Morning Buzz
The Penguins have caught many around the league by surprise in their ability to overcome the losses of Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar. Ryan Whitney is skating and looks to be in the best shape of his career. Whitney is determined to resemble the player he was two seasons ago and I expect him to have a big season when he returns to the lineup in December. Is Ryan Whitney trade bait? The Penguins have received a lot of inquiries about Whitney in the past year and despite the emergence of Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang, the Penguins view Ryan Whitney as the heir apparent to Sergei Gonchar and GM’s around the league know if will take an offer the
Game 18: Wild snap Penguins 6 game winning streak
Minnesota Wild 2 – Pittsburgh Penguins 1 The Minnesota Wild’s trapping defense frustrated the Penguins at times and the league’s top penalty kill unit held Evgeni Malkin & Co scoreless on the power play. The Penguins were 0-for-4 on the power play and failed to capitalize in overtime after Wild forward Brent Burns drew a high-sticking penalty with 1:28 remaining in the overtime period. The Wild were able to force a shootout and goaltender Niklas Backstrom, put on a strong performance Tuesday night at Mellon Arena, stopping 24-of-25 shots, turning aside Petr Sykora, Alex Goligoski and Sidney Crosby in the shootout to the lead the Minnesota Wild to a 2-1 win. The loss snapped the Penguins 6 game winning streak.
Game 18: Pittsburgh Penguins (11-4-2-24) vs Minnesota Wild (10-4-1-21)
Penguins Projected Lineup Fedotenko – Malkin – Sykora Talbot – Crosby – Satan Cooke – Staal – Kennedy Dupuis – Zigomanis – Godard D- Pairs Orpik – Letang Gill – Scuderi Goligoski – Boucher Dany Sabourin will start in goal The Penguins are coming off of a 5-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night to extend their winning streak to 6 games.
GM Meetings to spark trade discussions; Drury to MIN?
The GM meetings will be held in Chicago on Thursday. Marian Gaborik will be at the forefront with the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, expressing significant interest. While the Canadiens have been mentioned as the early front runner in the Gaborik sweepstakes, the Rangers are a team to keep an eye on. The Rangers have been exploring the trade market for center Chris Drury and are currently in the market for a elite top line winger. Marian Gaborik fits the bill and expect Glen Sather and Doug Risebrough to discuss a deal centered around Drury/roster player/drafts picks for Gaborik. What else to look for The Chicago Blackhawks remain the market for a second line center and a defenseman.
NHL: Risebrough is offering Gaborik around the NHL.
Minnesota Wild GM Doug Risebrough is without a doubt offering Marian Gaborik around the NHL. Many teams including the Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers would love to move on Gaborik but currently don‚Äôt have the cap space. Six teams including the Wild’s division rival the Vancouver Canucks have expressed an interest in Gaborik. The GM meetings are on Thursday October 23rd and expect talks to heat up with potential trade partners Source: Star Tribune
The Latest Penguins Buzz
Are the Penguins exploring the possibility of acquiring Marian Gaborik? Read more for the latest
NHL: Gaborik turns down 8yr – $80 million deal
Minnesota Wild forward Marian Gaborik has turned down a 8 year deal worth $80 million according to multiple reports.
Around the NHL
The Minnesota Wild are being patient with Marian Gaborik but privately they have begun targeting potential trade partners. At least 6 teams have made inquiries.Check out the NHL Chart for the latest The Rangers have been shopping Petr Prucha with the Nashville Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, Atlanta Thrashers showing interest. San Jose Sharks defenseman Kyle McLaren has cleared waivers. McLaren‚Äôs agent approached the Tampa Bay Lighting, Phoenix Coyotes, St.Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers to gauge interest in his client. Two others teams have expressed interest. There’s a strong chance that McLaren will be traded The New Jersey Devils are not as gung-ho to re-sign Brian Gionta as some may think. The Devils are ‚Äúvery‚Äù interested in Marian Gaborik, according to a
NHL: Gaborik on the trade block?
Talks between the Minnesota Wild and RW Marian Gaborik have stalled and It is very unlikely that a deal will be reached prior to the season opener. Wild GM Doug Risebrough was asked about whether Gaborik will be put on the trade block and Risebrough said, “That, I’ll have to determine.” Source StarTribune
NHL Preview: Northwest division
Inside Report While every team in this division took a step backward, the Oilers got much better. 1. Edmonton Oilers (41-35-6) The Oilers head into the 08-09 campaign with a better squad than they had in 2005-2006 when they made the Stanley Cup finals. Kevin Lowe stayed away from RFA sheets this summer and focused on the trade market. Lowe first brought in winger Erik Cole from the Carolina Hurricanes. Cole a potential 30-35 goal scorer will play on a line with Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky. Lowe also bolstered his blue line trading for Kings defensemen Lubomir Visnovsky and added depth with the addition of Gilbert Brule. Visnovsky will team with D Sheldon Souray who missed the majority of