The Penguins and defenseman Kris Letang have made progress in discussions on a contract extension, but still have some work to do. “It’s simpler enough to say we’re just not done yet,” Penguins general manager Ray Shero said at the NHL Draft in New Jersey. “Still working on it with his agent. We haven’t had time to get together today with the draft. I’ll talk to him a little later (Monday) and try to work through a couple of things and get back at it.”
Letang,
26, has one-year remaining on his current contract valued at $3.5
million. The Norris Trophy nominee as best defenseman in the NHL will
be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the upcoming season, and
the Penguins have made no secret of their desire to lock him up long
term. “He’s a real good defenseman for us. He’s at the right
age. I hope that’s going to be the case,” Shero said of an
extension, but he wouldn’t divulge any details on what aspects of
the contract need to be worked on because the negotiations are still
ongoing. “I had a meeting with (Letang’s) agent (Saturday)
afternoon and later that night when we chatted again it turned more
positive. This morning we were trying to wrap a few things up, but
we’re still not there yet. We just took a little break. We’ll get
back at it and see if we can close the gaps here and there and see
where we are. It usually comes down to the money and the term. There
are things we still need to work on. We’ll see where it takes us.”
The
Penguins also are in discussions with other upcoming unrestricted
free agents currently on their roster. One player in particular the
Penguins would like to re-sign is forward Pascal
Dupuis, who enjoyed one of the best years of his career with 20
goals in 48 games. He’ll be looking for a significant raise from
his current $1.5 million salary. “He’s an important piece of
our team that I’d like to have back,” Shero said of Dupuis.
“The money and the term have to fit both parties. We’re still
not there yet. We’ll continue to work on it. We’d like to have
him back, if at all possible.”
The
Penguins will have exclusive negotiating rights Monday and Tuesday
with their UFAs. On Wednesday, July 3rd, players are open to talk to
any team, although a contract cannot be signed until Friday, July
5th. The open negotiating period is a new aspect this season. “We’ll
talk to the unrestricted guys that we still have,” Shero said.
“I had a conversation with Craig
Adams last week and his agent. We have a few days here until July
3rd when they can start talking to other teams. We’ll see where we
go and continue our discussions.”
The
Penguins did make one change to their current roster. They traded
forward Tyler
Kennedy to San Jose in exchange for a second-round pick (50th
overall). “Tyler
Kennedy has done a great job for us and helped us win a Stanley
Cup. I really think with where he is in his career, he needed a
change,” Shero said. “We didn’t have a first- or
second-(round) pick. There were several teams with interest in him.
San Jose had the best second-round pick on the table. We did that for
both us and Tyler.”
Penguins 2013 Draft Picks
All seven rounds of the 2013 NHL Draft were conducted on the same day for the first time since 2006 on Sunday at Prudential Center, and the Penguins left New Jersey with six total selections – one goaltender, two defensemen and three forwards.
“We’re pleased. Obviously everybody that we drafted is on our list, so we’re excited about that,” said Penguins assistant director of amateur scouting Randy Sexton. “We think we have a good mix of positional, with some centers, some forwards, some D and a potential starting goalie. We think all in all, there’s always a few kids that get away you would like to get, but that is by no means a statement about he guys we got. We’re delighted with the players we have. Now we’ve got to get them into our development system, let our development guys take over and start to groom them to become future Penguins.”
Here’s a quick look at each selection, coupled with a few words from the prospects that attended and a scouting report from Sexton.
 |
Selection: Second Round (44th Overall)
Position: G
Height: 6-1
Weight: 183
Amateur Team: Edmonton (WHL)
Notes: Jarry was the No. 3-ranked North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting. He split netminding duties in Edmonton this season with Laurent Brossoit. Jarry finished with an 18-7 record in 27 games, posting league-high totals with a 1.61 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. His six shutouts were tied for second-most in the WHL. In two seasons with the Oil Kings, Jarry has appeared in 41 career regular-season games, going 26-9-1 with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Jarry was rated as the No. 2 overall goaltender available by both Red Line Report and International Scouting Services. Red Line ranked Jarry as the 36th-best player available.
Jarry on his playing style: “I think I'm more of a hybrid. I’m not always one to go down, but when I do go down, I like to control my rebounds. I’ve been called Marty Brodeur in practice a couple times when I stand up and make a glove save, so I think that’s pretty funny.”
