Philippe Boucher announces his retirement

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Philippe Boucher has announced his retirement. Boucher released a statement this afternoon via his agent. Boucher, 36, played 17 NHL seasons after being a 1st round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 1991. Boucher did not receive much interest this off-season but did consider a return to Pittsburgh. The Penguins offered Boucher a one year deal that was significantly less than his $2.5 million salary from 2008-2009. Pittsburgh wanted Boucher back to play the role of a 7th defenseman and to be a mentor to the Penguins young defensemen. Boucher became a close mentor to Kris Letang last season and was well liked in the locker room. Boucher recorded 94 goals, 206 assists for 300 points in

Latest Penguins Buzz: Tangradi to join Penguins in 2010

Eric Tangradi maybe in a Penguins uniform at some point in the upcoming season but it won’t be in October or November. Tangradi will begin the 2009-2010 season in Wilkes Barre and any talk that Tangradi will be given an opportunity to earn a roster spot out of training camp is not true. In fact, Tangradi will likely be among the first cuts like Luca Caputi was last season. Tangradi is still recovering from hand surgery and Pittsburgh has absolutely no plans to rush his development. The original plan is for Tangradi to spend a full season in Wilkes Barre, but things could change at a later time and he will likely get a call-up to get his feet wet,

Boucher considering offer from Pittsburgh and retirement

As we’ve been mentioning for the past two weeks, the Penguins have an interest in re-signing defenseman Philippe Boucher. Boucher was a mentor to young defenseman Kris Letang as the two became close off the ice and Pittsburgh has made a one year offer worth $600,000 (performance bonuses), sources tell Inside Pittsburgh Sports. The New York Rangers are among a few other teams to reach out to Boucher but Boucher is only considering a return to Pittsburgh or retirement at this point. Unless a guaranteed offer with a role as a top 6 defenseman comes his way, Boucher will be returning to Pittsburgh or retiring. The players on the team have been pushing for Boucher to return and he has

NHL: Latest Buzz: Penguins not interested in Prospal; Looking to add Veteran D-Man

The Pittsburgh Penguins are not interested in Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vinny Prospal sources tell Inside Pittsburgh Sports. Even at a salary under $1 million per season, the team doesn’t expect to be in play for him. The New York Rangers are emerging as the early front runner to land Prospal. The Penguins have held preliminary trade talks with the

Boucher interested in returning to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has their eye on other targets Defenseman Philippe Boucher has drawn interest from the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars as the 36 year old defenseman looks to receive a guaranteed contract and bounce back from two injury plagued seasons. Boucher who developed a close relationship with Kris Letang, became a vocal leader in the locker room, has a strong interest in returning to Pittsburgh and battling for the #6 defensemen spot. Despite Boucher being interested in Pittsburgh, a return to Pittsburgh appears to be murky at this point. Boucher who became a free agent on July 1, has

Trade Watch: Pittsburgh’s interest has cooled on Frolunda’s Carl Klingberg

One trade to watch for on draft day could be between the Minnesota Wild and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Wild GM Chuck Fletcher is believed to have his eye on Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy. Fletcher values Lovejoy as one of the Penguins top five prospects and believes he is NHL ready. There is a 0% chance that Fletcher would make an offer sheet to Lovejoy but a swap of Pascal Dupuis/Ben Lovejoy for a high draft pick is a possibility, although the Wild don’t own a 2nd round pick (09) at this point. Pittsburgh is currently in talks with Lovejoy about a two year deal. Updated Penguins Free Agency Chart – New Info on Fedotenko, Draft Buzz As I mentioned last week, Pittsburgh’s

Penguins remain confident and claim “series is not over”

Facing a must win situation Tuesday night, the Penguins remain confident and don’t appear frustrated as the team is in the same position that they were last year. “You know, I don’t think we should be frustrated, I don’t think we are frustrated, because the series not over,” Sergei Gonchar said. “You know, we’re playing better, having chances, series is not over. Going into this series we knew it was not going to be easy playing against great team and we knew it was going to be tough.” *Forward Sidney Crosby who has been held scoreless in the series did not speak to the media on Monday during the Penguins off-day. Despite being held pointless, Crosby is getting chances and