The rub–at least as I see it–is that he’s not a great skater. Mind you, I don’t think he’s a bad skater. In fact I think he shows decent speed at times for a big guy. And I like his instincts around the net and willingness to jam.

But Bylsma really seems to prefer small speedy forwards. A glance at the Pens’ roster tells the story–Adams, Asham, Cooke, Dupuis, Kennedy, Kunitz, Park, Sullivan, Vitale (and Sid) are all built along the same lines and essentially play the same way.

Not that I don’t like these guys. I do. They’re all good to great (Sid) players who work their tails off. But I think you need a blend of players with different styles and attributes (like Tangradi’s size) to win a Cup. I’m not sure Bylsma agrees.

I didn’t actually see the fight. But judging from the reviews on Dropyourgloves.com it sounds like Bickel got the better of it.

I think right now Tangradi’s trying to do anything he can to establish himself. But fighting’s not really his bag. I like the kid, but I’m not sure Bylsma does. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tangradi included in a trade deadline deal …

I do think the Pens need another scrapper with Asham out–and possibly limited going forward (it’s his second concussion in two years). From a strictly fighting standpoint, I’d love to see the Pens try to get Micheal Haley from the Islanders. He’s a younger version of Asham … he can REALLY throw ‘em.