Yardbarker: Ruslan Fedotenko

Pittsburgh Penguins season preview

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:28:23 -0500

Penguins' GM Ray Shero was one busy man this offseason, replacing several key members of the Eastern Conference champs, such as Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Ty Conklin and Jarkko Ruutu. Shero did an admirable job during free agency to fill the holes, not only in signing free agents Miro Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Matt Cooke and Eric Godard, but also in resigning veterans Brooks Orpik and Pascal Dupuis.

Pittsburgh Penguins season review

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:28:37 -0500

I know, I know, they already have two games under their belt. Hey all, my name is Tony Ferrante.A Those of you who peruse the various Penguins blogs probably know me from MVN's The Confluence of the Three Rivers.A Thanks to Alin for asking me to guest blog several times throughout the year. Lots of turnover results [...]

PENS 4, JOKERIT 1

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:27:14 -0500

The Pens raised their record to 1-0 in overseas games in 2008, disposing of the Finnish Elite team Jokerit by a 4-1 count this morning/afternoon.

The leading scorer was...drum roll...Sidney Crosby, who assisted on three of the four goals. Penguin lamplighters included Evgeni Malkin with a power play goal in the first, Miroslav Satan (set up by Sid and Ruslan Fedotenko) in the second, Tyler Kennedy from hometown boy Janne Pesonen in the third, and an empty netter by Pascal Dupuis with 13 seconds to play.

Marc-Andre Fleury shut out Jokerit for 33:03 and was replaced by Dany Sabourin, who allowed one goal, a penalty shot by Janne Lahti as a result of Brooks Orpik hauling him down.

The Pens finished the preseason 4-0-1 and are ready for the regular season, where their undefeated ways should undoubtedly continue long into 2009, or so I hope. The first victim will be the Ottawa Senators on Saturday at 2:30 PM, and you can watch it at Mellon Arena.

Howard Shapiro Interview, Part 1 - The Penguins, this season and beyond

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:45:38 -0500

I recently got the opportunity to sit down with "Hockey Days" author Howard Shapiro for a little Q & A. Shapiro is on a media blitz promoting his latest effort, "Hockey Player For Life," set for release October 7.

New York Islanders Season Preview

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:45:38 -0500

This series of articles will preview the New York Islanders for the upcoming season. I'll cover the general overview of the team, the goaltenders position, the defense and the forwards.

Fantasy Hockey High Risk/High Reward Players for '08-'09

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:37:16 -0500

In fantasy hockey, some players are like a double-edged sword. They could have a tremendous upside… if it wasn't for their drastic downside. FIO writer Rob Edwards looks at some of this season's High Risk/High Reward fantasy picks.

Penguins Hold Off the Leafs Late Comeback

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:50:51 -0500

The Pittsburgh Penguins held off a third period comeback to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in their 3rd pre-season game on Wednesday night at Mellon Arena. The Penguins played without the services of Sidney Crosby who sat out as a precaution with a sore groin. Marc-Andre Fleury also took the night off as Dany Sabourin got the nod to backstop the team. It was a night for Pittsburgh's special teams as the Penguins picked up 2 powerplay goals and a shorthander. But a lopsided 3rd period comeback put Pittsburgh on their heels as the Leafs outshot the Penguins 17-3, and scored 2 late goals. Dany Sabourin maintained his composure, however, and allowed the Penguins to hang on for the win.

Who Improved and Where the Rangers Stand...

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:18:55 -0500

Last year, the Eastern Conference was a crapshoot. Much like David Caruso's career, Ottawa started real hot then dropped off the face of the Earth. Montreal and Pittsburgh, boosted by strong power plays, were the obvious best teams in the East, but they only rose to the top of the standings around early-March. Every other team was mediocre.

If it was pre-lockout, the Rangers might not have made the playoffs, but they did last season because of Brendan Shanahan, Nigel Dawes, and Henrik Lundqvist's shootout performances. Washington clinched the playoffs on the last day possible. Carolina lost out on a playoff spot on the last day possible. Even the Islanders were relevant until March's injuries piled up. Boston made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 and nearly beat the #1 ranked Canadiens.

What I'm saying is that it's anybody's conference to take. In the West, you knew Detroit will be up there, and Anaheim, San Jose, and Dallas should make the playoffs, while Phoenix, LA, Chicago, Edmonton, St. Louis, and Columbus would be awful.

Will anything change in the East this year? Probably not. Who really improved in the East in the offseason?

* * *

Far and away the winners of the East are the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vaclav Prospal returns next season, Matt Carle is in on defense, and they signed Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata (both people I think the Rangers should have tried to get), Gary Roberts, Olaf Kolzig, Mark Recchi, and power play QB Andrew Hutchinson. Oh, and Steven Stamkos should transition well in the NHL playing alongside Vinny Lecavilier. While their goaltending still is a question mark (Mike Smith and Kolzig are both a half-step up from being backup goaltenders), their beefed up offense should make up for a shaky back half. The only one missing from their team is expensive Dan Boyle, but now that they have an owner who wants to spend money, a trade deadline deal for a top defender is certainly possible.

