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Q: Why didn't the Mario Lemieux ownership group just wait about six months before selling the team? That way, they could have waited for the slots license decision. If Isle Of Capri got it, there would be a guaranteed arena, and a new arena increases the value of a franchise. If IOC lost, the owners could have agreed to Plan B for a new arena, then sold it, forcing the new owner to keep the team here. That way, Mario gets more money and he would keep the team here for sure. It would be a win-win for him and the Penguins.

Kevin MacLean, Ontario, Canada

MOLINARI: Lemieux and his partners actively shopped the team for more than a year before reaching an agreement with Jim Balsillie earlier this month, so it's not as if they hung a "For Sale" sign on the franchise one morning, then announced the next day that someone new would be in charge. With a viable buyer in place, there was nothing for Lemieux's group to gain by putting the process on hold.

What's more, the idea that the franchise might be portable -- which could be the case if IOC doesn't get the slots license and is freed from its obligation to put $290 million into a new arena -- probably inflated the sale price a bit. If the new owner was absolutely committed to keeping the team here under any circumstances -- even if he'd never say so publicly, because of the way his negotiating leverage would be undermined -- he would be perfectly welcome to do so. But if he wanted to take it elsewhere, or simply threaten to do so if Plan B isn't attractive enough, buying the team when its future was uncertain kept that option alive.

Q: I don't see why so many analysts think that Jordan Staal and Kristopher Letang will be sent to back to junior hockey. They are NHL-capable now and will learn more here than on a bus in Ontario or Quebec. With our new deep-pockets owner, money should not be the decisive factor. And if we have too many free agents in 2010, any sharp GM could deal with that problem in 2009.

Charles Zaleski, Lewisburg, Pa.

MOLINARI: The idea of sending Staal and/or Letang back to junior has very little, if anything, to do with money, at least in the short term. Finding space on the payroll for either, or both, would not be major challenge for general manager Ray Shero. (Especially when you consider that if those two return to junior, their replacements on the major-league roster might be guys who might actually have higher salaries.)

And sending them back for the sake of their development isn't the no-brainer that it seemed it would be heading into training camp. Neither Staal nor Letang will have his progress retarded if he goes back to junior, but neither is out of place at this level, either. If the ability to compete effectively against men was the only issue, both would be worthy of staying with the Penguins.

But the NHL's collective bargaining agreement makes it possible for players to become unrestricted free agents after just seven seasons, and freezing that clock for a year obviously is a good long-term move for teams in most situations. What's more, players are eligible to negotiate big-money deals after completing the three years on their entry-level contracts and if Staal turns out to be an elite-level performer, returning him to Peterborough now would position the Penguins to space out the big-ticket deals they'd have to sign with Sidney Crosby (2008), Evgeni Malkin (2009) and Staal (2010).

Q: What's your take on players being on a team purely for their shootout skills? Do you think a shootout specialist could be that one player who is only on the team for one reason, like an enforcer?

Chris MacIntosh, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

MOLINARI: Keeping a shootout specialist in the lineup is an idea that would seem to make sense for some teams, but not others, depending on the club's personnel and how its coach likes to use his lines.

The first major criterion would be having a player with skills needed to be a shootout specialist -- slick moves, good shot placement or some combination thereof -- but not those required to be effective when taking a regular shift. The second would be that the coach wouldn't mind losing the ability to roll four lines because he's giving up a lineup spot to the specialist (unless he's interested in double-shifting one of his other forwards).

Bottom line: If a team has a guy who's great on breakaways but can't do much of anything else, and if the coach is content to get by deploying his No. 4 line only occasionally, employing a shootout specialist probably isn't a bad idea. But if a guy is going to draw an NHL salary -- and occupy a spot on the major-league roster -- because he can be a difference-maker in the relatively small percentage of games that extend beyond overtime, he'd better score every time he has an opportunity.

Q: Why does Isle of Capri have the third-best chance of gaining the slots license? One would think that the allure of building a multi-purpose arena would be attractive to the city. What is the catch to their deal, or what is so good about the other company's deals that they are third-best?

Colin McWhertor, Grand Rapids, Mich.

MOLINARI: You don't say how you -- or someone -- came to the conclusion that IOC has "the third-best chance of gaining the slots license," but ranking the slots-license bidders seems like it's even less scientific than rating college football teams. Especially if it's done by people who don't consider the factors that are supposed to go into the decision, or the relative importance they are given.

