Penguins Sign Veteran Defenseman McKee

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Jul 9, 11:25 PM | Hype this story!

The suspicion that Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero had an interest in Jay McKee has come to fruition, as he signed the veteran defenseman to a one year contract worth $800,000.

The news comes out of St. Louis, where Andy Strickland covered McKee during his tenure with the Blues.

McKee, known for his defensive play, won’t be confused with two-way defenders such as Kris Letang and Mark Eaton, but his reliable nature should make him a good fit in Pittsburgh.

At 32, McKee — who stands 6’4 and weighs 203 pounds — no longer plays a hard-hitting game, but what he lacks in head-hunting, he makes up for in snarl.

Picture a hybrid of Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill — with a little less glamor.

McKee is a strong shot-blocker and penalty killer like Scuderi, while his size allows him to be a bit more physical, especially in front of the net, like Gill.

He should be a good fit in Pittsburgh as a third pairing defender, though he likely will have competition in camp from rookie Ben Lovejoy, who remains a restricted free agent.

UPDATE, 11:02 AM, Friday: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is also reporting that McKee will be a Penguin.

Comments

  1. KG

    Jul 9, 11:31 PM

    Perfect signing by Shero. McKee was the best available player in the UFA market, in their price range, that they could have signed.

    I figured once Boynton signed the Pens were going to sign McKee. I figured for more then what Boynton got, but $800K is a no-brainer. Smart move by McKee. He has the millions from the buyout in St. Louis, so sign for 1 year with the defending champs and go for the cup!...I love this signing…love it…

    Guerin, Fedotenko, Adams, Rupp, McKee all signed for a total of $5,975MM…Brilliant cap/asset management by Shero…

  2. Matt Bodenschatz

    Jul 9, 11:34 PM

    Brilliant cap management and underrated physical signings. The Penguins are going to be a tough team to play against.

  3. Francois

    Jul 9, 11:46 PM

    YAAAHOOOOO

  4. bag o' pucks

    Jul 9, 11:57 PM

    $800K. Wow. Just wow.

  5. Matt Bodenschatz

    Jul 10, 12:16 AM

    Safe to say Shero is having his best offseason to date? Some had McKee pegged at $2+ million, even after buyout money. Shero nabs him for less than half that. Absolutely wonderful. The more I am reading up on this guy, the more I like him.

    He blocked 185 shots last season in 69 games. That was good for seventh in the NHL and was 21 better than the Penguins’ leader, Scuderi. He also added 68 hits — nearly one per game.

    Some other stats: 2 goals, 7 assists, +2, 42 PIM. About what I expected. He’s not going to score points, but he also doesn’t take too many penalties. His +2 rating indicates that he is pretty solid in his own zone, considering the Blues were even in goals-for and goals-against.

    Lastly, he averaged 17:53 of icetime per game last season, with an average of 2:54 of that coming on the penalty kill. He was the third defenseman on the league’s third best penalty killing team.

    In short, he’ll be a welcomed addition to the Penguins. Kudos, Shero…and welcome, McKee!

  6. Colin44

    Jul 10, 12:38 AM

    The scary thing is Shero is also a magician at the trade deadline so with what i would consider a stellar offseason so far its going to be interesting to see if shero pulls off some trades in the spring if things don’t work out as planned with these guys or if he finds a move that could make even better.

  7. Francois

    Jul 10, 01:16 AM

    it’s even on Wikipedia

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_McKee

  8. Francois

    Jul 10, 03:52 AM

    http://www.forecaster.ca/thestar/hockey/player.cgi?115

    http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio … ubname=nhl

  9. GLENN

    Jul 10, 04:57 AM

    Matt

    Don’t you think the Penguins still have a problem with Dupuis slated to be Malkin’s RW until Talbot returns? I am not really happy with Talbot filling that position. Yes, he did well in the playoffs on Malkin’s line, but not when they tried it during the regular season. Would you consider it a wise move to try and bring Sykora back at a reduced price?