Atlanta was awful last season and should be this season. They did rob the Penguins blind in the Marian Hossa deal, but Angelo Esposito probably won't catch fire this season, even if he makes the roster. The additions of Erik Christensen and Colby Armstrong from Pittsburgh do help, but they are role players who aren't going to pot you 40 goals like Hossa would have. When your big offseason acquisition is named Ron Hainsley, you aren't moving forward.

Florida is also a team that is going nowhere. They might be the worst franchise in all of professional sports, Knicks included. They traded Olli Jokinen for a bundle of nothing, somehow re-signed Jay Bouwmeester even though we all know that he will not be there next season. Their lone spotlights are Nathan Horton and Tomas Vokoun. These guys are not a threat for anything except John Tavares in next year's Entry Draft.

Finishing off the Southeast, the Hurricanes and Capitals stood pat. While cash-strapped Carolina would up getting the defender they needed in Joni Pitkanen, it cost them heart-and-soul man Erik Cole. Yes, they signed Darcy Hordichuk, but can a 4th line goon lift you over the hump and into the playoffs? After making the playoffs last year, the Capitals decided to go with the same team this year. Sergei Federov, a good deadline deal, is back for another older, slower season, and their goaltending tandem of Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson is not as good as Kolzig and Christobal Huet were last year.

Long story short: One team will make the playoffs from the Southeast, and that's just because those are the rules.

* * *

In the Northeast division, the Toronto Maple Leafs aim to miss the playoffs for the 4th straight year, which would be a new team record. Overpaying for Jeff Finger, trading for Jamal Mayers and Ryan Hollweg, not-yet-re-signing Mats Sundin or moving Bryan McCabe. I like GM Cliff Fletcher, but what exactly is he doing?

The Montreal Canadiens improved by leaps and bou-- no, they didn't improve at all. They missed the boat on Hossa, they probably won't get Sundin, but don't worry, Georges Laraque has arrived in Montreal! Alex Tanguay should help their already strong offense though and he came cheap in the form of just draft picks. They shouldn't miss Mark Streit on the power play too much, but can Alex Kovalev have another great season? While they are a good team still, the fact is, they aren't much better than last year, if at all.

The Boston Bruins signed unproven, unmotivated forward Blake Wheeler (although he did want to play in Beantown) and overpaid for Michael Ryder to replace Glen Murray. Is that any way to build a playoff contender? However, I think they would take a step forward if they would finally just admit to themselves that Tim Thomas is their starting goaltender. This guy is so motivated it's incredible.

Buffalo... uhhh, did the Sabres have an offseason? Yes, they traded away Steve "Brian Campbell" Bernier. Campbell's replacement is Craig Rivet, a journeyman who, while solid, won't stop a Crosby, Ovechkin, or Malkin from scoring. They also re-signed the aging, unhealthy Teppo Numinen, presumably as a locker room presence.

Ottawa's big offseason move was what they didn't do - they didn't trade Antoine Vermette, which is huge. He can be a great player if any of their Big 3 - Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson - falter or get hurt like in 2007-08. Their goaltending is a question mark as well, with Martin Gerber and the well-traveled Alex Auld standing guard. That shouldn't inspire confidence in Canada's capital.

* * *

Now, the East. I won't dwell too much on the Rangers, but regardless of what you think of their offseason moves, they are a better team today than they were in May.

Wade Redden and Dmitri Kalinin, and whoever turns out to be the 7th d-man are better than the likes of Tyutin, Backman, Malik, and Strudwick. Plus, Paul Mara returned at a discount, and Marc Staal and Dan Girardi should continue to excel this season.

Markus Naslund and Nik Zherdev are being counted on to have comeback years, and that may be asking a lot, but atleast the offense is styled differently. Plus, their power play should click this year without Jaromir Jagr to receive passes from Michal Rozsival and Marty Straka.

The one big loss is Sean Avery, a winger who could change games with his gritty style as well as put the puck home in big situations (just ask Martin Brodeur). Losing Ryan Hollweg for a draft pick was a no-brainer, and Aaron Voros and/or Patrick Rissmiller will take over his role and make it more offensive as well.

Did the Pittsburgh Penguins improve? Not too much. As well as losing roster players in Christensen and Armstrong and a top prospect in Esposito, they essentially traded hometown-boy Ryan Malone and Hossa for Miro Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko, two middling wingers who had bad seasons. Their bright spot of the offseason was getting Brooks Oprik back when it looked like he would be on the way out. They still have their core, and they will be dangerous, no doubt. But they question is, did they improve? The answer has to be no, they did not.

We all know the Islanders' problems, starting with Charles Wang and Garth Snow and moving out. Streit should help the team and make up for losing Marc-Andre Bergeron and Bryan Berard with the man-advantage. Doug Weight will help as well, that is until February, when he along with a bunch of other expiring-contracts are traded to contenders for draft picks and prospects.

It was Old Timer's Day in July for the Devils, as they signed former players Bobby Holik, Brian Rolston, and Scott Clemmensen as their 3rd goalie. Rolston is a great utility man, but I think the Devils will overuse him. Holik is a serviceable 3rd line center these days, but the days of him shutting down other teams top lines are over. They also overpaid for Bryce Salvador, but they did need a big body on the blueline. While Rolston was a good pick-up, their defense is still holier than the Bible Belt, and their offense can't make up for it. However, while I expect big years from Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, I can't say they improved much.

