The Penguins finished December going 5-8-1 and this afternoon practiced at Harvard University as they prepare to play the Boston Bruins tomorrow night. The Bruins had the day off.
The Penguins five wins in December came against Buffalo (2), Carolina, New York Islanders and the New Jersey Devils. The Sabres and Hurricanes are borderline playoff teams and the Islanders are the Islanders. The only true playoff team they beat this month was the New Jersey Devils and if not for Marc Andre Fleury that came could have easily been a 4-1 New Jersey win instead of a 1-0 Pittsburgh win
According to a source Ray Shero does not plan on

waiting for the trade deadline to make a move. The media makes it sound like when Sergei Gonchar comes back everything will be fine. Gonchar will be a great addition to the lineup but there’s some urgency in the Penguins front office that the Penguins could be heading into uncharted waters if they wait until the deadline to make a move.
Shero is looking for answers and Shero does not buy the “lack of effort” excuse he has been getting for the recent mediocre play. He is not putting the blame on Michel Therrien but he is putting the blame on the players.
With players due back from injuries, Shero has been exploring the market and will likely be very active this month leading up to the All-Star break which is like the MLB winter meetings. That is where the framework for potential deals begin.
Pittsburgh receiving a lot of calls about Alex Goligoski. Young puck moving defenseman are a hot commodity. Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and the LA Kings are among a group of teams to show interest.
Front office impressed with the play of Dustin Jeffrey and they seem to be pretty high on Ben Lovejoy who has been a late bloomer.
This team misses the presence of a Gary Roberts type leader and Shero knows it. That is probably part of the reason the Penguins have been linked to Bill Guerin in recent weeks.
The Penguins will be making a move but it will likely just be a short term fix. Penguins want to have an opportunity to be active in free agency with a strong group of wingers expected to declare. This may be why they might not be a major player for Marty St. Louis who has another year left on his contract.
More to come

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