  10. DaBich

    Jul 10, 06:41 AM

    Matt you sure called this one right. And yes, he looks like a great addition. And he doesn’t need the glam…we have enough of that induced by the media with Sid and Geno :)

  11. henkegbgskea

    Jul 10, 07:54 AM

    well now some hope thxs to Mckee signing!
    left to do…
    -sign Sanford as back up goalie think he is the best left out there?
    -sign Lovejoy.
    -Trade Dupuis for draftpiok , its wise in terms of hockey and economically sense.
    We have quite some guys who are better then Dupuis at his role.
    Thinking of Adams and Rupp.

    lineup ..
    Talbot is out of lineup cause of injury

    Crosby,Kunitz,Guerin
    Malkin Fedotenko Caputi/Kennedy/Tangradi
    Staal Cooke Kennedy/Caputi/Tangradi
    Adams/Conner Jeffrey/Adams Rupp/Godard

    Gonchar Orpik
    Letang Eaton/McKee
    Goligoski McKee
    Lovejoy Guenin

    Fleury
    Sanford/Curry

  12. Dave

    Jul 10, 08:31 AM

    This signing also makes WBS that much stronger leaving some good young defenseman down there to develope slowly.

  13. SprJudd

    Jul 10, 10:03 AM

    @HENKEGBGSKEA – I think the Pens should either try to bring in Marc Denis or Curtis Sanford as their backup. If Brent Johnson is able to prove he’s suffered no ill-effects after that hip surgery last season, he’d also be a good guy to look at.

    As far as trading Dupuis, I don’t think it’ll be done – at least not until Talbot would be back in the lineup. Like him or not, Dupuis provides some decent insurance in the event Caputi can’t cut the mustard if he plays on the 2nd line.

    @Dave – WBS will be stronger defensively, but maybe not overall. With Jeff Taffe, Chris Minard, and Janne Pesonen all gone, that removes the Baby Pens’ top 3 scorers from last year (or at least 3 of their top scorers). They may have to win more 1-0 and 2-1 games than last season. In addition to that, John Curry could very well be in Pittsburgh this year while Dave Brown is gone.

  14. Moq

    Jul 10, 10:26 AM

    The McKee was more or less expected after several days of lingering rumours. A good signing at a very competitive salary. The defensive depth as described by Henke looks adequate from my perspective. They have NHL quality and/or NHL promise. Cheap extensions to Gonchar and Letang would wrap everything in a nice little package.

    The remaining questions are backup goaltender, fate of Dupuis and the Talbot alternative. None of them have a stamp of urgency in my opinion. As we have discussed several times, a camp competitor to Curry would be nice. A fair share of free agent options remain unsigned. If Curry wins the job there’s a veteran in WBS and vice versa.

    The forward situation appears somewhat settled as well. Unlike Henke, I don’t think Dupuis is going anywhere unless Shero has a better forward in mind that threatens the current salary cap situation. Who knows, that could be Sykora. And though I like the idea of including some of the youngster as internal replacement of Talbot by subtle line changes, the idea of using Jeffrey, Caputi and Tangradi is a little exaggerated. Especially Tangradi straight from junior hockey and injury.

    All in all a good offseason so far.

  15. SprJudd

    Jul 10, 10:48 AM

    @MOQ – Thanks for clarifying buyout business in the other post yesterday, I appreciate it.

    As far as forwards go, I have no problem with giving Caputi a shot in camp to prove he belongs, but only if he earns the spot. I still think that Dupuis will be the best option (either by playing Geno’s wing, or by playing Staal’s wing and enabling Kennedy to move up to Geno’s wing). Thinking Tangradi can make the jump is too optimistic in my mind as well – he just made the jump from juniors and had wrist surgery. Let’s wait on him for a bit.

  16. TIM

    Jul 10, 10:51 AM

    I agree, MOQ during the Tangradi interview they did on this site, even he didn’t think he would make it past WBS coming off an injury.

  17. KG

    Jul 10, 10:55 AM

    I’d like to get an official announcement on this deal already…

  18. Moq

    Jul 10, 11:10 AM

    @SPRJUDD – You’re welcome. I have a minor fetish about the CBA, so I’ll try to answer questions when I see them.

    The advantage of not signing a temporary Talbot replacement is giving the youngsters a carrot to chase in camp. In particular the games where Godard isn’t needed, when there’s room for a forward on the third or fourth line depending on the placement of Dupuis. I think Jeffrey may have a slight advantage in this race due to face-off abilities and general defensive awareness.

    However, there’s always the chance of a camp surprise.

  19. henkegbgskea

    Jul 10, 11:35 AM

    about Dupuis
    In any circumstances he has no skill to be on first or second line.
    At best third most likely fourth line.
    thats my honest opinon.

    hopefully some benchtime or in package deal with a draftpick maybe.