Reporting by a Post-Gazette colleague months ago pointed out that the Gaming Control Board has three primary criteria: "clear and convincing evidence of the applicant's good character, honesty and integrity," the same kind of evidence for all officers, directors and anyone with an ownership interest in the company applying for the license and "clear and convincing evidence that the applicant has sufficient business ability and experience to create and maintain a successful, efficient operation."

All three finalists for the Pittsburgh license apparently have satisfied those requirements, so the tiebreaker figures to be portions of the proposals that, under Section 1325 of the law that legalized slots, "may" be taken into consideration. Unfortunately for those who believe IOC's offer to put money into a new arena, potential benefit to the community is just one item on a long list of issues that could carry some weight when the board is making its decision.

A sampling -- a very brief sampling -- of the others: The location and quality of the proposed facility, including road and transit access, parking and centrality to market service area; the applicant's good-faith plan to recruit, train and upgrade diversity in all employment classifications in the facility; the history and success of the applicant in developing tourism facilities ancillary to gaming development; the potential for adverse effects from the project, such as increased demand for health care, child care, public transportation, affordable housing and social services; and the applicant's record in dealing with its employees at other locations.

Q: Is there any chance that the Pens are rushing Malkin back too soon? I cannot imagine they would do that with a precious commodity like Malkin and risk more severe injury, but it seems like he healed awfully quickly.

Jeff McManus, Wexford

MOLINARI: Anything is possible, because determining when a player is fully recovered from an injury or illness relies on subjective assessments by doctors and trainers, but that presumably is why the Penguins took such a cautious approach to getting Malkin into the lineup. Much as the team could have used him in the first four games, management recognizes how important he is to the future of the franchise and did not want to jeopardize that for the sake of some short-term benefit.

But even though the Penguins waited until they were convinced that Malkin was completely over his dislocated left shoulder before allowing him to make his NHL debut Wednesday against New Jersey, it does not alter the reality that players who have had that kind of injury are far more vulnerable to a recurrence than those who have not, at least until the damage is surgically repaired. Whether Malkin will have surgery after this season -- assuming he stays healthy that long -- isn't clear, but it's something he and team officials likely will spend a lot of time thinking about in coming weeks and months.

Q: Is there any chance the Penguins will honor Tom Barrasso by retiring his number? His contributions as a member of two Stanley Cup teams should overshadow his poor image with the fans and media.

Steve Heim, Lindenwold, N.J.

MOLINARI: Barrasso's often-prickly dealings with fans, media members and even teammates he deemed to be something less than equals probably wouldn't prevent the Penguins from retiring his number, but the strict standards they apply before honoring a player that way almost certainly will.

There is no indication the team plans to retire any number except 21 (Michel Briere) and 66 (Mario Lemieux) and if it did, there is a pretty long list of guys who are at least as worthy as Barrasso, if not more worthy. While Barrasso was an important member of those championship clubs, so were guys like Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens and Ulf Samuelsson, among others.

Perhaps there is room for compromise, though. If the Penguins would decide Barrasso's number should be retired but wouldn't want to risk alienating fans who might have had an unpleasant interaction with him by hanging it above center ice, perhaps they could display it in the training room where he famously berated goaltending partner Jean-Sebastien Aubin for leaving a game after being injured.

Q: Is it possible the NHL Board of Governors can or will put off any approval of the sale of the franchise to Jim Balsillie until a definite plan has been agreed on with Isle of Capri or the Plan B proposal?

Jonathan Cross, Duncansville, Pa.

MOLINARI: The Board of Governors can vote on the sale whenever it wants, but there is no reason to believe it will delay doing so because of the uncertainty surrounding the future of this franchise.

The sale, after all, is a separate issue, even though people in this area understandably link it to the possibility of the city getting the up-to-date, multi-purpose facility the Penguins insist they need to be economically competitive.

While the league has an obvious interest in having the Penguins stay here -- the NHL doesn't need a public display of instability, and would prefer to preserve other markets for expansion in the future -- the governors are not going to reject the sale to Balsillie, or anyone else, just because he won't make an unwavering commitment to remain in Pittsburgh. If the Board is satisfied that Balsillie has the resources to needed to operate a team and meets the other standards it expects of owners, it will -- and should -- approve his purchase.