Penguins/NHL
A quick Penguins News and Notes for this evening
I’ve been told the Penguins cancelled practiced today so the new coaching staff could get accustomed to being in Pittsburgh and develop a plan for Wednesday.
Assistant coach Tom Fitzgerald flew straight to Boston following yesterday‚Äôs game to get things from home. He wasn’t even around today. Fitzgerald was working primarily from Boston prior to being named assistant coach on Sunday.
Mike Yeo was kept around because he is well liked by the players and Bylsma requested that Yeo remain with the staff. The two are close
Dan Bylsma has played a strong factor in Paul Bissonnette’s development as a forward since last season. Wouldn’t surprise me to see him with the big club sometime in the near future again.
It is not expected that a deal will get done with
Petr Sykora prior to the trade deadline. As I mentioned yesterday, the two sides have not exchanged numbers yet but the Penguins don’t want him to get away.
Going to be very interesting to see what Bylsma’s plans will be for Chris Minard. He was his top goal scorer in the AHL. He continues to sit in the press box.
Ray Shero is taking some heat from the media behind the scenes that he is scared to take a risk. That notion is well deserved. The Hossa trade last year wasn’t much of a risk. The Penguins weren’t giving up a player like a Jordan Staal. Now he is in the situation where he needs to take a risk.
He may be looking to change that talk as he has inquired about Dany Heatley (Sens are asking for the world) and Ilya Kovalchuk is on a list of players they will go after if he becomes available. At this moment Don Waddell is not actively shopping Kovalchuk but Shero is seeking an elite player to add up front.
Regarding Kovalchuk the Penguins are not going to move Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby for him. That rumor is just ridiculous. Please disregard any of that talk you see on the internet.
Also disregard any talk about the Penguins being interested in March Recchi. I don’t know which rumor is worst — the Malkin one or the Recchi to Pit rumors
If the Penguins make a play for Kovalchuk, they will be offering Staal, Whitney as the center piecies of any deal.
Photo courtesy of Dan4th
