The Pittsburgh Penguins offense fell flat in the 2015–16 season opener against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Rookie left-winger Sergei Plotnikov, imported to the NHL after six seasons in the Russian-based KHL, looked particularly flat. Plotnikov made headlines by paying around $500,000 to negate the final year of a KHL contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and join the Penguins as the team allegedly sought a Russian winger to play on a line with Evgeni Malkin. Based on some simple ... Read More
Pens mailbag: Kessel, the cap, who is Kael Mouillierat and more
I heard that Kessel is a bit of a dressing room problem. While not technically a question, it is a concern, and a fairly serious one. Deserved or not, Phil Kessel’s reputation ranges from that of a guy that’s a bit out of shape and doesn’t always try his hardest to a full-blown locker room cancer. I’ve also heard others say that Kessel is a little bit misunderstood and that his social anxiety causes tension between him and the media. Here’s what Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford ... Read More
Pens to sign Russian winger Plotnikov; salary cap set; changes coming to OT
The Pittsburgh Penguins are interested in signing Russian forward Sergei Plotnikov, according to a source close to the situation. The story was first reported by Russian news agency TASS. Plotnikov, 25, most recently played for Lokomitv Yaroslavl of the KHL, where he scored 15 goals and had 21 assists in 56 games in 2014-15. He also represented Russia in the 2015 IIHF World Championships, where he had four goals and an assist in 19 games. He was a teammate of Penguins center Evgeni Malkin at ... Read More