    About Tangradi i read about him and hopes he can be a topsix foward.
    hopefully a short time in WBS then to pens.
    Caputi i hope gets a real and long look.
    He fits much, much better with Malkin then pascal EVER WILL.

    maybe u guys can explain something for me??
    why does Derek Boogard stand as a player for WBS?
    Does Wild also send players to Wbs….?

    finally as i stated earlier why Shero would drop Pesonen is a mystery for me…..
    He should also get a long good at second line duty?
    but that will not happen ..?
    I think a big mistake by shero.

  20. Two Sheds

    Jul 10, 11:36 AM

    At $800K, what’s not to like the McKee signing? Low salary, one year, physical, big, defensive minded, virutally no downside. I wonder if Shero could have gotten two years at $800K — it’s hard to believe this was McKee’s best offer financially.

    So…where do you think Gonchar sees himself on this pay continuum? Closer to the $5M/year for seven years that Pronger got, or the $800K for one year that McKee got? He’ll be a free agent after next year and Shero seems interested in getting something done with him. How many years and for how many dollars would you go? I’ll throw out a starting point — how about $10M for three years?

  21. Matt

    Jul 10, 11:38 AM

    Just so y’inz know, this hasn’t yet been reported on the Pens site or ESPN... do you FF guys have a reliable source?

    Hoping it’s true, because McKee seems solid and at that price it’s a great deal.

  22. REBEL

    Jul 10, 12:07 PM

    Shelly Anderson of the Post-Gazette reports this morning that the Pens are finalizing the deal with McKee this morning. However, I have no reason to doubt Andy Strickland’s earlier post.

  23. SprJudd

    Jul 10, 12:20 PM

    @HENKEGBGSKEA – The player you saw on the WBS roster is Aaron Boogaard, Derek’s brother (I believe, but maybe cousin).

    Janne Pesonen isn’t coming back because the Pens won’t guarantee him NHL time and he wants NHL time. I don’t blame either side for not resigning him if that’s the case. Besides, if Dan Bylsma really wanted him back, I’m sure he’d be here. Yes, Pesonen scored at a point-per-game pace in the AHL, but Milan Kraft was also an AHL scoring demon.

    @Two Sheds – I personally wouldn’t mind seeing Gonchar retained for around the $3M mark (or a little less) in order to keep cap space clear, but not all players will take the big discount. I am in no way implying I think Gonchar will chase the money, but now that he has his name on the Cup he doesn’t necessarily need to take winning into account with a new deal. That being said, excluding that first season here, Pittsburgh has been a good place for him and he’s performed well. The only thing I’d be wary of with extending Gonchar is contract length. His next contract will be an “Over 35” deal, so you don’t want too much money or too many years tied up in it.

  24. KG

    Jul 10, 02:38 PM

    http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_633131.html

    Deal done pending medical report review…

  25. SprJudd

    Jul 10, 02:53 PM

    @Tom – McKee played an average of 3:18 in PK time per game last season for St. Louis, so he does play some PK time. Additionally, while he’s not as physical now as he was in his time with the Sabres, he will throw his weight around some (averaged a hit per game last season) and has been known to drop the gloves to defend teammates – both with Buffalo and St. Louis. McKee also blocked more shots than Rob Scuderi last season (Scuds led the Pens in blocked shots) by averaging roughly 3 blocked shots per game. I’m not saying Jay McKee will replace what Rob Scuderi or Hal Gill brought to the Pens, but this isn’t a bad guy to have in their stead. And McKee won’t need to be the attacking type of player Bylsma wants on the defensive pairing. With Gonchar, Letang, and Goligoski all in the lineup, each pairing will have that attacking presence while Orpik, Eaton, and McKee will ensure each pairing has the defensive presence as well.

  26. KG

    Jul 10, 03:03 PM

    http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=436745

    Official…solid!

  27. Dabich

    Jul 10, 03:43 PM

    Good, now we can all breathe :)

  28. FDeuce

    Jul 10, 03:57 PM

    $800k ill take it. soo whos shero gonna sign to backup the flower?

  29. SprJudd

    Jul 10, 05:07 PM

    @Tom – I misinterpreted what you meant, thinking you meant being aggressive in the attacking zone. You are right, his defensive style of play with St. Louis was not as in-your-face as it was when he donned a Sabres jersey, but I do believe he can adapt. A big difference between McKee compared to Gill & Scuderi is that McKee is a better and faster skater than those guys, so I think he can be a more aggressive defender in the Pens system. Scuderi & Gill had to be more passive defenders due to deficiencies in the speed and fluidity of their skating. I did see McKee play some games for St. Louis (thank you, NHL Gamecenter) and I think he’ll be perfectly fine killing penalties for the Pens. And with his PIM/game totals, he doesn’t seem too likely to sit in the box a lot.

