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Q: How well do you think, realistically, Janne Pesonen will do, if he even makes the team?

Erik, Baden

MOLINARI: It's a little early to pass final judgment on Pesonen -- after all, he's only had a few practices and one exhibition game in the NHL -- but he looks like a reasonable bet to start the season in the NHL and, because of the shortage of skilled left wingers on the depth chart, possibly to move into a more prominent role.

He played on the third line, with Kris Beech and Bill Thomas, in the Penguins' 5-4 shootout loss to Tampa Bay in the preseason opener Saturday, and got some work with the second power-play unit. During one man-advantage late in the second period, he appeared to score a goal when he collected a rebound near the bottom of the left circle and rapped it past goalie Karri Ramo. The goal subsequently was waved off when it was ruled Tampa Bay had gotten control of the puck before it went to Pesonen.

That near-goal didn't require exceptional ability -- Pesonen just had to make sure the puck didn't get away from him, then throw it into a largely open net before Ramo could scramble across the crease -- but not every player exploits such opportunities when they arise during a game.

While Pascal Dupuis does a lot of important blue-collar work on the No. 1 line with Sidney Crosby and Miroslav Satan, if coach Michel Therrien decides that he wants a better set of hands on that unit, Pesonen should be a top candidate for the job.

Q: Do you think the short offseason, combined with the extra-short camp, may have a negative effect on beginning of this season? I have a feeling the combination of the two may result in a rough first month, or am I looking into it too much?

Steve Bichler, Baldwin

MOLINARI: The thinking here is that the abbreviated off-season probably won't cause significant problems for the Penguins until the final few months of the regular season, if at all.

While they do have a few veterans, most of their core players are relatively young, so having less time than usual to rest and train during the summer shouldn't be as much of a problem as some might suspect. However, it's easy to see how physical and/or mental fatigue could become a factor in February or March, with a resultant loss of energy and focus. And, by extension, games.

While there's no way that starting their season on the far side of the Atlantic is a plus for the Penguins, they do have an extremely favorable schedule upon returning to North America. They are supposed to land in Pittsburgh late in the evening of Oct. 6, but don't have a game until New Jersey visits Mellon Arena on Oct. 11. The Penguins then play games here on Oct. 14, 16 and 18 before going back on the road, for a game at Boston Oct. 20.

Still, if the Penguins stumble out of the gate, the short summer and trip to Sweden almost certainly will be cited by some as major contributors to their struggles. (What likely will be overlooked is that they went 8-11-2 in their first 21 games in 2007-08, even though they were coming off a standard-length summer and didn't travel anywhere more exotic than Newark during that time.)

Q: I realize the Penguins have signed Michael Therrien to a three-year extension, but I have not read whether the assistant coaches have been offered the same extension. I think the entire coaching staff has done a great job.

Ed, Wexford

MOLINARI: Assistant coaches Andre Savard and Mike Yeo are entering the final year of their contracts, but that shouldn't be construed as evidence that Therrien -- or any of the other decision-makers in the organization -- is unhappy with their performance. Both appear to be in line for new deals, and it seems unlikely that management would be interested in breaking up what has been a successful staff.

Q: Are the Penguins not doing the West Point trip this year? I haven't heard anything about it, but hate to see them break with tradition.

Geoff, New York City

MOLINARI: It might be a bit of a reach to suggest that that two trips constitute a tradition, but those team-building trips to the U.S. Military Academy did seem to be becoming part of the franchise's training-camp routine.

Carving out three or four days from the highly compressed North America phase of their preseason to go there this year just wasn't practical, however. After all, they had their first on-ice workout last Wednesday, then began a run of four exhibition games in seven nights Saturday. And the day after a preseason trip to Toronto Friday, they'll board a plane for Sweden.

Nonetheless, during the past two seasons, numerous players cited the camaraderie and teamwork spawned during the West Point trips with helping to make the Penguins a better team, so no one should be surprised if their 2009 training camp features another visit there.