Michel Therrien's contract extension is a nice change

From Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

That's why it was so refreshing to see Therrien get a big new contract last week. A year ago, after he had led the Penguins to a 47-point improvement and their first playoff spot in six years, general manager Ray Shero gave him just a one-year extension. This time, after the team made it to the Cup final, Shero tore up the one year remaining on Therrien's contract and gave him three years at around $1 million per season.

Now, finally, the odds are on Therrien's side. He's still not a lock to get through the next two seasons; there will be extraordinary pressure on him and the team considering the expectations the run to the Cup final generated. But at least he has a shot because of the commitment from management.

Read the entire article here.

I agree with Cook. With NHL coaches having such a short shelf-life, it was nice to see Therrien get rewarded for two great seasons as the Penguins' head coach.

Penguins re-sign Jeff Taffe

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Penguins re-signed forward Jeff Taffe to a one-year contract, general manager Ray Shero announced today.

Taffe, 27, played 45 games for the Penguins during the 2007-08 season, scoring 12 points (five goals, seven assists) along with eight penalty minutes. He registered had a four-game point streak from February 23rd to February 28th, scoring five points (two goals, three assists).

Read the entire article here.

Taffe will probably bounce back and forth between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre next season, so this signing should not have much impact on the Penguins' success next season.

Penguins fans can't wait to boo Hossa

From Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

And now these people are rubbing their hands in glee with anticipation of Feb. 8, when they can show the world the depth of the Pittsburgh knucklehead population. That's when the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings make their only appearance at Mellon Arena in the 2008-09 regular season. The knuckleheads aren't excited about a chance for the Penguins to get some measure of revenge for their loss in the Cup final. No, what they can't wait for is the chance to rain down boos on Marian Hossa.

Hossa's crime?

He chose to play in Detroit instead of Pittsburgh.

No question, Hossa's decision on where he would play his hockey in 2008-09 was a strange one. He left tens of millions of dollars on the table in Pittsburgh and other places to play in Detroit for one year at $7.4 million.

For that, the knuckleheads want him enshrined in the Benedict Arnold Traitor's Hall of Infamy.

Read the entire article here.

The Penguins fans are going to mercilessly boo Hossa and I don't think there is anything wrong with that. They thought having Hossa on their team for an entire season would result in a Stanley Cup and then he suddenly ended up on the team's Stanley Cup rival.

Who needs a prior relationship?

From Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Despite Therrien's 94-51-19 record in his two full seasons with the Penguins, there has long been speculation that Shero would at some point bring in his own coach.

"When the manager doesn't hire the coach, it's easy to say that," Shero said. "But going into our third year together, the results have been there."

Read the entire article here.

Good on Shero for giving Therrien a fair shot from the outset and deciding to keep him for the foreseeable future. The former Habs coach has earned the right to a contract extension.

Therien extended for three years by Penguins

From Seth Rorabaugh of Empty Netters:

The Penguins signed a three-year extension with head coach Michel Therrien. The deal will keep him behind the Penguin's bench until the 2010-11 season.

EN Says: We love this signing. Therrien inherited a mess from Ed Olczyk during the 2005-06 season and the franchise has done nothing but improve since that point. Granted, Therrien has had a roster of talent to deal with that could rival some international teams, but several coaches have failed when put in similar circumstances.

Read the entire post here.

Therien has always been a media target for criticism, mainly because of his temper, but he has done a terrific job in Pittsburgh. While you can argue the Penguins had the most talented team in the Eastern Conference last season, that doesn't always translate into strong defensive play. Nonetheless, the Penguins successfully shutdown the Senators/Rangers/Flyers without much difficulty and demonstrated a strong killer instinct in each series.

Therien's job will almost certainly be more difficult next season, with the loss of Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone, but he definitely earned this extension.

Stay in school for a discount on tickets...to four games

From Seth Rorabaugh of Empty Netters:

In this release by the Penguins which brags about how they had a renewal rate of 99 percent from their season ticket holders for next season, there's one little item that's somewhat buried.

