Second-round draft pick in 2004 looks a lot better as time -- and the NHL's evolution -- goes on

The Penguins didn't claim defenseman Alex Goligoski in the second round of the 2004 draft because they figured the league's crackdown on obstruction penalties -- and other steps to put a renewed emphasis on speed and skill -- would allow him to make the most of his offensive abilities.

After all, the NHL's zero-tolerance policy on obstruction hadn't been formulated, let alone implemented, when they secured his rights. That didn't happen until a year later.

But Goligoski's value certainly hasn't suffered since the game got its makeover.

"He has offensive tools that are hard to find," Penguins assistant general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "He can go back and get the puck and make one pass and you're out of your own zone. He can play the power play and really sees the ice.

"His strengths are in areas that the new game tends to emphasize and that successful teams in the new game seem to have an abundance of."

Goligoski is a junior at the University of Minnesota and entered the weekend with eight goals and 21 assists in 27 games. He leads the top-ranked Golden Gophers in assists and plus-minus rating (plus-20).

His stats are solid, but the evolution of his game -- like how he's learning not only to lead a rush, but to join one -- might be even more impressive. Fletcher likens it to the development of Tampa Bay's Dan Boyle, who broke in with Florida when Fletcher was part of the front office there.

"He was a young player who, in college, led the rush a lot, had the puck a lot," Fletcher said. "Where his game, in my opinion, really became a lot better is when he learned to move the puck quicker and come as the fourth player. To give up the puck and find open ice and get it back.

"That's a skill that's [based on] experience. Some of these players are so good at an early age, they have the puck and can just beat people all the time. But, as you climb the ladder, it's important to learn to give the puck up so you can get it back, and Goligoski has that.

"He has tremendous instincts. He sees the ice. He can hold onto the puck and bring pressure to him, then move it to his partner or move it to a winger at the right time to get the breakout going, get the transition game going.

"He doesn't panic. He's poised enough to bring the play to him a little bit, create some space elsewhere, then move the puck to the proper spot."

Goligoski's focus, at least for now, is on trying to lead Minnesota to a national championship. Once the NCAA playoffs conclude, however, he likely will weigh the merits of turning pro immediately, perhaps joining the Penguins' American Hockey League team in Wilkes-Barre for the stretch drive and Calder Cup playoffs.

That could be a tough call because, at about 5 feet 11, 185 pounds, Goligoski might well be overpowered by some forwards at the next level. On the other hand, if he stays in college, he risks having his development plateau because he isn't challenged enough by the competition there.

He clearly has the skills to put up points as a pro, but might not have the muscle needed to be effective in his own zone.

"The key with him is his strength," Fletcher said. "He's not a big man, and he needs to get stronger. There will be situations, as he becomes a pro player, that he will not handle as well as he should until he gets stronger."

The Penguins aren't likely to have much direct input on Goligoski's decision on whether to turn pro later this winter, although he obviously would have to work out a contract with them. Most indications, though, are that they believe he can be a contributor in the NHL and would like to get his pro career started as soon as Goligoski is ready.

"With the new rules, his game is tailor-made, because he has good hands and he's a smart player," Fletcher said. "It just seems there are a lot more smaller defensemen who can think and have the skill and the intelligence to be successful in the new game."

Can 20 seconds change the world? Well, not really

Stretching the duration of TV timeouts from 100 seconds to 120 this season seemed like a subtle adjustment, and that's probably how the change is seen by most fans and viewers.

The ones who are even aware that something's different, that is.

And while some coaches believe the extra time can have a profound impact because it allows them to rest key players and thus give them more ice time -- Toronto coach Paul Maurice told a newspaper in that city earlier this season the additional 20 seconds is "a gold mine" -- Michel Therrien of the Penguins isn't one of them.

That's a bit of a surprise, given his team's reliance on offensive production from a handful of forwards, but Therrien has said several times this season that the extended breaks have limited impact on what he does with guys such as Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

"A little bit, but that not much," Therrien said. "That little extra 20 seconds doesn't change that much."

This is no fantasy league that GMs operate in

The NHL trading deadline is Feb. 27 at 3 p.m., which means GM Ray Shero still has a little more than four weeks to tinker with his lineup, to find the combination of players that will get the Penguins into the Stanley Cup playoffs. Or maybe help them survive a few rounds.

Shero's challenge isn't as simple as identifying a problem -- say, the Penguins' lack of goal-scoring from the wings -- and addressing it, however.

In fact, figuring out where his team's soft spots are is the easy part. Finding ways to bolster those weaknesses without breaking the budget or sacrificing the future is what likely tempts Shero to purchase antacids by the six-pack at this time of year.

For even if he could work out a trade that would give the Penguins an obvious and immediate upgrade, he would have to get ownership's approval before finalizing the deal if it would have a significant impact on the team's payroll.

"Like with anything, I'd have to go and [explain] at that point, why it would make sense," he said. "You have to justify these things."

That's a little tougher to do these days, since the deadline was moved up when the league's current labor deal took effect in 2005.

"Three years ago, when the trading deadline was later, you had a better indication that, 'Yeah, we're there,' " Shero said. "But now, if you've got 20 games left, there's no guarantee with any move."