Faceoff Factor

Player-By-Player Analysis - Wingers

Justin Maffei | Pittsburgh Penguins

Aug 4, 09:13 PM | Hype this story!

LEFT WINGERS

Ruslan Fedotenko – Usually scores the timely goal. Has only surpassed 20 goals once in his NHL career. Should benefit from playing with either Crosby or Malkin.

Random Stat – Fedotenko led the team in Goals per sixty minutes during the powerplay (Players who have played 10 or more games). His 2.64 Goals per sixty minutes were first by 0.69 (Blake Comeau was second with 1.95).

Pascal Dupuis – Speedy, defensive winger. Dupuis came in last season and won over many fans with his tenacious forechecking and backchecking. He held his own on a line with Crosby and Hossa, but would be better as a third liner. If Pesonen pans out or Staal makes the transfer to LW, Dupuis will likely find himself there.

Random Stat – While Pascal Dupuis was on the ice during the penalty kill, his team scored 1.49 short-handed goals per sixty minutes. That was second on the team, behind only Sidney Crosby.

Janne Pesonen – Pesonen was a low-risk, high-reward type of player. He seems to have found a scoring touch in Finland as he scored 34 goals and 44 assists last season. He has the potential to find himself on one of the top two lines, but would play decently on a third line energy line. Supposedly he has speed to burn.

Matt Cooke – Should be a very adequate replacement for Jarkko Ruutu. He is a good agitator and a very good penalty killer. Last season, he also added 23 points. Cooke will likely find himself on the fourth line.

Ryan Stone – Saw limited action with the Penguins last season, but did not look out of place. He is a tough guy who may be in the organization’s dog house because of his run-ins with the law last season.

Chris Minard – Another winger who was only with the Pens on a limited basis. He provided good energy and it was easy to see that he loves the game. Minard and Stone will likely only see extended time in the event of an injury.

RIGHT WINGERS

Miroslav Satan – Has proven himself to be a top six winger, probably a top three winger. He should regain some of the offense that he lost last season due to poor teammates and an injury. Crosby or Malkin could revive Satan’s career (he had a less than stellar 2007-08 season so this may be a bit of a stretch) and set him up for a nice payday when he is next a free agent.

Petr Sykora – Thrived as Malkin’s right winger. Sykora will have to play himself off of Malkin’s line as the two seem to have great chemistry. Has a wicked shot and is not afraid to let it go.

Tyler Kennedy – Speedy winger with a mean streak. Kennedy also displayed some offensive potential. If the Penguins could put Kennedy, Dupuis, and Talbot on a line, they would be an energy line that many teams would love to have.

Eric Godard – Will step in to replace Georges Laraque. Godard is not as good a fighter as Big Georges, but should keep opponents away from his star teammates all the same. Godard will likely be one of the “Bash Brothers” with Matt Cooke on the fourth line.

Jonathan Filewich – This may be the year for Filewich. Prior to last season he was being portrayed as the heir-apparent to Michel Oullette. Sadly he could not even meet those somewhat meager expectations. There is some worry that he will never be able to transfer his game to the NHL level. Filewich will get a shot to make the team in camp, but at most he will be a reserve forward.

Connor James – James is a lot like Tyler Kennedy. He is a fast skater who plays with his heart. Kennedy probably has a little more grit than James, but James will hold his own despite his small stature.

Coming Soon: Player-By-Player Analysis – Defensemen

In Case You Missed It: Player-By-Player Analysis – Centers