Pittsburgh Penguins Offseason: Ehrhoff Signs, Kessel Bids Farewell, and More
By Mike Necciai
We’re officially in the last week of the worst month for hockey fans. The Pittsburgh Penguins are slowly creeping back into town in order to take part in voluntary skates at the new practice facility, and hockey is now just around the corner.
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- Penguins Waddle Toward The Season
- Farewell Carl Hagelin
- Penguins Line-up Breakdown vs Stanley Cup Champs Vegas
- Ryan Graves Solid Signing For The Pittsburgh Penguins
One of the major surprises this summer, at least for me, is that former Pens’ defenseman Christian Ehrhoff has been available for this long without someone scooping him up. Well, he finally inked a deal with the L.A. Kings and they received an absolute bargain on this deal.
Of course, the biggest concern with Ehrhoff is his ability to stay healthy, especially after an injury-riddled 2014-15 in Pittsburgh. He suffered a concussion late in the season and although the Pens were hopeful he could return for the playoffs, that proved to be nothing more than wishful thinking. However, despite his injury concerns, his $1.5 million price tag with the Kings this season defines low-risk, high-reward. Ehrhoff is far above what you’d expect for that price but will have to prove himself this season in order to earn a raise for 2016-17.
$1.5m good value for Ehrhoff. Stats past 3 seasons of the 3D w/$1.5m cap hit in 2015-16. pic.twitter.com/Mx1Kzf4j3p
— Paddy Holden (@pfholden) August 24, 2015
Cody Franson is somehow still available via UFA. There has been no indication of whether the holdup is with his camp or lack of offers but you have to think that he’ll be signed fairly soon with September approaching quickly. I’ll be very surprised if he ends up being someone who is brought in on a tryout basis.
Evgeni Malkin is Skating With the Pittsburgh Penguins
Are you looking for a sign that hockey is indeed very near?
Look who's at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex! pic.twitter.com/GFCvIWe4YC
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 24, 2015
Geno was spotted at the Steelers’ game with new potential line mate Sergei Plotnikov yesterday. Today, he’s on the ice for voluntary offseason workouts at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. As expected, a lot of the Pittsburgh Penguins are returning a bit earlier than usual due to the new facility and group of new faces.
Still, Pittsburgh fans are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Phil Kessel.
Phil Kessel Bids Farewell to the Toronto Fan Base
I was personally fairly surprised that Kessel didn’t address the fans of Toronto earlier in the summer after this trade. But, it seems that he waited until it was closer to the time he actually departed for Pittsburgh. Does this mean that we’ll see Kessel on the ice in Cranberry in the near future?
I want to thank all of the Toronto fans for all the support you have shown me.I will miss you and this city and always consider Toronto home
— Phil Kessel (@PKessel81) August 23, 2015
There’s no indication of when “Phil the Thrill” will make his appearance on Pittsburgh ice. But, you have to think that it will be soon considering the amount of players participating in practice and the fact that he has now bid Toronto farewell. One other item of note regarding that tweet is the class that Maple Leafs’ fans exhibited in response to it. Despite the Toronto media’s attempt at turning Kessel into a bad guy, the Leafs’ faithful are excited to see what he can do in Pittsburgh. And, trust me, Pens’ fans are too.
Next: Is Gonchar Worth the Risk on a PTO?