Bennett to Wheeling in paper move; Despres to WBS, Pouliot back to juniors among today’s roster moves
The Pittsburgh Penguins had some cap maneuvering going on this afternoon to get cap compliant. Here’s a rundown on the announced roster moves: *Kris Letang and Tomas Vokoun have been placed on injured reserve *Beau Bennett has been assigned to Wheeling of the ECHL. *Simon Despres and Andrew Ebbett have been assigned to Wilkes Barre/Scranton. *2012 1st round pick Derrick Pouliot has been returned to juniors. *The Penguins have recalled defenseman Harrison Ruopp. OFFICIAL 23-MAN ROSTER AS OF 5:00 P.M. *The Penguins current active roster as of 5:00 p.m. has 13 forwards, 8 defensemen and 2 goaltenders. The official roster we see right now isn’t going to be the one Thursday night. FORWARDS: Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby, Pascal Dupuis, Jussi
Post-Game Buzz: Fleury, Jokinen deliver 2-1 shootout win over Rangers
POST-GAME BUZZ Jussi Jokinen (7) scored in regulation and delivered the game deciding goal in the shootout as the Pittsburgh Penguins (29-10-0, 58 pts) earned a 2-1 shootout win over the New York Rangers (18-15-4, 40 pts) on Friday night at the Consol Energy Center. Marc Andre Fleury was a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout as the Penguins snapped a two game losing streak. In a game that had a playoff feel about it, Fleury put on a clinic tonight as he treated fans to some of the best goaltending your going to see. Fleury carried a shutout late into the third period until Rick Nash scored off a lost Brandon Sutter faceoff with 4:49 left in the third period
Scouts Buzz on the Penguins notable prospects in Wilkes Barre and who’s knocking on the NHL door
ON THE FARM SYSTEM The Penguins have loaded up for a Cup run but there figures to be a lot of turnover this summer with the cap going down to $64.3 million. The Penguins have several key unrestricted free agents in Jarome Iginla, Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis, Brenden Morrow, Craig Adams, Douglas Murray, Mark Eaton and notable restricted free agents include Tyler Kennedy, Dustin Jeffrey and Robert Bortuzzo. A number of those players likely won’t be back next season. Today’s we’ll take a look at the development of the Penguins notable prospects in Wilkes Barre and others who could be knocking on the door for an NHL role: TOP-5 PLAYERS TO WATCH Beau Bennett, RW, 2010 1st round pick 2012-2013
Post-Morning Skate Buzz: The challenge of the Penguins matching up against Bruins style of play
POST-MORNING SKATE BUZZ What you heard out of the Penguins locker room this morning when describing the Bruins is “structure”. “Very structurally sound,” head coach Dan Bylsma said of the Bruins. “Really good team, balanced throughout their lineup. In addition to that have the best penalty kill in the league,” Bylsma said. As no one has been able to slow down the Penguins offensively of late, Bylsma has been looking forward to the challenge of playing a defensive stout team of the Bruins caliber. “I like the challenge,” Bylsma said. “Have been thinking about that heading into this game. Playing a real structured team that has not allowed a lot of goals. Anticipating this being more type of {defensive} game
Tuesday’s Practice Buzz: Bennett back on second line; Who comes out with Martin’s expected return?
TUESDAY’S PRACTICE BUZZ
Bennett named to AHL Eastern Conference All-Star Team
From the Baby Penguins: The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, in conjunction with the American Hockey League, announced today that left wing Beau Bennett been selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star Team for the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic, to be held Jan. 27-28 in Providence, R.I. As a rookie this season, Bennett is tied for the team lead with 24 points (6g-18a) in 30 games. The 21-year old from Gardena, CA is also first on the Penguins with 18 assists. A participant in Pittsburgh’s training camp this week, Bennett was selected 20th overall by the Penguins in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to his pro career, Bennett skated for two seasons with the University of Denver, where he totaled 13
Morning Pens Buzz: Latest chatter on final roster decisions; Did Bennett raise one concern about being NHL ready now?
MORNING PENS BUZZ The clock is ticking on the Penguins getting their roster set (has to be done by 3:00 p.m. Friday) and team held organizational meetings following Wednesday’s Black and Gold scrimmage and more meetings between the coaching staff and upper management are planned to resume in the morning. Everyone except Simon Despres, Beau Bennett and Jayson Megna are eligible for waivers, so the direction the Penguins intend to take on the roster will be finalized by late morning as the Penguins would have to put any waiver eligible players on waivers at 12:00 p.m. Thursday to get them to the minors before rosters are to be submitted Friday at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday’s scrimmage was the last evaluation tool
Penguins expected to bring Beau Bennett in for a look at camp
BENNETT TO GET A LOOK IN CAMP The Penguins appear tempted to see how Beau Bennett, the organization’s top forward prospect matches up against NHL players in camp as Bennett is expected to be among a small group of players from Wilkes Barre that the team plans to bring to Pittsburgh.
Pens Notes: CBA, Tangradi, Zatkoff; Scouts Buzz on Thompson, Ferriero, & Bennett
PENS NOTES CBA BUZZ: Bill Daly and Steve Fehr had what is being called a marathon meeting that started Saturday afternoon and didn’t end until 1:00 a.m. this morning. The two tackled a number of issues, according to Daly, and there is believed to be some small traction made between the two sides. We’re entering a crucial week and the next meetings among a larger group of representatives this coming week will be the true sign on where this is headed. TANGRADI SHOWING GOAL SCORING TOUCH: Eric Tangradi (8GP – 6G – 0A – 6Pts) enters today’s game vs Bridgeport on a four game goal scoring streak, leading Wilkes Barre with 6 goals on the season. Since last spring Tangradi continues