"The club also plans to select four games for special "Student Rush" promotions. For those games, college and high school students will be able to purchase discounted tickets for $20. A total of 400 tickets will be available for each of the four games."

Read the entire entry from Rorabaugh here.

Rorabaugh is exactly right when he says that, while he wishes more games were available at student pricing, the Penguins really don't have to put any games on sale for that price to fill the building.

Penguins sign three

From Seth Rorabaugh of Empty Netters: (Hat Tip to Kukla's Korner)

The Penguins re-signed forwards Kris Beech and Ryan Stone and signed former Coyotes forwad Bill Thomas.

EN Says: Stone is a guy the Penguins will probably seriously consider for time as the fourth-line center. He brings some toughness to the ice as he had nine fights between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season.

Beech is a depth signing at best.

Read the entire entry here.

Nothing significant here for the Penguins, just some depth signings to fill out the roster.

Penguins sign Janne Pesonen

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Penguins have signed Finnish forward Janne Pesonen to a one-year contract the team announced on Monday.

Pesonen, 26, led the Finnish Elite League last season, with 34 goals, 44 assists, 78 points in 56 games with the Oulu Karpat. He had 7 goals, 9 assists during the post-season, helping lead Karpat to its fifth league championship.

Read the short report here.

Reports came out late last week that the Penguins were going to sign the Finnish forward Pesonen. As I said then, I don't know anything about him, but figure that the Penguins are attempting to copy the Red Wings' model of signing players from Europe at reasonable salaries that can contribute to the team in some way.

Penguins still look good for foreseeable future

From Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

On the sixth day of July, with the season still some three months away, the Penguins are not as good a team as they were when they lost the sixth game of the Stanley Cup playoffs in early June.

Gone, most notably, are Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone, the team's best wingers, who were lost in free agency. In their place, both signed to one-year deals, are Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, two wingers who are less productive and older.

Based on this evidence, it would be easy to cite general manager Ray Shero as having been derelict in his duties. But that's not the case at all. Shero had a masterful grand plan in place that would have made the Penguins just about as good a team as they were at the end of the season and a team far better suited to contend for years ahead.

Read the entire story here.

Smizik is exactly right. While Shero wasn't able to sign Marian Hossa, he has done a terrific job of signing all his young and important RFAs. Additionally, he has left space on the cap to sign Jordan Staal after next season. The Penguins should easily be Cup contenders for the next five/six years.

Matt Cooke signs with Pittsburgh

From Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Penguins have agreed to a two-year contract with free-agent forward Matt Cooke.

The deal is worth $1.2 million per season.

Cooke, who will be 30 on Sept. 7, is 5 foot 11, 205 pounds and is an accomplished agitator and penalty-killer.

Read the entire story here.

Good signing by the Penguins. As the article states, Cooke is a very suitable replacement for the recently departed Jarkko Ruutu. While he may not be quite as annoying as the man he is replacing, he is certainly close.

Penguins look overseas to fill out roster

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Penguins' efforts to flesh out their roster have stretched to the far side of the Atlantic.

They are trying to sign free-agent left winger Janne Pesonen, a 26-year-old Finn.

He has been offered a contract, and the Penguins hope to learn later today or tomorrow whether he will accept it. Pesonen is believed to be considering offers from teams in Russia and Switzerland, as well.

Read the entire story here.

I don't know anything about Personen but going overseas to find hidden gems has been a staple of the Red Wings for years. Maybe the Penguins are copying that model.

Fleury re-signs with Penguins for 7 years, $35 million

From TSN:

Sources tell TSN Marc-Andre Fleury has signed a seven year, $35 million extension.

The deal includes a no-move and limited no-trade clause that triggers in 2010-2011.

Read the entire report here.

