Malkin may not even finish 2nd in Hart Trophy voting; Kotalik a player of interest?
Conn Smythe Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin has arrived in Las Vegas for Thursday’s NHL Awards Show. Malkin is up for the Hart Trophy which is awarded to the league’s Most Valuable Player. Despite leading the league in scoring , Malkin may not even finish second in voting for the Hart Trophy. Internal polling has showed Alex Ovechkin will be the clear cut winner with Pavel Datsyuk possibly being the runner-up. Prior to the playoffs, we polled three Western Conference Writers on the M.V.P. Debate After the act Malkin and Ovechkin put on during the All-Star game, the two did not speak during the second round series between the Penguins and Capitals. Updated Free Agency Chart – New updates on Marty
Pittsburgh doesn’t have the cap flexibility to commit “market value” money to Rob Scuderi
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi became a household name during the Penguins Stanley Cup run. The longer the Penguins played, the higher Scuderi’s market value went up. This past season Scuderi brought home a salary of $725,000. At age 30, Scuderi has the opportunity to test the free agent market for the first time in his career as a known name and Scuderi will cash in. Scuderi, the Penguins top defensive defenseman was an instrumental part of the Penguins success this season and under most situations would be a top priority for the Penguins. With $46.85 million committed to 14 players for the upcoming season, Pittsburgh has $11.585 million combined to four defensemen, not including slight raises for Alex Goligoski
NHL: Orpik, Scuderi on Team USA’s radar for 2010 Olympics?
Rob Scuderi’s market value is not only rising above $2.5 million per season but is he under strong consideration for a roster spot on Team USA for the 2010 Olympics? After talking with league sources close to the situation, Inside Pittsburgh Sports has the latest.
Pressure turns to Fleury in game 3
Game 2 Post-Game Notebook Unable to tie the series at 1-1, the series shifts back to Pittsburgh Tuesday night as the Penguins will be in a must win situation like they were last year. Despite only scoring two goals through the first two games of the series, the Penguins were upbeat following the game and believe this series is far from over. For the second straight night, the inability to capitalize on prime scoring chances haunted the Penguins. The chances are there for the Penguins, averaging 32 shots in two games Red Wings team speed causing Penguins problems Evaluating the first two games of the series, the most noticeable difference between the Red Wings and Penguins is the team speed
Industry Sources: Scuderi’s market value at $2.5 million per season
The longer the Penguins play, the higher that Rob Scuderi’s market value will go up according to league sources. Scuderi, 29, is currently making $725,000 and he will warrant a significant raise on the open market. League sources I’ve talked to indicate Scuderi will get a deal similar to what defenseman Tom Preissing got (4 yrs – $11 million) after the Senators Stanley Cup run in 2007. The two are totally different players but Scuderi is being characterized as this year’s “Preissing” around the league in regards to how he will benefit from his team making a long run. Prior to the trade deadline, Scuderi expressed an interest to Penguins management in working out a long-term. Pittsburgh indicated they were
“Sticks in the lane” Penguins 8-for-8 on the PK
Going into the series, it was believed the Penguins did not want to get into a special teams battle with the Philadelphia Flyers. In Game 4 the Penguins were 8-for-8 on the penalty kill and while goaltender Marc Andre Fleury was clearly the Penguins best penalty killer, the Penguins did a great job of getting “sticks in the lane” to break up a lot of Flyers scoring chances. The Penguins had 20 blocked shots on the night and the leader of the pack was Rob Scuderi who had a team high 5 blocked shots. Scuderi has been the Penguins most under-rated player this season and NHL sources tell me Scuderi’s market value is on the rise and will net at
Post-Game Report
Penguins Post-Game Report Very good turnout for Penguins fans tonight at the RBC center In the locker room following the game, the Penguins felt they played good enough to win. They were disappointed not to leave Carolina with two points but they did get a much needed point. In his post-game comments, Sidney Crosby talked about how the Penguins ran into a good goaltender but felt if the Penguins continue to play at the level they did tonight, “he likes their chances.” The Florida Panthers (87  pts) will be in a must-win situation Sunday afternoon. Interim coach Dan Bylsma remains non-committal on who will start in goal but sources tell me Fleury will start. Fleury has been pushing to play both
League projections have salary cap at $49.7 million for 2010-2011 season
Decrease in Salary Cap will lead to difficult negotiations with NHLPA on new CBA The salary cap for the 2009-2010 season will be in the range of $55-$57 million but league projections currently have the salary cap decreasing to $49.7 million for the 2010-2011 season. These projections could obviously change, which they hopefully do but the Penguins will be in a tough position. With concerns over the salary cap, it should not come as any surprise that the Penguins have been in strong pursuit of college prospects Matt Gilroy and Tyler Bozak. This may give some insight into how Penguins General Manager Shero is looking to fill some holes for next season The Penguins currently have about $46.5 million committed
The Latest Penguins Buzz
Marc Andre Fleury made 31 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, Wednesday night as the Penguins took sole possession of 6th place in the Eastern Conference. Fleury was phenomenal against Calgary and he’s playing at a level right now that has the Penguins in the mindset that they can compete for a Stanley Cup which wasn’t a thought four weeks ago. The key for the Penguins locking up a playoff spot is not to lose two straight games in their final 8 games. Going into last night’s game on a one game losing streak, the Penguins got a much needed win and avoided a two game losing streak. The win moved the Penguins 7 points ahead of the
The Latest Penguins Buzz
Despite a 10-1-2 stretch, the Penguins are still not a lock to the make the playoffs as they’re only five points ahead of ninth place Florida. There is a lot of work that needs to be done between now and the end of the regular season. Two players who desperately need to pick up their games are Petr Sykora and Ruslan Fedotenko. Sykora who is a streaky player has 3 goals in his last 17 games and only one goal in his last 9 games. At this time last year Sykora was playing his best hockey of the season. From 3-9-08 through 3-24-08 Sykora had 7 goals in 7 games for the Penguins. Sykora needs to return to that level