Q: I must say, I am worried about the play of Ryan Whitney. For such a big defender, he seldom uses his body in the Penguins' zone, and seems like he can't concentrate. It may be a bit early to say so, but the big raise he got doesn't really seem like money well-spent.

Truls Lauveng, Aurskog, Norway

MOLINARI: Whitney's performance during the Penguins' 5-2 loss in New York Tuesday, when he and defense partner Darryl Sydor were on the ice for four Rangers goals, inspired a serious outpouring of vitriol from fans.

As was noted in the Q&A some weeks ago, Whitney has not performed to expectations for most of this season -- certainly, not to the level the Penguins hoped for when he received a six-year contract worth $24 million last July -- but anyone who expects him to play a physical game (no matter how big he is) or to be a particular force in his own zone simply hasn't been paying attention since he broke into the league.

Whitney's defensive game can, and almost certainly will, improve in coming years, but his puck skills will always be his forte, and are the reason he's being paid $4 million per season. His ability to shoot, pass and carry the puck don't excuse, or even offset, his defensive-zone shortcomings, but Whitney is no more likely to develop into a stalwart in his own end than Brooks Orpik is to become a 20-goal man.

Q: I read that the reason Michel Therrien started Ty Conklin in goal against the Rangers was because his dad flew in from Alaska to see him play. Although this is a nice gesture, Marc-Andre Fleury has been playing great, and this goes against everything Therien has been preaching about giving the start to the goaltender who is playing the best. When is this guy going to stick with what he says? We saw the results. We lost and Conklin looked terrible.

Todd, Pittsburgh

MOLINARI: Yes, Therrien went against his oft-stated policy of rewarding good performance with playing time. And yes, Conklin's performance against the Rangers was one of the worst of the season. And yes, Therrien did say that he played Conklin in New York so that his father would have an opportunity to see him play.

What seems to be forgotten here is that he did the same thing with Jocelyn Thibault in Phoenix last season, and was rewarded with one of Thibault's best efforts of the season. At that time, Therrien was widely praised because he had insight that led to him putting Thibault in a situation that would bring out the best in him, and got two points to show for it.

Conklin has done far more to contribute to the Penguins' success this season than Thibault did in 2006-07, and Therrien could have justified playing him at Madison Square Garden simply by saying that he wanted to give him a chance to stay sharp, in case Fleury faltered at some point.

Frankly, if anyone had a problem with Therrien's rationale for starting Conklin against the Rangers, it would have carried a lot more weight if those reservations had been expressed before the game, not after it.

Q: After watching Pascal Dupuis play for about a month now, I love his hustle and hard play, and he has a great shot. What would you think about a Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa line? I would think the speed on a line like this would drive opponents nuts.

Tim Cypher, Butler

MOLINARI: Therrien hasn't divulged his plan for who will man the left side with Crosby and Hossa, but Dupuis is a logical candidate to be on the short list. Pretty high on it, for that matter.

He doesn't have the offensive pedigree one would like in an ideal linemate for Crosby -- Dupuis has gotten more than 15 goals just once since breaking into the NHL during the 2000-01 season -- but his hands are decent, he skates well and he has no reservations about doing blue-collar work along the boards and in the corners.

If Therrien decides, for whatever reason, that he doesn't want Dupuis in that role, Max Talbot probably would merit an audition.