanley Cup recipe comments (LA Kings: Fantastic recipe. I’m not a huge fan of free agents, so I usually substitute lopsided trade with Columbus, which works just as well.) Of course he'll end up with a cup in LA. [Hockey Buzz]

David Krejci is out 4-6 weeks with a partially torn MCL. This just might be the straw that breaks the camel's back when it comes to the Bruins and their playoff hopes. [USA Today]

Senators' Jared Cowen received a 3-game suspension for a hit on Jussi Jokinen. He disagreed with it, but in the end I'd rather the league err on the side of doing too much versus not enough. [Ottawa Citizen]

Five questions with Paul Bissonnette. Always an interesting interview. [The Score]

Hayley Wickenheiser reflects on the loss of Steve Montador. This is an important read because it highlights some of the struggles these athletes face that we aren't privy to. [THN]

For the end we have Igor Larionov, who rues the destruction of the "beautiful game" in the hands of mediocre hockey minds. Obviously I respect his perspective as a former great but disagree with most of his notions (remember he represents Nail Yakupov, who thinks backchecking means scratching your back with a check). But worthy of your time for sure. [The Players' Tribune]

P.S. This just in and can't make it up: a new species of wasp discovered in Kenya will be named Thaumatodryinus tuukkaraski after the B's goaltender. Apparently the Finnish government underwrote the study. Okay, my best friend is an entomologist and I will shortly be tasking him with finding and naming a new butterfly species Papillio marcandrefleuris. [The Score]