Shanahan To Make Decision In Days

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Nov 11, 12:18 PM | Hype this story!

Brendan Shanahan, one of the highest profile remaining free agents is expected to make a decision as to which team he will sign with by the end of the week, though we may have an answer as soon as tomorrow.

According to the Courier-Post, Shanahan has narrowed his list of possibilities to a handful of teams, which includes both franchises in Pennsylvania.

“It’s got to be the right fit,” Shanahan’s agent Rick Curran said. “The team has to be competitive and in a desirable geographic location, since Brendan’s family is likely going to stay in New York.”

Shanahan has options, but don’t expect a bidding war for the aging forward. His shot remains a threat, but his reaction time and speed have declined significantly.

Regardless of where he signs, he likely will play no more than a third line role with time on the power play and possibly penalty kill. Even so, his leadership and toughness certainly would be a welcomed addition to many teams — including the Penguins — around the league.

Comments

  1. THEONEANDONLYSURGE

    Nov 11, 01:27 PM

    I don’t know if I like the idea of him comming to the Pens. Our PP is already one of the tops in the league, he would give you a presence in front but we would have to shoot then…. I’m also concerned with who would have to step out of the lineup to allow him to play. With all our forwards healthy, we have no one that is really playing poorley enough to give up their spot to an aging forward. Don’t get me wrong I like Shanahan but he just doesn’t fit.

  2. Jim S.

    Nov 11, 09:13 PM

    The Penguins are 14th in the league on the power play at 19%, and have given up 3 shorthanded goals. Only three teams have given up more. Not only does commenter number 1 have a dopey user name, but he is misinformed as well.

  3. jay s

    Nov 12, 02:31 AM

    The Penguins have the worst PP record on the road right or am I wrong?

    Also, isn’t the point of the PP to shoot?

  4. Matt Bodenschatz

    Nov 12, 11:50 AM

    Jay, their PP on the road is somewhere around 7 percent. If it’s not the worst, it’s darn close.

    And, yes, the point is to shoot, but too often I think fans look for 10 shots on a two minute power play, which is way too much. It’s critical for the players on the ice to shoot when they have the opportunity — few obstructions in the path and a decent opportunity to put it in. Shooting for the sake of shooting causes major issues, such as blocked shots being turned into odd-man rushes or breakaways in the other direction, turnovers, and wasting of time. My problem isn’t so much that they don’t shoot, but rather that they pass up good shots. If they go two minutes with one shot, but didn’t pass up a single shooting chance, I would be fine with that — though I’d question their schematics.

    And, while we’re on schematics, the 5-3 set-up employed by the Penguins is horrible. The point men creep up to the top of the circles, creating very little room to work. So, instead of forcing the opposition to move side to side with long, crisp passes, they are allowing them to essentially sit still in a passive triangle, taking away any legitimate shooting lanes. As soon as they shifted from that last night, Staal found the back of the net. No coincidence at all.

Commenting is closed for this article.