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Q: Just wondering what your thoughts are about the Penguins possibly having to make a choice between Marian Hossa and Ryan Malone? My feeling is the Penguins already have enough pure goal-scorers. I'd much rather have Malone, who is in the Kevin Stevens-mold of a power forward.

Tim Gallaher, Canton, Mich.

MOLINARI: If the Penguins had enough goal-scorers, Hossa wouldn't have been brought in to begin with. For while he contributes solid play all over the ice, his goal-scoring ability is the primary reason general manager Ray Shero was willing to part with two players, a top prospect and a first-round draft choice to get him, even if it is just for a few months.

Hossa and Malone fill somewhat different roles, and figure to command somewhat different salaries if and when they hit the market as unrestricted free agents this summer. It's entirely possible that Malone will get a deal worth $4 million or $5 million per season, especially if he continues to perform well in the playoffs. Hossa, however, isn't likely to come in for any less than $7 million a year.

The thinking here is that the Penguins will -- and should -- make a serious effort to lure Malone back, even though he has consistently played at his current level for only one season, but that keeping Hossa will cause just too much of a salary-cap hit (and do it for too many years) for the Penguins to be able to make it work.

Q: This is a comment to all of the Ryan Whitney doubters. Take a look at who is leading the Pens in plus-minus. It isn't Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malking, Jordan Staal, Sergei Gonchar, Hossa or Malone. It is Ryan Whitney. I did not see Whitney make a mistake (during the Ottawa series) that no one else would have made. Let's put the Whitney-bashing to bed, please.

Bryan Mullins, Florence, S.C.

MOLINARI: Whitney probably would be happy to know that he has at least one backer out there -- family members, agents and teammates aside, of course -- but yours is very much a rare voice in a resounding chorus of displeasure with his play.

It's true that Whitney's plus-minus rating of plus-5 was the best of any Penguin during the Ottawa series, which probably will surprise some people. It's also true that a lot of observers don't consider that stat to necessarily be an accurate reflection of a player's performance, and you'd have a hard time finding anyone (including the aforementioned relatives, agents and co-workers) who believes he was the Penguins' best player against the Senators.

Whitney was guilty of some significant errors against Ottawa, and it probably is neither fair nor accurate to suggest that all of his colleagues on the Penguins' defense would have had the same lapses if they'd been in those particular situations.

Still, the thinking here continues to be that Whitney, despite his struggles for much of this season, has too much talent and potential to be cast aside. And that if Whitney is able to elevate his game to the level he has the potential to reach, his talent can make a positive difference for the Penguins when they face challenges greater than the one the Senators presented.

In fact, it probably isn't a reach to suggest that one of Whitney's great problems at this point is confidence; when a player struggles, self-doubt is almost inevitable, and generally makes a bad situation worse. In light of all that, the Penguins might want to consider resurrecting the backdoor play that was so effective for their power play in 2006-07.

Opponents seemed to catch on to it eventually, and it was pretty much mothballed for most of this season. Breaking it out now might not only give other clubs another special-teams wrinkle to worry about, but if it would lead to Whitney scoring a few goals -- remember how many he got last season from inside the left circle after moving in front the point -- it could provide a boost to his entire game by helping to restore his belief in his considerable abilities.