Malkin, Penguins Short Circuit Lightning 6-3

The Tampa Bay Lightning entered Sunday afternoon’s contest with Pittsburgh lugging an unsightly six-game losing streak. If Guy Boucher’s crew was expecting any sympathy from the Penguins—who only recently snapped a six-game slide of their own—they were sadly mistaken. Paced by Evgeni Malkin’s natural hat trick and a pair of power-play tallies from James Neal, the black and gold burned the skidding Bolts 6-3.

Trouble started early for the home team. Scoring ace Steven Stamkos dug the Lightning a hole when he handed the Penguins a power play just 46 seconds into the contest. Malkin pried the puck off the right sideboards to Paul Martin, who found Neal stationed along the goal line. The big winger whipped his 23rd goal of the season past Mathieu Garon from a sharp angle to stake the Pens to a 1-0 lead.

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2009 Pittsburgh Penguins Free Agents

Here is a current list of Pitttsburgh Penguin players who’s contracts are up and become free agents as of 12:01 pm, July 1st 2009.

Here is the 2010 list:  2010 Pittsburgh Penguins Free Agents

You can click on their name to see their lifetime stats.

Click here if you are looking for up to date salary cap numbers and upcoming free agents: 
Pittsburgh Penguins 2009 – 2010 Salary Cap Numbers

Unrestricted Free Agents:  On July 1st, 2009 any player not under contract who is 27 years or older or who has at least 7 years of experience in the NHL, is a Unrestricted Free agent.  Free to go where they want and take whatever pay the get offered.

Here is a list of Unrestricted Free Agents the Penguins have at the end of the Year, their age, their current salary level, and position: ...

TOUGH DECISIONS – the STANLEY CUP Pittsburgh Penguin Offseason…

The Parade is over and the memories will linger on forever yet the team management gets no rest.
The Secondary Awards Banquet is tomorrow… the Entry Draft next week… and Free Agency about a week later so there is no time to rest for Ray Shero and his management team.
What should they do?  Let’s first lay a few assumptions out there… that the Salary Cap remains at $56.7 million and our current Salary Cap Hit is $46.835 million.

The Pens have (10) players… Satan, Sykora, Fedotenko, Guerin, Zigomanis, Adams, Gill, Boucher, Scuderi, and Garon as UFA’s that were on the final roster. Plus, a few other UFA’s – Pesonen, Taffe, and Minard who were at WB/S.  They also have (4) RFA’s – Goligoski, Lovejoy, Bissonnette, and Curry. That’s (14) players and contracts where decisions need to be made.
That’s why we are here – to help Shero make his decisions!  You do know that this is where he comes for advice, right.

Let’s start with who not to keep. In others words no contract offered.  I have selected (5) players:

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