The Penguins are pushing the cap and as they do, signing both Fedotenko and Scuderi becomes less likely now that they have secured the services of Bill Guerin (1 year deal for $2 million) and Adams (2 yrs for $1.1 million). Guerin came in a little cheaper than I thought he would but by my calculations puts them just under $51,220,000 committed to next year’s team. With a cap of just $56.8 millions that means just about $5.6 million remains and with Fedotenko and Scuderi both seeking multi-year deals (and both demanding more money) than last year the odds of resigning them both or even one of them seems remote.

Fedotenko will probably want something in the realm of $2.5-$3 million (he made $2.25 last year) and Scuderi will command at least $2.5 (I think) to stay. That would put the Penguins right up against the cap. It is possible, but with uncertanty about how the cap will go next year after this one and with some other players also up for new contracts, the Penguins might well be leery about offering such contracts.

Free Agency starts tomorrow and the Penguins have a lot of work to do. But do not be surprised if you see some Wilke-Barre Baby Pens getting the call up to save cap room next season.

Rob Scuderi, number 4, the Scud Missile himself has a decision to make and so do the Pittsburgh Penguins now that the Stanley Cup is back in the ‘Burgh. Yes, the Finals are over. So too is the parade. And well, with some time to kill before Steelers start reporting for camp I have some time to think about things. Things like who among the free agents on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster should the Penguins even attempt to resign and who should they let go.

It’s life with a salary cap …

So let’s look at the list of Pittsburgh Penguins preparing to shop their services this off season:
Craig Adams, C
Mike Zigomanis, C
Mathieu Garon, G
Petr Sykora, F
Ruslan Fedotenko, F
Bill Guerin, F
Miroslav Satan, F
Hal Gill, D
Phillippe Boucher, D
Rob Scuderi, D

Now, let’s discuss …
Craig Adams – Adams was undoubtedly an upgrade on the fourth line over Godard although not much of an enforcer which you need during the regular season. Adams made $600,000 this season and could still be resigned for a reasonable price if the Penguins wanted him. He’s gritty but he’ll be a 4th liner and be a platoon guy at that in all likelihood.

Mike Zigomanis – Ziggy’s salary this year was $650,000. He’s a face off specialist and the team certainly suffered in that department after his injury. Having spent a lot of the season injured he could probably also be resigned at a reasonable rate. The problem is that the Penguins are absolutely stacked with quality role players or at least are right now. Once free agency is over this may be another story.

Mathieu Garon – Garon is a $1,000,000 backup to Fleury who wasn’t used much by the Penguins at all. The team has a glut of Goaltenders in the minors and they can let Garon go and recover some cap room. I just do not see Garon being invited back. Nothing personal.

Petr Sykora – Sykora had a price tag of $2.5 million this season. That’s pretty cheap for a scoring winger of his caliber. The problem is that his caliber has somewhat diminished it seems. He really did not perform well at all down the stretch which led to him being benched in favor of Miroslav Satan. My understanding is that Malkin likes Sykora and has a good rapport with him … but Malkin doesn’t need Sykora. Sykora will be 33 in November and while not a spring chicken he isn’t old and shriveled either. The problem is do the Penguins think that he can still score. If so, they might be able to resign him at his current value.

Ruslan Fedotenko – Now this is a guy I think the Penguins need to target for resigning. He made $2.25 million this year and complimented Malkin well. I would rather see him on Malkin’s wing than Sykora. Please, don’t take offense to that Petr, but he was definitely better and more consistent there than you were this season and if I were the Penguins I would be targeting Ruslan for a new contract. At 30 years of age he has the right mix of grit and scoring skills to be worth it. Take some of what you would pay Sykora and use it to resign Fedotenko.

Bill Guerin – Bad Boy Billy is one of those guys that I like and like a lot. Always have. Despite being 38, will be 39 in November, he looked to still have enough in him for one more year along side of Sid. $4.5 million might be a bit steep though, which is what he was making this year. I am wondering if he would take that or perhaps slightly less (considering where he is in his career) to remain a Penguin. Of course, at 38 and off of a successful Stanley Cup run maybe he is thinking of retiring. I really hope not and according to reports he has said he has no plans to retire and is looking to move his family to Pittsburgh IF the Penguins want him back.

Miroslav Satan – As much as I really enjoy all the jokes that just roll off the tongue because of having a man named Satan on the team eh, I don’t know about the Penguins interest in resigning him. He made $3.5 million this year and started out great but really had to reinvent himself as a 4th line winger. That was not what he was brought in to be and even though he played well in that roll you are not going to pay a man that kind of money to log under ten minutes of ice time a game. He’ll be 35 years of age when the season starts and he could be another guy that would just be better to let go unless he is willing to take a lot less money. Of course … he is also another candidate for retirement on a high note.

Hall Gill – Hal Gill, or more precisely Harold Priestley “Hal” Gill III, is one of those guys that you just have a hard time replacing. The man is huge and his wing span gives the opposition absolute fits while trying to enter the zone and cycling once in the zone. $2.1 million is not a bad price to pay for a shutdown defenseman like Gil and at 34 he might be coaxed to coming back at about that next year. But with a plethora of good young defensemen in the minors the Penguins may forgo him as an option on the blue line next year. I think that would be a mistake.

