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Q: I've been a big fan of Colby Armstrong since he broke into the NHL and was pretty devastated when the Penguins traded him to Atlanta, so its always great when the Pens play the Thrashers and there's something to read about Colby in the paper. Colby's free-agent status after the season was mentioned (Sunday), which leads me to the question of a possible return to the Pens. We have a number of wingers whose contracts are up this summer, possibly making room for Colby's return, but I'm curious. Do you think Colby would still be a good fit for the Penguins? So much has happened since the trade. Would a player like Colby be on Ray Shero's radar at this point, and could we afford him if he was?

Ryan, South Side

MOLINARI: While it's impossible to predict what the Penguins' needs on the wing will be by next summer -- trades and injuries, as well as the development of prospects in Wilkes-Barre, will have an obvious impact on management's thinking -- Armstrong is the kind of guy who would fit in on almost any club.

He probably is miscast as a first-liner, the role he filled for part of his time with the Penguins, but he's a good, honest two-way player who is an excellent team guy and a positive presence in the locker room. Armstrong wasn't included in the deal that brought Marian Hossa from Atlanta in 2008 because the Penguins were looking to get rid of him, but because the Thrashers insisted that he be part of the trade, for the reasons listed above.

When the Penguins were in Atlanta last weekend, the thinking among some people close to the organization was that the Thrashers might not move aggressively to re-sign Armstrong, who accepted a one-year deal worth $2.4 million during the offseason. Armstrong was a restricted free agent then; July 1, he is scheduled to be unrestricted.

Even if the Penguins would be interested in bringing him back, finances obviously would play a major role in determining how hard they go after him. The amount of salary-cap space they have -- and what their projections for future cap ceilings look like -- would be critical, as would Armstrong's contract demands.

It's too bad for Armstrong that his future earnings won't be determined solely by his popularity with the guys who played with him here and a large segment of the Penguins' fan base. If that were the case, he probably could expect to pull in the maximum allowed by the league's collective bargaining agreement.

Q: Assuming all of our injured defensemen return from their lost-time injuries and no new ones occur, do you think Dan Bylsma will consider working a rotation among the seven top defensemen in an effort to keep them from wearing down over the course the season and playoffs?

Ray Reed, Pickerington, Ohio

MOLINARI: While the run of injuries to the Penguins' defense during the past month or so is a bit extreme, it would be fairly unusual for the top half-dozen to stay at (or even near) full health for an extended period, so occasionally working in the seventh guy generally isn't a problem.

Martin Skoula has proven that he still can handle a top-six role in this league, however, which should make the coaching staff confident in giving one of the guys ahead of him on the depth chart a night off if he happens to be nursing a minor injury or illness.

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