The Flyers were active in getting Glen Metropolit in his declining years, Steve Eminger, a few Finnish defensemen whose names I can't pronounce, and re-signing Jeff Carter, but it came at the cost of young gun R.J. Umberger and Prospal. Still, I would say the Flyers improved, if only slightly. Their defense is suspect with Derian Hatcher still there and Jaroslav Modry gone, but Braydon Coburn can only get better. Him and Kimmo Timonen on the same pairing could be one of, if not the best in the East.

* * *

I didn't mean for this to be this long, and if you made it this far, I applaud you.

Who improved? Tampa, for sure. Probably the Flyers. Other teams just swapped one player for another, getting rid of a Malone for a Satan, or a Sergei Brylin for a Holik. That doesn't necessarily make them a better team, just the same team with different names on the back.

On paper, it appears the Rangers are one of the most-improved teams in the East, if not only by their additions then by their subtractions. That's not to say I didn't love Jagr and Straka and Shanahan, but it will be a completely different team, and that can't hurt.

Penguins Beat Lightning 3-2 in Penalty Filled Matchup

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:59:07 -0500

Despite being outshot 39-24, the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender duo of Dany Sabourin and John Curry stopped all but 2-shots to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Monday night. In what could have been billed as a battle of mostly third-line players, there were 5-fighting majors, a boarding major, 3-game misconducts for a total of 101-minutes in penalties. The Penguins beat the Lightning on goals by Kris Letang, Max Talbot and Tyler Kennedy. Kris Letang contirbuted with 2-points (1G, 1A), as did Alex Goligoski (2A). Letang and Goligoski played very well with good chemistry together.

Penguins' Training Camp - Roster Cut by 9

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 10:39:32 -0500

With the shortened training camp, the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects are getting very little time to show their skills as they contend for the few potentially available spots on the roster, most likely 2 or 3 wing positions and possibly a defenseman. This afternoon, following Day 3 of training camp, the coaching staff made 9 cuts, sending 6 players to the AHL and 3 more to the juniors. The cuts whittled the training camp roster down to 42 players as the team prepares for the first pre-season game on Saturday night at Mellon Arena against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Howard Shapiro Interview, Part 1 - The Penguins, this season and beyond

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:37:41 -0500

New York Islanders Preview- Overview

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:42:44 -0500

This series of articles will preview the New York Islanders for the upcoming season. I'll cover the general overview of the team, the goaltenders position, the defense and the forwards. Overview: The Islanders will open the season with a brand new coach (Scott Gordon, former star AHL coach) who will hopefully bring a brand new winning attitude with [...]

Who Improved and Where the Rangers Stand...

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:51:12 -0500

Will anything change in the East this year? Probably not. Who really improved in the East in the offseason?

* * *

Long story short: One team will make the playoffs from the Southeast, and that's just because those are the rules.

* * *

Now, the East. I won't dwell too much on the Rangers, but regardless of what you think of their offseason moves, they are a better team today than they were in May.

* * *

I didn't mean for this to be this long, and if you made it this far, I applaud you.

PENGUINS NAB GOD, SATAN...AND FEDOTENKO

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:46:28 -0500

Satan and Ingrid Smolinska at a Slovak Fashion Show. Shall I add that Marian Hossa was on hand at the fasion show and pictured as well?

We can now move out of panic mode, as the Penguins have finally signed some wingers. Hot on the heels of signing bruiser Eric Godard earlier in the week, the Penguins have signed RW Miroslav Satan and LW Ruslan Fedotenko, who both played with the Islanders last season. Take that, Garth Snow.

The early numbers are $3.5 million next year for Satan and $2.5 million for Fedotenko. Both are one-year deals.

The 33-year-old Satan scored 16 goals with 25 assists last season. He's lit the lamp 337 times since entering the league with Buffalo in 1995.

Fedotenko, 29, had 16 goals and 17 assists last year. He has career totals of 122 goals and 117 assists in seven NHL seasons.

According to hockeybuzz.com, these moves now put the Penguins just $2.97 million under the cap for '08-'09. In short, don't count on Jagr or Naslund suiting up for the Pens unless Mr. Shero can unload a Sydor here or there.

*By the way, joke "B" was Satan and Crosby forming the God-Satan Line. Thanks, I'll be here all week.

PENGUINS ADD SATAN, FEDOTENKO TO FILL HOSSA-VOID [TSN]

Penguins Cap Center [Hockey Buzz]

Miroslav Satan [ESPN Player Card]

Ruslan Fedotenko [ESPN Player Card]

Penguins Free Agency Update

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:57:18 -0500

It has been a week of good news and bad news for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they have seen several roster gains, losses and signings as the free agency market swings into full motion. Ray Shero is quick to emphasize that he managed to keep the core in place, yet he lost his #1 post-season priority as Marian Hossa opted to take a 1-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. While managing to keep their defensive core, centers, and starting goaltender in place, the Penguins have lost the majority of their active wingers to the free agent market.