With the Penguins certain to loose a few player to free agency including at least one or two or three scoring wingers in the group of Sykora, Guerin, Fedotenko and Satan, the Penguins might look like a potentially weaker team next season. Of course the free agent market works both ways and I really think that while the Penguins will look at who is available and at what price I think that Guerin and Fedotenko are priorities to resign. And if Sykora and Satan are given their exit interviews, that frees up some dollars to resign those previously mentioned and highly targeted wingers.

But let us not forget about someone in the minors who I still think has a world of potential at the NHL level – Finnish winger Janne Pesonen. Pesonen came into the Pittsburgh system after tearing up the hockey world in Europe and feeling he had nothing left to prove there. He signed for peanuts which is pretty good considering he did not play all that much for Pittsburgh’s NHL franchise. He appeared in just seven games and failed to register a point while seeing limited ice time.

I was personally disappointed that the team never really gave him a chance this year to get his legs under him and play regularly with some real talent. But his production in Wilkes-Barre was impressive scoring 32 goals and registering 50 assists in 70 games for the Baby Pens. Now that, my friends, is impressive. I do not care who you are, if you register 82 points in the AHL you have NHL talent.

Pesonen will be an unrestricted free agent this summer but the good news is he has said that he would like to resign with the Penguins to help realize his dream of playing regularly in the NHL. Even better, Ray Shero seems intent on seriously attempting to make sure that Pesonen returns to the Penguins system. And who know, with a couple openings sure to arise for wingers over the summer, he may just get to do to the NHL what he did in the minors and Europe.