Penguins free agent news

June 21, 2007   Uncategorized     7 Comments

In brief:
The Pens are still trying to re-sign Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts.
They will NOT be re-signing Nils Ekman, Ronald Petrovicky, Eric Cairns or Joel Kwiatkowski.
The Penguins seem to have some interest in retaining goalie Jocelyn Thibault and defensemen Rob Scuderi, Alain Nasreddine and Josef Melichar.
They are still pursuing, at minimum, one defensive defensemen, possibly two, and a top six winger.http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/pit070620.html
http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/pit070621.html

”Penguins GM Ray Shero is expected to meet with the agent for veterans Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi during the NHL Draft later this week, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review….
The Penguins apparently will not offer a contract to winger Nils Ekman and several other players, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In addition to Ekman, the Pens will not offer deals to forward Ronald Petrovicky and defensemen Eric Cairns and Joel Kwiatkowski, all of whom will become unrestricted free agents July 1.

According to the paper, the Penguins seem to have some interest in retaining goalie Jocelyn Thibault and defensemen Rob Scuderi, Alain Nasreddine and Josef Melichar, although it’s possible none will be back.”



7 Responses to Penguins free agent news

  1. Senatorsfan78 says:
    June 21, 2007 at 8:15 am

    I perdict that Gary Roberts will not re-sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins he would've re-signed by now I know for sure Gary Roberts will test the open market come July 1st the two teams Gary Roberts want's to sign with is the Senators or the Maple Leafs he will sign in of those two places.

    I know for sure Gary Roberts will proably not sign with Toronto Maple Leafs because the Maple Leafs will go after Ryan Smyth, Daniel Briere,Chris Drury or Scott Gomez the one out of those four will be Ryan Smyth while the Maple Leafs are signing Ryan Smyth the Maple Leafs will miss out Gary Roberts and the Senators will sign Gary Roberts everybody knows that.

    Also everybody knows that Bryan Maurray and  Eugene Melnyk want Gary Roberts and they will do what they can do to sign Gary Robert I perdict and take it to the bank that Gary Roberts will not re-sign with the Penguins and will sign with the Senators.

  2. mojo19 says:
    June 21, 2007 at 10:26 am

    Very funny. You guarantee the Leafs sign Smyth, and while they're doing that you guarantee the Sens sign Roberts and add: Everybody knows that.

    How do you know? How does everybody know? Why is it such a sure thing.

    Oh and JFJ said on OTR with Michael Lansberg, that he isn't pursuing Scott Gomez, everybody knows that. What do you know?

  3. mojo19 says:
    June 21, 2007 at 10:29 am

    Do we really need another Pens article about them resigning Roberts and Recchi, we already saw this exact same article a couple weeks ago. This is filling up the main page…..whine whine whine…..this is taking up valuable space…..whine whine whine…..Can't we wait until they actually do sign these guys before posting……whine whine whine…….complain complain comlain…….

  4. hero11 says:
    June 21, 2007 at 11:34 am

    I hope van picks up Ekman if he comes at a good price!

    Maybe Lang would like to go back to Pitts, now that he is looking for a new home.    Detriot reported that they told Lang's agent they will not be offering him a contract.

  5. czarrichter says:
    June 21, 2007 at 12:14 pm

    i want melichar and scuderi out penguins uniforms, especially scuderi.  we've put up with their awful play for too long now.  i'd really like for the pens to sign only one of the vets and use the money to seriously consider a defensive defenseman and a top winger.  minus experience, armstrong and talbot are the same player that roberts is (although thats a lot of experience, knowledge, and heart in one man and i loved the energy and excitement he brought to end the season), and i'd like to see recchi end his career in pittsburgh so i really wouldn't care to see roberts go even though he was our best performer in the playoffs.  here is what i'd like to see…

