Pardon my pirate talk, I am just getting into the spirit of the season with the Buccos set to play in the Wild Card game on Wednesday. While I do love baseball, and talking it, I will stick to hockey for the rest of this piece.
A lot of stuff has been happening around the NHL and the Penguins over the last 48 hours, so I thought I'd write up a piece with my thoughts on some of those happenings.
Enjoy my rumblings...
Pascal Dupuis Injury
While the injury may have only been "minor," further testing proved otherwise and Tuesday morning the team announced the 36-year-old veteran will miss the first 4-5 weeks of the season with a lower-body injury. It is a devastating blow to the veteran who was slated to return after missing the majority of last season due to blood clots and the majority of the season before with torn knee ligaments.
It is also a hard blow to the team. Besides the obvious fact that they will be without their 3rd line winger, the Penguins lost one of their key locker room guys and their best penalty killer. Any time Duper goes down, it has an affect on his team. It is no mistake their level of play dips when the ever smiling Dupuis is not on the ice or in the room.
A major concern going into game one though will focus on the already weak penalty kill. Dupuis was slated to be the Pens top penalty killer, now the Pens will have to maneuver quickly to fill his spot. The team is expected to go into Thursday's opener with Cullen, Bonino and Farnham killing penalties up front, likely with Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz and Plotnikov taking some shifts on the kill as well. Even Beau Bennett, who will replace Dupuis as the 3rd line right wing, has been talked to by assistant coach Gary Agnew about being used in this facet.
When it comes down to it, this is an injury that hits all of Pens nation hard. Everyone who has ever met Pascal Dupuis will tell you he is one of the best people on the planet. It is hard to see him suffer another injury, especially so close to coming back. I want to first wish him the fastest and safest recovery possible so he can get back to what he loves most.
As for the team, they will have something to prove. I really think their play dips without Duper on the ice and in the room. They will need to show that they can handle his loss and still have the same intensity level they would have with Duper there.
As for the penalty kill, it leads to some alarming problems. The kill was a weak spot even with Dupuis in there, now without him, it is worse. I personally don't like the idea of Crosby or Malkin killing penalties, because they're one block shot away from missing time with a broken extremity. Farnham can stopgap and Cullen and Bonino are capable, but I do have concerns. If the Penguins make a roster move, I would hope it is for Oskar Sundqvist, the 21-year-old Swede who excels at the kill.
Roster Moves For Cap Reasons
It is utter absurdity to believe that Olli Maatta will not be in the lineup come Thursday night. Assistant GM Jason Botterill is a salary cap wizard and the move is designed simply to create more cap space for the Penguins heading into the season.
So let me make this quite simple in regards to Olli Maatta: He will be with the team heading to Dallas and he will be on the ice when the puck drops on Thursday, period!
As for Tim Erixon, he will likely remain with the big club as well. Mike Johnston said on Tuesday he likes having the two extra defensemen on the roster because it allows for better flow in practices where they use four lines. He also believes the likes of Erixon and Adam Clendening get more out of practices here than in Wilkes-Barre. I agree with him in this regard, though I do prefer game-play to practice. But, Johnston knows better than I do.
As for Oskar Sundqvist, I think this was a paper move, but do not be surprised if he remains with the big club for the weekend trip out west. Sundqvist almost made the roster out of training camp last season, and while he didn't have the same showing this fall, he is still part of the Penguins bottom six future. He will never be a big-time scoring threat, but his defensive skills and acumen on the penalty kill make him a valuable asset. I think he should stay with the club and get an opportunity to play as well. He will bolster the penalty kill and the experience would do him well.
Random Stories, Random Takes
- On Monday, the NHL announced that they have suspended San Jose forward Raffi Torres for 41 games for his illegal hit on Anaheim's Jakob Silfverberg on Saturday. It is the longest suspension of its kind in NHL history.
- On Tuesday, the New Jersey Devils announced they will retire former goaltender Martin Brodeur's number on February 9th. This is a no brainer and a great move by the Devils. Marty deserves to have his number retired and it won't be long before he is elected to the Hall of Fame.
- San Jose also was in the news on Monday for naming a new captain. Joe Pavelski will serve as the team's captain under first year coach Peter DeBoer. Veterans Joe Thornton and Logan Couture will serve as the Sharks alternates this year.
Final Statement
I am thinking I will have a "View From Where I Sat" post game Thursday. Unless something comes up, this shouldn't be a problem on my part. It will likely be up very late, so check for it Friday morning as well as late Thursday night.
I will also have a Pregame show for you on Saturday, when the Pens play in Arizona at 10pm. Check in for that sometime Saturday afternoon.
For all the latest Pens news and my thoughts, be sure to like the Facebook page and follow me on Twitter. I tend to do more with the Twitter page, so that would be your first spot to go.
That's it for me. I will see you all on Thursday! Lets Go Bucs!!!