Seth Rorabaugh: Hi folks. How are we today?

ajt123: Think Shero has any interest in Brendan Shanahan? Seems like he would come on the cheap and bring some veteran experience and might be a better fit that Bourque etc...

Seth Rorabaugh: Not really. First and foremost, they don't have a lot of cap space to deal with. Even if Shanahan would take the minimum, it would be a tight fit for the cap. And second, what does he really off at this point? He couldn't crack the Devils' lineup and this is a team that just lost Brian Gionta.

James_Taiwan: Do you see Washington's defense from preventing them from making a deep run in the playoffs this year?

Seth Rorabaugh: Big time. Instead of going after Mike Knuble or Brendan Morrison, two viable, solid offensive types, they should've taken a stab at someone like Rob Scuderi or Jay McKee.

PensFaninMichigan: Slightly off topic here, but do you have any experience with NHL GameCenter Live? A good option for those of us outside of Western PA?

Seth Rorabaugh: I'm a subscriber actually. I would get it if were a last option. If you can't get Center Ice, the trational television package, where you are, get GameCenter Live. The broadcast quality is near HD and they have a pseudo DVR option on it now where you can rewind and fast forward through games. The only downside is if a game is on Versus, you don't get it.

PensFaninMichigan: Seth-great job on EN. Although, the season is only 1 1/2 weeks old, what teams have surprised you, either good or bad?

Seth Rorabaugh: Thanks. I'm kind of surprised to see Boston stumble out of the gate a bit. They've been up and down so far. Ottawa has been a bit of a surprise in that they're not getting a lot of scoring from the big guns like Kovalev, Cheechoo and others, but they're battling for first place tonight with the Penguins.

ajt123: Predict how many points the Pens will have at the end of the year ...

Seth Rorabaugh: I'm not big on predictions because there are so many variables that can happen like injuries, but let's just say... 104.

James_Taiwan: Do you see the Penguins having a let down on Saturday when they return home against Tampa Bay?

Seth Rorabaugh: I'd be concerned if it were the front end of a back-to-back situation, but I think a few days off after Wednesday's game in Carolina will allow them to face the Lightning with clear heads. But they are wearing those dreaded blue jerseys....

ajt123: What do you think our biggest weakness is going into this season?

Seth Rorabaugh: Maybe suitable wingers for Malkin... Sykora has gone. Talbot's down for a while... we're already seeing them give Staal some shifts with Malkin... I don't think it's a weakness that will derail their Cup hopes or any hopes for another Art Ross title for Malkin... but it's probably something they want to address.

SportyBry: Do the Caps have any finger-biters on the roster this year? Or is it just Filthydelphia we have to worry about in that department?

Seth Rorabaugh: Well our dear friend Jarkko Ruutu did set the bar for that field last season when he chomped on the hand of former Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters. And the Penguins do play Ottawa tonight...

SportyBry: So, what do you think of GoGo's performance so far this season ?

Seth Rorabaugh: He looks like he's gained five years of experience in one offseason ... He's so much more composed when he has the puck. I think at times he look OK with it last season, but he still made mistakes or seemed just not that confident in certain situations. And he was rushed into the lineup last season due to Gonchar's injury. But he looks like a veteran in comparison this season. He's looked tremendous to me.

SportyBry: Excellent. But would be even better if someone turned up the temperature 20 or 30 degrees.

Seth Rorabaugh: Where? In Ottawa? I did hear Phil Bourque on the Pens' HD station this morning complain that it was too cold to even walk to a Tim Horton's.

MarsNeedsWomen: How long before the players tune out the new coaching staff?

Seth Rorabaugh: It does seem to happen with every coach regardless of the message. Just about every coach gets hired to be fired. It's probably going to happen some day with Dan Bylsma.

Mark_Madden: Do you see Fleury as a top 5 goalie in the league?

Seth Rorabaugh: Right now yes. He's a Cup winner first of all. That's almost the equivalent of being a Super Bowl winning quarterback in the NHL. And he's winning games for them right now. he might give up four goals like he did in Philadelphia and have a less than stellar save percentage, but he's keeping out enough goals for his team to win. The bottom line about this guy is that he wins games.

MarsNeedsWomen: Will the Pens be able to sign both Gonchar and Letang? What type of compensation would they get if they let Letang go as a restricted free agent?