    Also, yes McKee is injury prone. But if he does go down with an injury, I’m sure Ben Lovejoy can step in and play. The only concern I’d have is running a Goligoski-Lovejoy pairing out there – I wouldn’t want that little experience in one pairing. I do think Joey Mormina would’ve been a good guy to keep, but he was very expendable with all the defensive prospects signing contracts recently. Unless Shero & Botteril (spelling?) were planning on sending some of the defenders down to Wheeling, Mormina wouldn’t have gotten much time in WBS or Pittsburgh, so letting him move on was probably best. That being said, I would’ve preferred not seeing Mormina end up on the other side of the Keystone State.

  30. Two Sheds

    Jul 10, 05:11 PM

    McKee provides another NHL-caliber defenseman. Counting Goligoski the Penguins had six. Maybe Lovejoy is ready, which would mean they now have eight — which is none too many to go into a season with.

    If they healthy scratch McKee every night it’s still a good deal. They were healthy scratching a lot more expensive guys than that at the end of the year.

  31. Two Sheds

    Jul 10, 05:17 PM

    What am I talking about, they had six counting Goligoski and Lovejoy, McKee makes seven. Which isn’t enough heading into a season — I bet Shero saves some room for a late roster cut from another team. My point is the same though, they could healthy scratch him every night and it’s a good deal.

  32. SprJudd

    Jul 10, 05:49 PM

    @Tom – I agree with you that Shero may not be through yet…especially with just over $2.1M in remaining cap space. There are plenty of inexpensive options out there for backup goalie and one more defender. Yes, Lovejoy may be ready for the NHL, but he’d need to play and not sit. McKee wasn’t brought in to sit in the stands, Goligoski isn’t getting $1.83M to sit, and nobody else has earned a benching either. They need somebody cheap who can sit as a 7th defenseman. It may be better for the Pens and for Lovejoy to start out in WBS if all he’ll do is sit at the NHL level.

    As far as the PK goes, I see it being some combination of Orpik, Eaton, Gonchar, and McKee. Gonchar’s defensive game is very underrated and he was putting in some decent PK minutes last season. Goligoski on the PK would be like playing Russian Roulette with only 1 empty chamber. I think Letang could handle PK duty, but Bylsma doesn’t play him there – though that could change this season…especially if Orpik, Eaton, Gonchar, or McKee find themselves in the box.

  33. Ben Schmidt

    Jul 10, 06:10 PM

    For those thinking that the Pens need to bring in another defenseman, I’d like to point out that they already did bring in someone to be a #7/8 defenseman: Nate Guenin.

    This brings the NHL-capable defenders to 8 (including Lovejoy), with a couple of prospects possibly being able to fill a role if injuries pile up (such as Strait and Engelland). I’d be surprised if anymore defensemen are signed.

    My guess is that there will be one more NHL-level signing: a veteran goaltender who is willing to take a 2-way contract, ala Conklin, to compete with Curry for the backup job. After that, I’m guessing we’ll only see signings aimed at providing depth/minor league help.

    For those expecting Dupuis to be traded soon: at this point, why? The team has over $2M in cap space (with the backup goalie position to be filled). They aren’t hurting so much for cap space that they would be willing to give up one of their top 4 Penalty Killing forwards just for the sake of getting rid of him. Especially with Talbot missing the first month or two of the season. Dupuis is perfectly fine in a 3rd or 4th line role.

    The really nice thing is that having $2M in cap space provides room for waiver pickups or trades during the season. Shero has done an excellent job this summer.

  34. SprJudd

    Jul 10, 06:21 PM

    @Tom – All very good valid points. Personally, I think Letang should be used on the PK. The only defender I hope and pray doesn’t go out there is Goligoski. He’s a decent 3rd pairing guy and solid PP point man, but not a PK guy.

