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Q: Do you see the Penguins' problems killing penalties as more of a personnel issue or a flaw in the system?

Chris Palochak, Aliquippa

MOLINARI: The Penguins' penalty-killing was tied for 22nd in the league rankings going into last night's games, with a success rate of 80.4 percent . It has been particularly ineffective on the road, where opponents are converting 23.7 percent of their opportunities. (The Penguins are No. 8 at home, with a kill rate of 84.6 percent.) There are no glaring tactical flaws in the Penguins' approach to penalty-killing, and they have a capable and committed collection of forwards who play while they're short-handed. What they do not have -- and this is even more obvious when they are killing penalties than at any other time -- is anywhere near enough defensemen who aggressively try to move opposing players from around the net. Opponents routinely are able to set up near the crease, creating screens and waiting for deflections and rebounds without any real fear of being hit, let alone having their central nervous systems reconfigured. All of which makes the coaching staff's refusal to use Brooks Orpik on the penalty-killing unit even more baffling, since he's their one defenseman who is consistently willing to play the body.

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Q: How has Angelo Esposito done this season? As he was once a consensus first overall pick, has he continued to progress to the point where he is an "untouchable" in terms of trades?

Andrew Rothey, Upper St. Clair

MOLINARI: Esposito, who the Penguins claimed with the 20th choice in the entry draft last June, doesn't qualify as an untouchable, but he certainly isn't someone they have actively sought -- or will actively seek -- to deal. He has 26 goals and 29 assists in 47 games with a fairly ordinary Quebec Remparts team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Penguins appear to be satisfied with his progress, based on the reports they've received from their scouts and Esposito's coach, Patrick Roy. He is a center by trade, but has been playing on the wing this season, continuing a transition Roy began in 2006-07. While there don't seem to be any significant questions about his skills (remember, there was a time when Esposito was considered the top prospect available in the Class of 2007), some observers believe his mental toughness still must be upgraded. If experiencing disappointments is the key to learning to deal with adversity, Esposito should be fine, because he's had absorbed at least two significant blows to his ego -- dropping to 20th in the draft, and being cut from Canada's world-junior squad for the third winter in a row -- during the past year.