Paul Martin

Is James Neal the Real Deal?

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If Pittsburgh blows a 2-1 series lead and Neal can’t find the back of the net, he won’t be able to sidestep comparisons to last year’s deadline-dud Alexei Ponikarovsky.

Penguins Blueprint: Hossa to Hamhuis – The Evolution of Ray Shero

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Ask anyone what trade was instrumental in the Penguins 2007-08 Stanley Cup Finals appearance and they’ll immediately point to Hossa. If Ray Shero’s team returns to the Finals over the next few seasons, the key trade might be one involving a player who never appeared in a Penguins jersey: Dan Hamhuis.

Penguins Blueprint: Commitment to the Core

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If the Penguins continue to have success in coming seasons GM Ray Shero will be forced to get creative and find ways to keep his talented group of stars together. However, the idea of signing Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin for the rest of their careers isn’t an option he’s considering right now.

Fleury, Blooming into MVP Performer

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How people in the city of Pittsburgh constantly bash Marc-Andre Fleury on popular Pittsburgh sports talk shows, like Mark Madden’s popular show on 105.9 WXDX, is beyond my comprehension. To…

Penguins ownership group shows commitment to Stanley Cup vision

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If there was ever a year for Lemieux and Burkle to put up the white flag and live to see another day, it would be this year. No one would blame them. Fans surely wouldn’t revolt. But that’s not what they did, and yesterday Shero seemed energized by the commitment from ownership that allowed him to take a risk on Kovalev.

An In-Depth Inventory of the Penguins Defensemen

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Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero wants his team to be tough to play against. On Monday morning, he invested $1.7 million in that goal by signing physical defenseman Deryk Engelland to a three-year contract extension. Engelland has just two goals and three assists in 32 games this season, but his value to the Penguins doesn’t come from the scoring department. After delivering technical beat-downs to Colton Orr and Jody Shelley, Engelland has quickly carved out a reputation as one of the league’s top enforcers.