2 Goals, 2 Assists … Like he never missed a beat.

Welcome back Sid!

In a move that seems to foreshadow someone knowing that Sidney Crosby is probably getting ready to return to the ice for the Penguins, Pittsburgh today dealt ALex Goligoski to Dallas in exchange for scoring winger James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen. Before you say Matt Who?, Niskanen is the guy that Crosby absolutely embarrassed during a fight on November 3rd in Dallas:

That should lead to an interesting introduction when he and Sid first appear in the locker room together. You sort of wonder if Crosby was consulted before this trade … but not really because Sid is a professional and much like we saw with Asham and Cooke, what happens on the ice when players on opposing teams is washed away when they suit up for the same club.

As for Neal, well he has the scoring touch that you would like to see in a winger for Crosby at least for the price that was paid. He has 21 goals and 39 points this season. Last year he had 27 goals and 28 assists.

Goligoski became the casualty of a deep blue line for the Penguins. He has the skill to be a top four defenseman but was wallowing as the #5 man in the Penguins defensive corps. And with Despres all but ready to join the Penguins next year someone had to go. And that someone was not going to be Michalek or Martin both of whom the Pengiuns acquired at good prices and locked up long term this past off season. Orpik wasn’t going anywhere and neither was All-Star Kris Letang. Deryk Engelland also was not heading anywhere now that he has established himself as a solid defenseman who can take over the enforcer role for the Penguins when Goddard is most likely not resigned.

Sad to see Go Go go, but overall this trade helps the Penguins and helps Go Go too. In Dallas he will get more ice time and more responsibility as a #3 or #4 defenseman than he would get here in Pittsburgh.

If you are a Penguins fan and don’t like Sergei Gonchar then there is something really wrong with you and your brain is not wired right. I remember when the Penguins signed Gonchar a few years back too many people ballyhooed about the acquisition because they knew so little about the skill Sarge brought to the blue line. They remembered he was a Capital and hated him because of it.

But like it or not for the better part of his career in the NHL Sergei Gonchar has been one of elite offense defensemen if not the cream of that crop and the cherry on top too. Especially where the power play was concerned there was no finer player to quarterback the slaughter. His offensive prowess has never been in doubt except to those uninitiated in the finer points of hockey.

This year however things seem different. Perhaps it is age and two grueling seasons on a team who went deep into the playoff playing a demanding offensive style that has taken its toll on Gonch. Perhaps it is just an off year. Perhaps it is just misconceptions about exactly what he has accomplished. But right now, with Sergei Gonchar looking for a new contract things just don’t seem to rosy for one of the top offensive d-men to ever play the game.

In 62 regular season games Gonchar had 11 goals and 39 assists. Unfortunately he was also a -4 but he was tied for third in scoring on the team. And the guy he was tied with, Alex Ponikarovsky did most of his scoring elsewhere before joining the Penguins. In the playoffs Gonchar had 2 goals, 10 assists and was +4 in 13 games. I’ll take that from a defenseman any day of the week and twice on Sunday. So it cannot be his offensive stats that are the problem. What does seems to be the problem is that his offensive output is leading to a defensive lapse. That’s not good even for an offensive defenseman.

Probably though the biggest reason people are down on Gonchar this year is the power play which was pathetic 26th. Gonchar is an easy target considering that he plays most of every power play for the Penguins. But so too do Crosby and Malkin. I think the problems with the man advantage are deeper than Gonchar although he is an easy scapegoat. I still maintain that it is long past time to split up the dynamic duo and have them each run their own unit because it is obvious that both Sid and Geno want to play the same spot on the ice making it very easy to defend. And teams have defended it well. But this is not say that Gonchar is not blameless either.

I like Gonchar. I bought a number 55 jersey when he joined the team. My friend John liked the acquisition of Ziggy Palffy that year better. Good thing he didn’t invest the money in a #33 sweater.

But even though I like him it does not mean that I am interested in giving him the farm to stay. Gonchar made five million this past year. That is a hefty sum and one that he has been worth. But this year, especially with the power play faltering, the Penguins cannot really afford to invest in a multiyear contract for Gonch at that rate. Hate to say it but I think age is catching up to him. He is still a way above average offensive D-man but I do not know that he is the same guy I drafted quickly and often every year in fantasy hockey because of his skills.

Is he worth what Letang just got? I’d say yes for two years. But it would be a pay cut to what Sarge would likely get on the open market.

Honestly I don’t care what Gonchar does. If he wants the money he wants the money. Can’t fault him for that. But what if he takes that money and doesn’t win? I don’t know about you but being a richer loser doesn’t seem like much fun when you can be a slightly less rich winner.

If I were the Penguins the deal would be three years at an average of 2.75 million a year (3 mill this year, 2.75 next and 2.5 in year three). Take it or leave it. Time is not on Sarge’s side. He’s 36 and I think he’s got three good years left in him. Not great years, but good ones. Plus as long as he is on the bench I have a feeling that Letang and Goligoski will never get the ice time they need to develop in the Power Play quarterbacks they can become.

It looks to be a stormy night in the ‘Burgh with thunderstorms rolling through the area.  And with the temperature dropping Pens fans are wondering if there will be a chance of Fleurys as in Marc-Andre Fleury playing they way all Pens fans know he can rather than the way he has been playing as of late.

In Wednesday’s night loss to the Senators Fleury was not on his game.  He let in four goals that he should have stopped or at least had a better chance of stopping than he did.  Without their star goal tender bringing his A-game the Penguins are going to be behind the eight ball and will have a good chance of falling behind 0-2 in the series.

Malkin and Crosby could not have been asked to do more in game one combining for several goals and assists.  Now with injuries mounting on the Senators bench and Ottawa’s third line not likely to produce at the same level again two nights in a row the Penguins will have to find a way to get a victory on home ice before heading north for the next game.

Mike Rupp will be in the lineup tonight after sitting out game one according to reports.  Rumors are that he will replace Ruslan Fedotenko in the lineup after Feds had a sub-par first game.  If you ask me he should probably be replacing Ponikarovsky who has not played at all up to expectations since joining the team at the trade deadline.

We will have to see how it all shakes out.