Jordan Staal returned to practice today and is very close to being able to being able to play in a game. It will also be very interesting to see what the lineup looks like when everyone is back. Should Aaron Asham be put right into the lineup? Are the Pens going to send Eric Tangradi down to the minors? What about Mark Letestu?
My answers to those questions are: No the Pens should not send down Tangradi. He's a good power-forward that's fits in great with this team. He's only going to get better.
Mark Letestu has earned a spot on this roster. He leads all NHL goalies in goals and has been played very well. I also think Asham has to earn his way back in the lineup.
To me, on most nights my lineup would look like this:
Kunitz-Crosby-Comrie
Malkin-Staal-Tangradi
Cooke-Letestu-Kennedy
Rupp-Talbot-Dupuis
Then the Pens could dress Craig Adams, Eric Godard, and Aaron Asham on certain nights. I would also be very wary of having Rupp,Cooke, and Asham in the same lineup. The Pens would be walking a thin-line of having too much "goonery" on their team.
I'm also very disappointed in Pittsburgh Penguins fans who have bashed Marc-Andre Fleury so much this year. Fleury hasn't been played as badly as some of these "fans" would like you to believe. Brent Johnson has filled in nicely but he is a journeyman backup goalie who will continue to be the backup.
Fleury has a pedigree and was a key part of the team that won the Stanley Cup. Also, look at Roberto Luongo, Henrik Lundqvist, and Martin Broduer's numbers, all of which are similar to Fleury's. Fleury will be fine and is still the number one goaltender for this team.
In non-Pens news, here's a pretty awesome video:
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