    @Ben – I forgot all about Nate Guenin, thank you for the reminder. He’ll probably be the 7th defenseman in Pittsburgh if Shero believes one is necessary. I do think that a veteran backup goalie will be needed to push Curry and provide insurance against a Fleury injury. My top 2 candidates would be Marc Denis or Curtis Sanford. And I agree with you that Ray Shero’s done an excellent job this offseason. The man is a genius – and is starting to look like he’s clearly the top executive in the NHL (Holland’s losing points with guys starting to leave Motown fast).

  35. Moq

    Jul 10, 06:34 PM

    Tom, I almost missed your comment regarding Letang at the bottom.

    Predicting extensions are tricky, especially if it’s “your own” players, because there’s a tendency to be overly optimistic. With regards to Letang I would be satisfied with something in the interval $2.75-3.25M. As for offer sheets, Shero can (try to) sign Letang before that becomes a danger.

    Furthermore, offer sheets are not that usual and the risk often exaggerated. It requires a team to be really interested enough make an offer, and a player sufficiently dissatisfied to sign. Though Letang has promise, I doubt anyone is planning an offer, not do I think Letang is displeased with Pittsburgh. So far this year, players like Jack Johnson or Phil Kessel haven’t signed anything. For lack of offers or lack of desire to leave? I don’t know. But offer sheets aren’t my greatest fear.

  36. bag o' pucks

    Jul 10, 10:20 PM

    @Tom. Letang is entering the final year of his entry level contract. He does not have arbitration rights next summer.

    @Matt. Now that Mormina is in Philly, can we trade Tom to a Philly blog?

  37. David Scott

    Jul 10, 10:28 PM

    @Bag – What would we have to pay the Philly blog?

  38. bag o' pucks

    Jul 11, 12:56 AM

    @David. Hmmm, good question. I can only guarantee it will NOT be the proverbial bag of pucks. What…too easy?

  39. Pens STH

    Jul 11, 02:01 AM

    I think the reason Letang hasn’t seen PK time is because he wasn’t needed in that role last year. All five of the other defensemen, 6 if you count Boucher in the playoffs when 7 were dressed, were better PKers than him. Now, with Gogo up, Letang is #5 PK dman. So if one of the other top 4 PK dmen are in the box, as someone else said earlier, I think you’ll see Letang killing some penalties. And with his abilities to handle the puck and skate, why not!

  40. REBEL

    Jul 11, 02:46 AM

    It was FHCMT’s idea to bring Letang along slowly, so he wanted him to concentrate on his even strength and power play skills. He is still only 22, very young for a defenseman. When HCDB took over, the team was in no position to risk playing Letang in an added role with greater pressure on him. After all, he did not fare that well in the playoffs last year, rather he wilted a bit.

    This year’s playoffs were quite different, he came through several times in the clutch, and I believe the team all along has felt him ready to take on more responsibility.

    I personally would like to see Dupuis dealt so that we can get another winger for Malkin. I am not comfortable with Talbot there for an entire year.

    Also, although Malkin had an excellent season, I look for this to be a breakout year for him. He still takes some games off. He reminds me of Ryan Malone in that regard. Malone would at times be maddeningly ineffective until his last year with the team when he brought his game every night. I feel that is part of a maturation process of knowing what is required every game and being able to maintain the same focus and intensity.

  41. Moq

    Jul 11, 10:01 AM

    Cam Barker looks like a good comparison to Letang in terms of NHL statistics (regular season).

    Kris Letang: 144 games, 18 goals, 52 points, 51 PIM.

    Cam Barker: 149 games, 13 goals, 66 points, 161 PIM. ($3.08M/year)

    Letang has the edge in playoff games and accomplishment with a Cup win. How that will translate in a negotiation process is difficult to project. In principal, I have no problem with Shero playing hardball, though I suspect that the quite generous Goligoski contract will signal a much softer approach.

  42. Matt Bodenschatz

    Jul 11, 12:32 PM

    @Moq, very nice comparison. $3 million sounds about right. Something many people seem to forget about Letang is that he is 22. That’s infantile for a defenseman, an age when few are even in the NHL. The mere fact that he is going into his third full season here should be enough to prove the team loves what he does. No player is going to hold a few healthy scratch situations against the team. And as I have said before, if Letang is that big of an ego maniac that he does hold a few healthy scratches against him, he can say goodbye. Selfish players aren’t needed or wanted on this team. And to be clear, I am quite confident this will not be the case.