    new, top winger – crosby – christensen
    recchi – malkin – ouellet
    armstrong – malone/talbot – staal
    laraque – malone/talbot – thobourn/ruutu
    gonchar – new, top defensive defenseman
    whitney – oprik
    letang – eaton
    i really liked nasreddine's play this past season too as our first option if a defenseman should get hurt
    fleury
    thibault – yes i'd like for them to keep thibault
    if need be to pick up a zherdev, or another winger in a trade i'd say good riddance to either or both of malone and ouellet and then the lineups get changed a bit as a result, but basically stay the same.  and i think christensen should be playing with crosby or be traded because he's not going to produce staying down on the 4th line, but i think he can finish for crosby on the top line.  i'd like for them to have malkin center the second line as opposed to playing wing with crosby on the top line, unless they pick up a center, like a robert lang, that can center the second line.  that could be an interesting route.  instead of getting a top winger like everyone is saying, get a decent, 2nd line center and turn malkin in to your top winger, but i feel he is just more comfortable at center and then you could have two lines that the defense really has to worry about.
    but who am i and what do i know and that's a lot of what ifs and how could they do that and what will it take to get him and all that stuff.  primary concern though:  DEFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN!!!
    get it done shero!
  6. hero11 says:
    June 21, 2007 at 1:19 pm

    how about :

    To Pitts-
    W. Mitchell
    Bulis

    To Van-
    Armstrong
    Malone

    ?????

    Pitts would get their defensive defenseman and a good penalty killer in Bulis, he was good on the PK last year.

    Van would get a more affordable center for Naslund, and possibly trade Morrison.

    Morrison to Carolina for Criag Adams.

    Van-

    Sedin-Sedin-Pyatt
    Naslund-Malone-Cooke
    Armstrong-Kesler-Adams
    Hansen-Linden-Burrows

    Ohlund-Bieksa
    Salo-Sopel
    Krayjicek-Elder

    Luongo
    McIver

  7. Pensfan33 says:
    June 21, 2007 at 2:15 pm

    i know im not a GM but all i can do is pretend

     Shero stated he wants roberts and rechi back and this is his primary focus if roberts or rechi dont return then he will be forced to go into the free agent market to replace one or either of them 

     He also said depending on what happens with Rechi and roberts depends on how he goes about his whole offseason, 
     
     He has already stated he wants to give Gogligoski a shot when he offered him a contract which i think he is NHL ready with that all in mind personally i want to see roberts come back and rechi Go, which in reality it might be opposite,

     if i was Shero what i would do is since he has stated the pens payroll will be more then last year and Crosby most likely wont renew till next year his contract so there will be more money for this year

     the first thing i would do is sign Andy Sutton, because the Penguins NEED SIZE infront of their net, I think that was their biggest downfall last year their defenseman for the most part were tossed arround like ragdogs i wouldnt even mind them signing DE Vries or Cory Sarick either i think its a must they uprade their D the most they have a good mixture of offense with Gonchar LEtang Whitney now they need three SOLID Defensman i wouldnr mind seeing Boynton coming here either ur maybe naking a run after tom Pressing

              Now for forwards i would go after Paul Kariya to play with Crosby on the first line and Peter Bondra to play with malkinon the 2nd now i know bondra is old but he has a great history with Gonchar and can teach malkin alot i see they let go of Michal Oullet and sign Bondra especially if Roberts dont return , i wouls also not sign ryan malone i think he was given to many chances and maybe bring in someone like scutt Walker or Tyler Arnason  
     

     now goaltending i wouldnt even address i honestly  have high hopes for Nolan Schaefer, he hasnt been given much of a chance in San Jose i think he can easily be a great back up goaltender for the penguins i heard a while ago he was even good enough to compete with fleury for number one i dont know how true that is but i know they got a good goaltender in Scaefer when they got him

      So our lineup would look like this and i think htis is a reasonaable lineup and can very well happen for the Pens prob not but hey why not

    Kariya Crosby Roberts/Recchi/Arnason

    Christenson Malken  Bondra/Walker

    Armastrong  stall  recchi/Ruutu

    Laraque Talbot  Stone/filewhich

    Gonchar Sutton

    Whitney Orpik

    Letang Sarich/Boynton

    Fleury
     Scaefer

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