Penguins Q&A with Dave Molinari

Q: The Pens' recent treatment of Mark Recchi bothers me because he was consistently forechecking and backchecking hard and making plays. It seems to me that he just wasn't finishing or carrying the puck as well as usual. I don't see why Recchi can't rotate in and out of the lineup, perhaps like an old player should. Why is he sitting when we have skaters like Adam Hall out there consistently?

Bill, Norman, Okla.

MOLINARI: It's funny. For most of the season, the Q&A was inundated with e-mails from fans angry that Recchi remained in the lineup -- often, in a prominent role -- even though his offensive output had declined precipitously. However, now that he has been a healthy scratch for six consecutive games and seven of the past eight, the Recchi-backers have replaced the Recchi-bashers, and the vast majority of messages express support for him and anger that he isn't playing.

(One fan even suggested that Recchi should have been in the lineup Monday night, at least in part, because the Penguins handed out bobblehead dolls of him commemorating Recchi's 500th NHL goal. Fortunately for the Penguins, the coaching staff and front office aren't making personnel decisions based on the marketing department's promotional schedule.)

Of course, the whole issue of how the Penguins handle Recchi likely will be moot now that he's been placed on waivers, and there are rumblings around North America that suggest a number of teams will consider submitting a claim for him by the deadline at noon today.

But if he goes unclaimed and the Penguins keep him on their 23-man roster -- the other option would be to assign him to their farm team in Wilkes-Barre -- the idea of giving Recchi, 39, some scheduled days off has merit. Certainly, it's something the Penguins should consider with 41-year-old Gary Roberts, who has been most visible this season when taking ill-advised penalties. The fact is, though, that Recchi had ample opportunity to establish himself as a key contributor this season, and was unable to do so. While his work ethic never was -- and probably never will be -- questioned, the bottom line is productivity, not perspiration, and he simply didn't put up the points the Penguins expected from a guy who spent extensive time as a top-six forward and on the No. 1 power play.

Hall, by the way, fills a completely different niche than Recchi. Among other things, he kills penalties and gives the Penguins a fairly effective righthanded faceoff man.

Q: What do you think it will take for the Flyers to get the message from the NHL that this near-criminal head-hunting that they are doing must stop?

Bob LoCicero, Frederick, Md.

MOLINARI: Well, the league tried to deliver that message in conjunction with the Flyers' latest suspension, a three-gamer issued to Riley Cote Monday for his nasty elbow to the head ofDallas' Matt Niskanen two days earlier.

Cote is the fifth Flyer to get some unscheduled time off this season, joining Steve Downie (20 games), Jesse Boulerice (25), Randy Jones (2) and Scott Hartnell (2). The trend there is pretty tough to overlook, and led to a conversation between Commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly and Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren after Cote has his hearing with league disciplinarian Colin Campbell.

Bettman told Holmgren that if a Flyer is guilty of any similar attack in the future, the organization -- not just the individual -- could be subject to punishment, likely in the form of a substantial fine. Holmgren, to his credit, told Philadelphia reporters that his team's run of suspension-worthy acts "has to stop."

Campbell, by the way, told the Philadelphia Daily News that, "I would not think either (coach John Stevens) or (Holmgren) are instigating this. We're not suggesting that there is any direction, but (the Flyers) certainly are not behaving the right way."

Mind you, if Philadelphia has plenty of anything other than players who seem to have no qualms about committing acts that could lead to serious injuries for an opponent, it's money. Consequently, it remains to be seen if the front office is serious about eliminating dangerous cheap shots, or simply will write off any fines they lead to as the cost of doing business, Flyers-style.