The Penguins learned weeks ago that they won't be able to get Evgeni Malkin out of Russia until next year.

And while spending another winter in the Russian Super League won't seriously retard his development -- the quality of play there is pretty high -- it also isn't necessary to get him ready for the NHL.

At least not according to Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar, Malkin's teammate with Metallurg Magnitogorsk last season.

"He's ready," Gonchar said. "He's a great, great player. A lot of skill, a lot of speed. He plays well, offensively and defensively."

Even though he's only 19, Malkin is the leading scorer in the Super League, with five goals and seven assists in nine games, and already has been penciled in for a spot on the 2006 Russian Olympic squad.

Gonchar, though, believes Malkin will have to fine-tune his game to perform to his full potential in North America, putting more of an emphasis on scoring goals instead of setting them up.

"He's a guy who passes the puck a lot," Gonchar said. "On this rink, where the ice is a little smaller, he'll have to shoot a little more. In that league, he's trying to pass the puck even if he's standing in front of an empty net."

Malkin is the No. 1 center for Magnitogorsk, one of the early-season favorites for the Super League championship, and has established himself as a player teammates look to when the pressure and stakes are highest.

"He's the guy who steps up in tough situations and scores a goal," Gonchar said. "He's the kind of guy who can do that."

No bad blood

Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was a Montreal fan while growing up, which means he didn't think too highly of the Canadiens' arch-rivals, the Quebec Nordiques.

That doesn't mean, though, that he has any hard feelings toward newly arrived Penguins goalie Jocelyn Thibault, who broke into the NHL with Quebec.

"I liked the goalies," Fleury said. "I just didn't like the team."

Flu-ridden Blue Jackets

Columbus dressed the full complement of 20 players last night, but the Blue Jackets weren't necessarily at full strength.

A flu-like ailment swept through the Blue Jackets' locker room a few days ago, affecting 31 of 39 players and numerous staff members. Columbus dressed just 18 players for its 3-2 loss Sunday in Chicago, and starting goalie Pascal Leclaire was forced to leave the game after the first period.

Most players were well on the way to recovery yesterday, although some were still feeling residual effects of the illness.

Penalty shots

NHL executives Colin Campbell and Mike Murphy met with the Penguins before last night's game to warn them about the perils of gambling, drug use and, perhaps, neutral-zone giveaways. ... League officials are looking into an incident in the Penguins' 3-2 loss Sunday to Washington in Hershey, when Penguins left winger Andre Roy made at least two throat-slashing gestures at Capitals forward Robin Gomez after the second of their two fights. ... Rostislav Klesla, the Blue Jackets' outstanding young defenseman, will miss four to six weeks because of a stress fracture in his right leg. ... Mario Lemieux, who dressed for his third exhibition game last night, said he plans to make one more preseason appearance, during the Penguins' home game against Washington at 7:38 p.m. Sunday. ... Goalie Dany Sabourin and defensemen David Koci and Alain Nasreddine cleared waivers and were assigned to the Penguins' minor-league team in Wilkes-Barre. ... The Penguins will play in Ottawa tomorrow night and in Washington Friday.