Phillippe Boucher – No waterboy jokes please! At $2.5 million Phillipe may be an odd man out. He came in highly touted as to what he was going to bring to the team offensively but played sparingly late in the season. You like to have defensive depth, but with the salary cap I just do not see him staying IF the Penguins target …

Rob Scuderi – Yes, I left Scuds until last for a few reasons. One of which is because I have a to say about him. Another reason is because out of all the free agents on the Penguins roster none are going to get more attention and interest than the man who night after night sacrifices life and limb and limb and limb to cause havoc in the defensive zone. Scuderi made a paltry $725,000 this season and is worth more; a lot more. I do not know that you can replace him for his current salary so if the price is right the Penguins have to try and bring him back. The kind of kamikaze style he plays just cannot be taught. It is instinctive. It takes a certain kind of … well … nut to play it. I mean that in the nicest possible way Scuds. And it is very hard to convince a guy to get into the path of pucks like he does for that price.

I say the Penguins have to make an attempt to sign him. Not for ungodly sums of money mind you, but something serious and in line with other defensemen on the team. I do not think that $2,000,000 would be unreasonable, but more than that just might be. That being said, if some team throws a bucket full of dollars at Scuds I would not begrudge him leaving for financial security. He’s 30 but you could sign him for 2 or 3 years I think and have a good investment.

Now, let the games begin!

Perhaps it was a fitting end to a tight series after all, a series in which each team held the lead at some point during the previous six games but a series that, let’s face it, was only headed to Game 7 because of one man. And no, that man’s name is not Alexander Ovechkin. Without Simeon Varlamov the Capitals would never have been in this situation with a chance at literally stealing a series from the Pittsburgh Penguins after being over matched night in and night out, period after period.

I joke about Alexander Ovechkin being overrated. There is no denying that Ovechkin has one of the best shots in hockey.

There have been a lot of predictions about how Game 7 would shake out. Would the lack of experience among the Penguins in such an elimination game be a factor? Would the Capitals make another comeback and win yet another deciding game like they did in Round 1? How many goals would Crosby and Ovechkin score and who would be the secondary scorer that would be the hero? Could Fleury elevate his game after a lack luster series? Could Varlamov steal yet another win? Would Gonchar be back in the lineup? All these questions started to be answered at the drop of the puck.

No. No. Two, one and Geurin. Yes. No. YES!

The first period started out back and forth. Then it happened. Ovechkin behind the Penguins defense got the outlet and bared down on Marc-Andre Fleury. Ovechkin dragged the puck across in front of the net and flipped it towards the goal. But Fleury flashed leather and every Washington fan behind the net was half way out of their seat before they realized that there was no goal on the play.

That is when the Penguins took control.

Morrison took a slashing penalty to put the Penguins on the power play. Gonchar prowled at the blue line with puck on stick. Wristing it towards the net the puck bounced out to the skate of Crosby. He kicked it to his stick and swatted it into the net.

1-0 Penguins.

Off the face off, the Penguins won control and stormed into the Capitals end again. Just eight seconds later it was Craig Adams that put the puck through the wickets of Varlamov.

2-0 Penguins.

Then came the second period. 0:28 in Crosby lead the rush and pushed the puck to the high slot and the stick of Billy Guerin.

3-0 Penguins.

About a minute and a half later Letang ripped a puck that got stuck in the net behind Varlamov.

4-0 Penguins.

That was all for Varlamov at that point as the Penguins finally got to the rookie and chased him from the net. In came Jose Theodore.

At 11:37 of the second Jordan Staal showed that it did not matter on this night who was in goal for Washington. He scrummed for a puck in front of the net in traffic and BOOM …

5-0 Penguins.

In the waining moments of the second Fleury misplayed a puck behind the net, Ovechkin picked it off the wall and wrapped it into an empty net.

Yawn … 5-1 Penguins.

Enter the third period. After a double minor for high sticking where Laich took the lumber to Crosby’s face, Crosby walked in late on the first of the two and beat Theodore for his second of the game.

6-1 Penguins.

Laich would add another goal a few minutes later to make it 6-2 but somewhere between being down 3-0 and 4-0 the Capitals just lost all will to win.

The Penguins played excellent in front of Fleury who was not test all that much. They allowed only 5 shots in the first, 7 shots in the second and 9 shots in the third. 21 shots is not enough to beat the Penguins.

I have been saying this for the last week since getting a look at Varlamov in the first two games. He’s good. But he is not good enough to steal a series against a team like the Penguins. He tried valiantly though.

Now the wait to see who wins the Boston Carolina series begins. I’ll be watching tomorrow night eagerly.

Wednesday was a somewhat busy day for the Penguins. Satan cleared waivers and the Penguins got at least one winger who might be playing along side His Sidness soon. One of those wingers the Penguins acquired is Craig Adams who the Penguins claimed off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks. The 31 year old has just six points in 36 games this season. But the other winger is bad boy Billy Guerin whom the Penguins got from the Islanders for a conditional draft pick.

Guerin has just 36 points including 16 goals this season for the hapless Islanders but is a perpetual 20 goal scorer with an appetite for destruction and taste for physical play making him a prime candidate to be along side Crosby as not only a scoring threat but also an enforcer to keep other teams honest about liberties they might choose to take on Crosby. Sure he is 38, but I remind you he has scored 16 goals for a pathetic Islander team so hopefully he will only get better once in the Black and Gold.