    @Ben, solid points all around. As I mentioned in a previous story, Shero has said he isn’t trading anyone just to free up cap space. Trading Dupuis would serve no purpose, as the return would either be a prospect, draft pick, or player with a similar contract and skill level. None of those returns helps the team’s need for a second line winger. The free agency crop is thin at this point, so freeing up cap space to sign someone doesn’t make sense. And, at this point, Shero doesn’t have the assets to trade for a second liner.

    As currently constructed, this team has the ability to not only be in playoff contention all season, but quite possibly win the division. Shero has shown over the last three years that the team he starts with never is the team he finishes with. In other words, he always makes roster improvements at the trade deadline — Gary Roberts and Georges Laraqe three years ago; Marian Hossa, Dupuis, and Hal Gill two years ago; and Bill Guerin, Chris Kunitz, and Craig Adams this past year.

    Let’s see what this team can do as presently constructed, allowing a small opportunity for a few Baby Penguins to compete for decent sized roles (Curry at backup goalie, Lovejoy at 6th/7th defenseman, Caputi at 2nd line winger, Jeffrey/Wallace/Johnson as 3rd/4th line winger, etc). If they work out, awesome. If they don’t, there are other internal options that may or may not work out. Shero has plenty of time to tweak this team into a Cup contender. There’s no reason to do all the work right now, before we even know how this team will perform.

  43. Chris

    Jul 11, 01:08 PM

    re: all the Dupuis trade talk to get a 2nd line winger – let’s not forget how young Kennedy is. He’s only 22 and could be poised for a breakout year anytime now. If that year is this coming season, then he could become a pretty nice option as a top-6 wing.

    I don’t expect him to ever become a legit top-3 guy, but given his age and performance so far I think a regular top-6 role is a definite possibility in the future.

  44. Jane

    Jul 11, 01:16 PM

    I think the MeKee signing is going to be a good fit for our defense. I hope they can extend Letang sooner rather than later. We don’t know what went on between the coaches and Letang when he was scratched and what the reasons he was given. When Dan Bylsma came in February and Letang was scratched for those 3 games, Ryan Whitney ended up being traded a few days later. I remember reading that Letang took that as a vote of confidence. From what I have seen of Letang, he seems to be anything but a selfish player, so hopefully he can come to a good contract agreement. I also think Gonchar still has a few good years left and Letang and Goligowski will benefit and learn from him.

  45. tom c

    Jul 11, 04:34 PM

    i like what shero is doing….he is building a more physical team to around his highly skilled players…rupp, kunitz, stall, and cooke are very physical people on the top three lines….we have plenty of skill and speed to begin with….the team took of in febuary on the stretch drive after shero brought in physical people like guerin and kunitz….

  46. SprJudd

    Jul 11, 06:47 PM

    @Tom C – I agree. Shero looks to be building a team that can play rough and tumble within their division, but which also has the speed and skill to compete with the skill teams. And Dan Bylsma has installed a system that forces opponents to play the Penguins’ game on most nights instead of the Pens adapting to their opponents. This team looks poised to make serious championship runs annually for a good while.

  47. bag o' pucks

    Jul 11, 07:06 PM

    One of the more impressive things is Shero’s vision and patience. Guerin, Tenk, McKee, Eaton, all UFA after this season. If he’s confident guys like Tangradi, Caputi, Zabotel, Strait, etc. are ready, we’ll see some of them full-time in 2010. If he’s not confident their ready, I’m am that he’ll have options in mind and will do enough – savvy, smart moves with free agency – to keep this team among the elite for years.

  48. bag o' pucks

    Jul 11, 07:11 PM

    If he’s not confident they’re ready… Silly bastard.

  49. Albert

    Jul 11, 08:35 PM

    So…who do you think McKee will end up paired with after camp?

    I’m thinking Letang. And drop Eaton down to the 3rd pairing w/ Goligoski.

  50. tom c

    Jul 11, 09:30 PM

    as much as i liked and repected scuderi and gill for what they did for the pens, i really like this team’s defense going into next season….they are easily the best skating defense in the league…this defense is just down right and simply full of athletes

  51. doug

    Jul 12, 01:44 AM

    as it stands right now…gonchar letang and orpik are the core of the D
    they like malkin crosby and staal
    will get cut off the major portions of this teams money and i am completly happy with that…the problem is next year

    gonchar will either take a large pay cut to stay..or retire…and lets not think he’d leave…
    with gonch at half his current pay
    pens resign letang no problem
    and a season later
    with heavy coaching from gonch ..goligowski
    will replace gonchar
    our D of the future and now are fine

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