A Captain Calls

In all the excitement following a weekend that had the Penguins drafting yet another potential superstar as well as a pair of right handed defensemen AND snagging Gary Roberts for an entire season, I forgot to mention one more trade in my last post. The Pens traded Wilkes-Barre / Scranton staple Stephen Dixon for fellow center Tim Brent from Anaheim. Now you know.

Moving on to today's edition of news about our FAVORITE center, it seems the young captain is pleased with the Penguins' 2007 first round draft choice:

Shortly before he met the media after the Penguins made him their first-round pick, Esposito took a call from Crosby, the team's newly minted captain. The conversation was brief, but it might have explained why Esposito appeared generally pleased to land with Pittsburgh despite having slipped from the consensus top prospect at the start of this past season.

"(Esposito) was very happy to get that call," general manager Ray Shero said. "Sid did the same thing last year when we drafted Jordan (Staal). You know, Sidney is the captain of this team, so it is very nice for our top pick to hear from him."

the ultimate welcome wagon

It's also worth noting that, while in Columbus, Penguins officials toured the Nationwide Arena. Apparently, they have (smartly) been touring modern arenas ever since they got word the Pens would get a new home, and it is believed that the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota is the building which the Penguins will use as a model for the new arena in Pittsburgh.

Next up on the agenda for the Penguins' brass: the free agency period, which begins on July 1. Incidentally, this will also be the day when the Pens can begin negotiations to renew Sir Sidney's contract:

"He's our franchise player and a guy we want to be here the rest of his career," Shero said. "Once we can start talking to him on July 1, hopefully we have some common ground here."

Crosby anticipates the negotiations going well."We want to make sure everything goes right and it's the way everyone wants it," Crosby said. "It's part of the business side of things, but I'm more than confident that everyone's going to be happy with it."

Sidney Crosby = Penguin for Life? I can hardly wait to see what happens...

2007 Draft Day Surprise

Wow! What a weekend! With the signing of Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi to secure them for another season and the absolute STEAL at the draft, it was indeed a great weekend to be a Pens fan. But still, the 2007 draft doesn't top this one:

(aaaahh... the good old days.)

Following this weekend's draft, Sid's got a slew of new teammates - and, yes friends, we got two RIGHT HANDED DEFENSEMEN (Bortuzzo and Grant). Beautiful. It also looks like the Penguins decided to add some beef to their roster. There are some BIG boys in this year's list of Pens picks. (Were they thinking of bigger size = better protection for Sid?)

The night's big news: Angelo Esposito is now a Penguin. Outstanding. Drafting this kid is like buying stock in Microsoft in the early 80's: he's a high risk to be sure, but expect HIGH RETURNS if things go well. He's got loads of talent and tons of potential. Only a few months ago, it was widely thought that he would be the first overall draft pick this year, but his stock fell dramatically amid accusations that he lacked the commitment and passion necessary to succeed in the NHL. Still, NO ONE thought he'd remain undrafted 19 choices in. (It was so unexpected that Ray Shero & company didn't even have a nameplate made for the jersey they presented to Esposito, even though he was one of the first picks on the Pens' wishlist!) I think Espo will be a great addition to the Penguins. Being around Sid, Gary Roberts, Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, et al. should help him rekindle his love of the game, if he's actually lost it.

Anyhoo, here's the scoop from the entire affair (which was already broken down nicely by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette):

• Angelo Esposito, a 6-1, 180-pound center from Montreal (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League).
• Keven Veilleux, a 6-foot-4, 202-pound center from Victoriaville (QMJHL).
• Robert Bortuzzo, a 6-3, 196-pound defenseman from Kitchener (Ontario Hockey League).
• Casey Pierro-Zabotel, a 6-1 205-pound center from Merritt (British Columbia Junior Hockey League).
• Luca Caputi, a 6-2, 184-pound left winger from Mississauga (OHL).
• Alex Grant, a 6-2, 185-pound defenseman from Saint John (QMJHL).
• Jake Muzzin, a 6-2, 206-pound defenseman from Sault Ste. Marie (OHL).
• Dustin Jeffrey, a 6-1, 205-pound center from Sault Ste. Marie (OHL).

Finally, Chris Thorburn was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for a 3rd round draft pick. It's not an earth shattering announcement. He was neither terrible nor notable during his time with the Pens. It will be sad to see him go, but only because he was a member of the club that made this season so magical. If it matters, I wish him well in Atlanta... Not "a-Stanley-Cup-Winning-Season well", but "well" nonetheless. ;)