Sexton’s Take: "We see a potential starting goalie. He’s got very good size. He moves well. He didn’t get a lot of ice time this year because he was playing behind a Calgary draft pick in Edmonton, but he will be the starter next year. He’s got the technical foundation and the size we think to be a starter. So when he was still available, we asked Ray to make the trade to move up to get him. We’d like to see him play at least 45-50 games as the starter in Edmonton. They’ll be strong again next year, so that will be good. We’ll see how he’s able to handle the full-time workload, but we have every expectation he’ll be just fine."
 |
Selection: Third Round (77th overall)
Position: C
Height: 5-9
Weight: 153
Amateur Team: Sioux City (USHL)
Notes: Guentzel was rated 80th overall among North American skaters by Central Souting. Guentzel played in 60 regular-season games for Sioux City in 2012-13, tallying 29 goals, 44 assists and 73 points. The Woodbury, Minnesota native finished the regular season riding a 21-game point streak – the longest such streak in the USHL’s history. Guentzel also won several awards this season including USHL Rookie of the Year, being named a Second-Team All-Star and earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team. He will be attending the University of Nebraska-Omaha in the fall, where he will be teammates with fellow Penguins prospect Josh Archibald.
Guentzel on his size: “I have to use my hockey sense quicker and faster because I’m obviously small. So I have to use that for my game and I feel like it helps me out a lot.”
Sexton’s Take: "Jake’s a smaller player now. His brothers and his father are both over six foot, so we certainly believe he’s going to grow and every indication is that he will grow. We see this kid as certainly a middle-six forward that can generate some offense and play both sides of the puck. He was the rookie of the year in the USHL, he’s going to Nebraska-Omaha in the fall. He’s smart, he’s skilled, he’s gritty. "
BONUS TIDBIT: Guentzel's dad Mike is associate head coach at the University of Minnesota and coached Penguins defenseman Paul Martin there from 2000-03. Jake said Martin was one of his dad's favorite players, adding "he’s a good friend and I really look up to him." Jake added that his dad didn't pressure him to be a Gopher, saying "he kind of put it up to me. It was just pretty much my decision. We talked about it. He coached (at Nebraska-Omaha), so he liked it there and he thought it was a good fit for me. I had the chance (to go to Minnesota), but I just felt like it’d be too hard for me and my dad. So I just felt like Omaha was the right fit for me."
 |
Selection: Fourth Round (119th overall)
Position: D
Height: 6-1
Weight: 184
Amateur Team: Salisbury Prep (HS)
Notes: Segalla totaled 18 points (10G-8A) in 28 games in ’12-13. A Boston, Massachusetts native, Segalla will attend the University of Connecticut in the fall. Segalla was the first-ever full scholarship recruit to commit to UConn.
Segalla on who he models his game after: "I’ve been watching Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers a lot lately. He’s a two-way defenseman as well, so I’ve been trying to emulate my game after him."
Sexton’s Take: "Ryan Segalla’s a hard-hitting defenseman, he’s a very good skater and he plays the game very robust, a physical game. He needs to keep his game simple. When he does, he’s very, very effective. He is going to Hockey East, which is a great league. We’ll keep a close eye on him. He’s thick. He works very hard off the ice. He should grow a little bit more. At least he is a guy we fully expect to grow into that hard-to-play against, denter-type role that we like."
 |
Selection: Sixth Round (164th overall)
Position: D
Height: 6-3
Weight: 190
Amateur Team: Merritt (BCHL)
Notes: This season the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Birks totaled 20 points (5G-15A) in 52 games with the Centennials. The right-handed blueliner, who was ranked 121st overall among North American skaters by Central Scouting, will be attending Michigan Tech next fall (2014-15 season).
Sexton’s Take: "Dane Birks is a good-sized defenseman and he’s going to play at least one more year in the BCHL before going to college. We like the upside that he has. He’s a little bit of a late bloomer, but he skates well, moves the puck well and is physical in his own way. He is one of those players that needs a little bit more time but obviously going the college route, he’ll get it.“
 |
Selection: Sixth Round (179th overall)
Position: C
Height: 5-11
Weight: 163
Amateur Team: Smiths Fa(BCHL)
Notes: Byron split this season with the Kemptville 73s and Smiths Falls Bears of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), totaling 52 points (12G-40A) in 51 games. Byron, who was the 122nd rated North American player by Central Scouting, was a CCHL Third-Team All-Star and he won the CCHL’s Top Prospect Award this past year. He will be attending the University of Maine.
Sexton’s Take: "Blaine is a very smart player. He will grow a little bit more. Smart, skilled, creative playmaker. Certainly more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. Going to the University of Maine if not this fall, then the following fall. (Another) college player that’s going to need a little bit more time to develop."
 |
Selection: Seventh Round (209th overall)
Position: LW
Height: 5-11
Weight: 164
Amateur Team: St. Michaels (OJHL)
Notes: A native of Whitby, Ontario, Josephs will be attending Clarkson University. Josephs, a 6-foot, 181-pounder, helped St. Michael’s win the OJHL championship this season, contributing 20 points (7G-13A) in 24 postseason contests. During the regular season Josephs had 17 goals, 20 assists and 37 points in 42 games.
Sexton’s Take: "Troy Josephs is going to Clarkson this fall. He plays with a lot of pace, a lot of tempo. He’s a hard to play against center. Tenacious on pucks, hard as an F1 forechecker. We like the grit that he brings. He needs more time to develop his game but he is certainly a guy that fits what we’re looking for."
No comments:
Post a Comment