Fleury was tremendous in the playoffs, especially in the Stanley Cup Finals. The $5 million per season is about market value, considering Cristobal Huet is now making more than that. Nonetheless, a 7 year deal for a player that the Penguins weren't even really sold on to begin the season makes me wonder. Fleury, without question, possesses a ton of talent, however, his consistency has been an issue over the past few seasons. If it continues to be a problem, then the Penguins will have to deal with that for a long while.

Penguins sign Satan and Fedotenko

From TSN:

Pittsburgh has verbally agreed to deals with forwards Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko.

Both deals are one-year contracts, with Satan earning $3.5 million next year and Fedotenko $2.5 million.

Read the entire report here.

These players are an upgrade over what the Penguins would have put on their top two lines had they not signed anyone. However, they are certainly not an upgrade over what the Penguins iced at the end of last season. Satan is probably good for 25-30 goals next season and Fedotenko about 15-20. That isn't bad production, and both have playoff experience. The fact that they are one-year contracts gives me reason to approve of these signings.

Penguins Re-Sign Mark Eaton

As per TSN's Free-Agent Tracker.

Penguins make offer to Jagr

From Sportsnet:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have offered a contract to free agent forward and former team captain, Jaromir Jagr, Sportsnet has learned.

Read more here.

No surprise here. Why wouldn't the Pens offer Jagr a contract. He doesn't want to play long-term and is cheaper and arguably as good as Marian Hossa.

Dupuis re-signs with Penguins

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Dupuis' contract is believed to be worth $1.4 million per season.

Dupuis was acquired from Atlanta in the Marian Hossa deal Feb. 26, and became a valuable and versatile member of the Penguins' supporting cast.

Read the entire report here.

The salary Dupuis has received is very reasonable. Dupuis is a very good defensive forward and penalty killer, who is also a positive force in the dressing room. His offensive abilities are extremely limited, but there is definitely room for him on an offensively loaded Pittsburgh squad.

Malkin close to re-signing

From Darren Dreger of TSN:

The Pittsburgh Penguins are closing in on an extension with Evgeni Malkin that is believed to mirror the extension Pens captain Sidney Crosby signed in July of 2007, a five-year deal averaging $8.7 million.

Read the entire report here.

Mirroring Crosby's deal is a smart move by the Pens. They don't need one superstar making more money than another. The fact is, Malkin was never going anywhere. His talent is unquestionable and him, Crosby and Staal are the future of the Penguins for years to come.

Penguins won't increase their offer for Hossa

From Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Actually, Hossa probably made some choices for them.

The Penguins want to keep him. But they will not increase their offer, believed to be slightly more than $7 million annually over five years.

Hossa declined that proposal on June 21, presumably because he expects to command more on the open market. Indications are the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins and possibly the Montreal Canadiens are willing to spend $8 million annually for his stellar two-way services.

Read the entire story here.

Hossa is going to get some massive offers today, so I don't expect him to return to Pittsburgh.

Orpik would like to stay in Pittsburgh

From Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Orpik's desire is to stay with the Penguins, who selected him 18th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He has appeared in no fewer than 64 games each of the past four seasons. Orpik's agent, Lewis Gross, would not say Wednesday if the Penguins have presented a contract offer. However, indications are the club will soon make a formal offer, if it has not already.

Many around the NHL believe Orpik could command offers of $4 million annually from other teams. He is thought to be willing to give the Penguins a so-called "hometown discount" if they provide him a long-term deal.

Read the entire article here.

We will see in time, just how much of a discount Orpik is willing to take. If the rugged defenseman isn't signed by July 1, I have my doubts as to whether he will be back.

Hossa suspends contract talks

From Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Penguins and right winger Marian Hossa have suspended contract talks.

Hossa is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and general manager Ray Shero said Hossa informed him today that he plans to see what his options are at that point.

"We look to be his first choice, but I believe he's going to look ay July 1, just to be sure," Shero said. "We'll see what that brings both of us."

Read the entire article here.

This is not overly surprising. Hossa will want to check what he can get on the open market, and I guess if it is similar to what Pittsburgh is offering he will stay put. However, I have a feeling he will probably get a substantially higher offer.