Pens Add 2 Ex-Islanders; Re-sign Fleury

Justin Maffei | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jul 3, 04:45 PM | Hype this story!

The Penguins added two free-agent wingers today and re-signed their starting goaltender. Marc-Andre Fleury was locked up for seven years. The deal is believed to be work $35 million. They also signed one year deals with two wingers, Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko. Satan will receive $3.5 million; Fedotenko will receive $2.5 million.

Last season, RW Miro Satan earned his lowest point total in the NHL since the 1996-97 season. It is likely that Satan’s age is beginning to catch up with him, but he is a proven scoring threat. He has scored 35 goals in a season as recently as 2005-2006. He will likely find a spot on Crosby’s line if there are no more top line wingers signed. That should rejuvenate him after a down year. I can see the signs already: “Miro’s my Hero!”

Ruslan Fedotenko can play both wings, but is usually found on the left side. He netted 16 goals and added 17 assists last season. He has averaged over 17 goals per year in his 7 year career. His highest goal total came in 2005-06 when he scored 26 goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fedotenko could find himself on the left side of either Crosby or Malkin next year.

Marc-Andre Fleury’s signing means that the team can avoid the arbitration hearing. Fleury missed much of last season with a high ankle sprain. However, Fleury was outstanding in the playoffs and was a big reason for the Penguins’ appearance in the Finals.

The Penguins and Ray Shero have sured up their offense after what has been a disappointing beginning to the free-agent period. They have added three veteran wingers, including Godard, and re-signed Fleury, Malkin, Dupuis, Eaton and Orpik. Satan and Fedotenko have credentials which make them beneficial to the team. Satan is a two-time all-star who has played in 56 playoff games. He also rarely misses time. Fedotenko won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2003-04. That post season he played in 22 games and amassed 12 goals and 2 assists and had a +/- of 0. However, for his post-season career Fedotenko has a +/- of -15. No matter the short-comings of these two wingers, Shero brought in two talented wingers to skate alongside Crosby or Malkin without having to break the bank.

Comments

  1. Pens1967

    Jul 3, 04:58 PM

    These UFA signings also buy time for the Pens’ younger forwards like Caputi, Jeffrey and Vellieux to develop for another year at
    WBS.

  2. PuckMucker

    Jul 3, 05:15 PM

    They both signed one year deals! They’re rentals! The Pens are trying to buy the Stanley Cup!

  3. Dave W

    Jul 3, 05:16 PM

    I do hope that playing along side Sid and Gino will rejuvenate Satan…of course playing on the Island can ruin anyone’s career in a hurry…although if you look at his stats…he had 66 points as recently as a few seasons ago….plus you know he’ll get some PP time which should “inflate” his stats a little

  4. MikeM

    Jul 3, 05:18 PM

    Puckmucker-no that’s Hossa :)

  5. Pens1967

    Jul 3, 05:25 PM

    For these two guys, signing with the Pens must be like dying and going to heaven.
    Satan called Shero and wanted to play here. He took a million dollar pay cut. Fedotenko took more than a million less, too.

  6. Jonathan Farzalo

    Jul 3, 06:12 PM

    where did you hear the above?

  7. PuckMucker

    Jul 3, 06:20 PM

    The Lord Jesus himself has said that playing with Cindy Crosby is like Heaven On Earth. It is the Evil Doers that are causing all of his former teammates to leave.

  8. TIM

    Jul 3, 06:41 PM

    I always liked Satan (mainly cause of his bad a$$ last name) I think that a change of scenery will be good for both of these guys. Are they my top picks for the Pens? No, but I don’t think they are garbage. The biggest thing this off season has been signing our Stars for the long haul.

    Let’s Go Pens!

  9. Pens1967

    Jul 3, 07:15 PM

    It was in one of the newspapers I think, but I just heard Shero say it in his press conference today.

  10. hockeypat

    Jul 3, 09:46 PM

    Im so glad there is less talk of Hossa. However I have one statement he wants to play with a winning team sounds to me that he doesn!t want to work for the cup just ride on the coattails of the team who wins it. By the way he was a rental also.Satan called to play with the Pens .I like that

  11. Justin Maffei

    Jul 3, 10:56 PM

    My thoughts exactly Hockeypat. Good comment.

  12. Pens1967

    Jul 4, 10:33 AM

    One other note on Satan, today in the P-G’s story, it turns out he played on a sprained knee during the second half of the season.

    I think it says a lot that a player on the down side of his career, playing for a team that’s going nowhere, cared enough to suit up in many meaningless games when it would have been a lot easier to pack it in and heal up.

  13. Justin Maffei

    Jul 4, 09:55 PM

    Very true, Pens. However, I hope there are no lingering effects from playing through the injury.

  14. Pens1967

    Jul 5, 10:21 AM

    Justin, I understand Satan did not play for Slovakia during the recent WCs, so he must have been hurt badly enough that he’s had to rest. I wonder if he wore a knee brace? If he was hiding the injury from the team MDs, I’d suspect he didn’t. He might have to play with a brace next year, but, heck Hossa wore one on each knee when he got hurt after the trade and it didn’t appear to slow him down any.

  15. Justin Maffei

    Jul 5, 08:39 PM

    Thanks for the info, Pens.

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