Seth Rorabaugh: Tough question. Especially considering the possibility of the salary cap coming down next season. If they can get each person to maybe take a hometown discount yes. But for someone like Gonchar who is 34, this might be his last chance to cash in. If someone comes with a big blank check, that's tough to pass up. With Letang, I'd have to comb through the CBA to see exactly what they would get where he to sign an offer sheet.

dtoddwin: Seth, the Pens obvously came out flat against Phoenix and Bylsma didn't seem set on any line combinations with Borque in the lineup. Can we expect to see the lineup we have seen the other three games, barring injury, until the Pens hit a longer slump?

Seth Rorabaugh: I would imagine so yes but the line combinations are going to move around quite a bit. We've already seen that with Staal getting regular shifts with Malkin. Eventually injuries or other factors set in and lineup changes are needed. Every team goes through that. And that's where you really need to have depth.

Mark_Madden: When will Philly fans begin to realize the more they rip in Sid the more he scores and that "Crosby Sucks" chant is so lame!

Seth Rorabaugh: Philly fans are still trying to master the wheel. I have a feeling the concept of psychological motivation is a bit beyond their capacity.

SportyBry: I've been quite impressed with Jay McKee in the games I've seen so far. He is like Hal Gill, except he delivers the crushing checks we always waited for Gill to hand out. He has the defensive zone composure of Scuderi but is more aggressive on the puck. For $800K do you think he may be the bargain on the season?

Seth Rorabaugh: I have been too. He's been as advertised. He's kind of a hybrid between Scuderi and Orpik. The defensive zone presence (blocking shots, breaking up passing lanes, etc) combined with the physical play. The only downside to him is his health. He plays so rough and tough that he ends up beating himself up quite a bit.

Mark_Madden: Seth, are there any Pens that aren't very outgoing as far as interviews go? They all seem to have great personalities!

Seth Rorabaugh: Malkin's probably the biggest example of that. He just seems kind of shy and given the fact that 99 percent of his interviews aren't in his first language, he just seems more than willing to avoid a reporter. I don't blame him. I can't imagine I would be all that comfortable giving an interview in Russian.

Mark_Madden: Should we be concerned with the Pens tiring as the season goes on considereing the last two long seasons?

Seth Rorabaugh: I'd be more concerned if I were the Red Wings who have a mostly older lineup. I think we're seeing that already in Detroit with guys like Franzen and Lilja dealing with long term injuries. The Penguins are young enough (for the most part) that a heavy load of games like that doesn't impact them as much as a team like Detroit.

SportyBry: In several of the games I've seen, Goligoski's performance overshadowed that of Letang. Do you think GoGo's emergence could make Letang "expendable"? Especially given they would get compensation if another team signs him?

Seth Rorabaugh: Let's put it this way, if the Penguins decide to let go of Letang, they better hang on to Gonchar. Letang's a very good, very complete player and they would be a significantly lesser team without his services.

MarsNeedsWomen: It is a little ironic that the salary cap that helped the Pens get to where they are at may hamstring them going forward just when a new arena with additional revenue is on the horizon. Thankfully, the Nutting's don't have a stake in the Pens.

Seth Rorabaugh: Very much so. It's already hamstrung them with trying to keep Scuderi. Or even Ryan Malone. But it's also the thing that allows them to be a Stanley Cup contender. If there weren't a cap, guys like Crosby or Malkin would be Maple Leafs or Rangers eventually.

Paul_Stanton: When is Talbot expected to return?

Seth Rorabaugh: The target for Talbot's return remains late November-early December.

Mark_Madden: Hey Seth. Great Chat! If Tangradi and Caputi develop into what they are supposed to develop into, this team is going to be unstoppable, especially with adding the size of both. Thoughts?

Seth Rorabaugh: Thanks! All due respect to Tangradi and Caputi and their potential, but I'm of the belief that as long as Crosby, Malkin and Fleury are all able bodied and wearing Penguins uniforms, this team is always going to be a top five team.

bbassett87: Did Geno ever get the picture he wanted with Sid and Cup? He mentioned during the playoffs getting a picture like the back-to-back photo of Mario and Jagr.

Seth Rorabaugh: I am not aware that he did. But a little birdie told me that Crosby has tried to avoid the Cup as much as possible after his day with it in Nova Scotia. He has tried to avoid touching out of superstition.

Mark_Madden: What has impressed me most about this years Pens team is how they are so quick to answer goals scored against them. Thoughts?

Seth Rorabaugh: They definitely know how to respond, but they didn't exactly face a couple Vezina candidates in Emery or Toskala last week.

Seth Rorabaugh: Alright folks, I need to jet. Good chat. Hopefully I can do it sometime soon again. Take care!

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