Malkin, Roster Moves and Some Notes
As is being reported just about everywhere hockey news is read, Evgeni Malkin will not require surgery. It is being speculated that he will need roughly 4-6 weeks to recover from the injury. This is great news for Malkin and the Penguins. I just hope that they do not rush the kid back. I am sure that Ray Shero is smarter than that, but your never know. The allure of having Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby on the ice at the same time may be too much to handle. It would be a shame to see this kid pass on surgery now, only to have to go under the knife in a couple years.
The most interesting thing that I have heard regarding this situation are the comments being made by Malkin's mother. She is quoted in Sport-Express in Russia as saying: "Zhenia had his X-ray exam done yesterday [Monday]. The shoulder was not dislocated. Simply a bad bruise. Doctors said: in two-three weeks he will be ready to come back on ice. Recently we have received an invitation from Pittsburgh. Now we are waiting for the visa to come from Moscow. We would very much like to go to support our son." Sounds like the most optimistic report we have gotten. If this is accurate, it could mean that Malkin will be in the line-up come October 5th against the Flyers.
The Penguins made another round of cuts Sunday night, before shipping off to West Point for their scheduled team building activities. Forwards Tyler Kennedy, Erik Christensen, Jonathan Filewich, Conner James and Stephen Dixon along with defensemen Micki Dupont, Matt Carkner and Alain Nasreddine were assigned to the AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre-Scranton.
Jordan Staal looked like he was making a strong case to stay in the NHL during the early parts of camp, unfortunately, his play has continued to slip during the exhibition games. He started strong against Ottawa last week, but has since looked a little over matched. He is a big strong kid who protects the puck well, but would probably benefit from another year in the OHL. He would probably be the best player on his team and would be given a chance to dominate while centering the top line for Peterborough. The fact that he is still in training camp leads me to believe that the Penguins are going to keep him around for his 9 game cup of coffee before sending him back. Some have speculated that this is going to happen due to the Malkin injury, I personally feel it is just to get a better look at Staal in game situations, since he hasn't really set the world on fire when given a chance on the top 2 lines during exhibition games. He is not Malkin's replacement. The most likely move would see Ryan Malone shift to center on the second line, with John LeClair moving up to play along side he and Mark Recchi.
Is Marc Andre Fleury ready to dominate this season? I don't think so. MA, who is a great athlete, still has a penchant for getting beat high over his glove hand. He also hasn't mastered the art of controlling his rebounds. He will be given every chance to establish himself this season, coming into camp as the undisputed go to guy between the pipes, but he has got to get better. Fleury has always flashed glimmers of what's to come, but he needs more consistency. Seems like he can be counted on to make the huge save, only to allow the "soft goal." Jocelyn Thibault is also back in camp this year, and up until Sunday night didn't seem to be pushing Fleury much. Thibault was impressive in stopping 21 of 22 shots and earning the win in London, Ontario against the Flyers. These two goalies may platoon a bit during the beginning of the season, with Michel Therrien going with the "hot hand."
The most interesting thing that I have heard regarding this situation are the comments being made by Malkin's mother. She is quoted in Sport-Express in Russia as saying: "Zhenia had his X-ray exam done yesterday [Monday]. The shoulder was not dislocated. Simply a bad bruise. Doctors said: in two-three weeks he will be ready to come back on ice. Recently we have received an invitation from Pittsburgh. Now we are waiting for the visa to come from Moscow. We would very much like to go to support our son." Sounds like the most optimistic report we have gotten. If this is accurate, it could mean that Malkin will be in the line-up come October 5th against the Flyers.
The Penguins made another round of cuts Sunday night, before shipping off to West Point for their scheduled team building activities. Forwards Tyler Kennedy, Erik Christensen, Jonathan Filewich, Conner James and Stephen Dixon along with defensemen Micki Dupont, Matt Carkner and Alain Nasreddine were assigned to the AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre-Scranton.
Jordan Staal looked like he was making a strong case to stay in the NHL during the early parts of camp, unfortunately, his play has continued to slip during the exhibition games. He started strong against Ottawa last week, but has since looked a little over matched. He is a big strong kid who protects the puck well, but would probably benefit from another year in the OHL. He would probably be the best player on his team and would be given a chance to dominate while centering the top line for Peterborough. The fact that he is still in training camp leads me to believe that the Penguins are going to keep him around for his 9 game cup of coffee before sending him back. Some have speculated that this is going to happen due to the Malkin injury, I personally feel it is just to get a better look at Staal in game situations, since he hasn't really set the world on fire when given a chance on the top 2 lines during exhibition games. He is not Malkin's replacement. The most likely move would see Ryan Malone shift to center on the second line, with John LeClair moving up to play along side he and Mark Recchi.
Is Marc Andre Fleury ready to dominate this season? I don't think so. MA, who is a great athlete, still has a penchant for getting beat high over his glove hand. He also hasn't mastered the art of controlling his rebounds. He will be given every chance to establish himself this season, coming into camp as the undisputed go to guy between the pipes, but he has got to get better. Fleury has always flashed glimmers of what's to come, but he needs more consistency. Seems like he can be counted on to make the huge save, only to allow the "soft goal." Jocelyn Thibault is also back in camp this year, and up until Sunday night didn't seem to be pushing Fleury much. Thibault was impressive in stopping 21 of 22 shots and earning the win in London, Ontario against the Flyers. These two goalies may platoon a bit during the beginning of the season, with Michel Therrien going with the "hot hand."
posted by Bmetzer66 at 12:41 PM
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