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Sunday, May 19, 2002

Everyone who cares, and a lot of people who don't, know by now that the Penguins will have the No. 5 choice in the NHL entry draft for the first time since 1990, when they picked up Jaromir Jagr.

The Penguins got Jagr by default -- he was in a cluster of five top-rated prospects, and the teams in front of them grabbed Owen Nolan, Petr Nedved, Keith Primeau and Mike Ricci because no one was sure when Jagr would be able to come to North America -- but by the time he left the organization 11 years later, he was a consensus pick as the second-best player in franchise history.

Of course, the Penguins can't expect to get another Jagr when they make their first-round selection June 22 in Toronto; players with his pedigree don't come along that often.

What they must avoid is investing their choice in a player who turns out like the other No. 5 in team history, defenseman Chris Joseph. He was one of the headliners in the Class of 1987, but then, so were Pierre Turgeon (No. 1, Hartford), Wayne McBean (No. 4, Los Angeles) and Dave Archibald (No. 6, Minnesota).

The best-case scenario for the Penguins would be to have one of the prospects widely expected to go in the top four -- defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, left winger Rick Nash, goalie Kari Lehtonen and defenseman Joni Pitkanen -- slip through and present them with a no-brainer at No. 5.

Failing that, they'll have to choose between the likes of, among others, Russian defenseman Anton Babchuk (big, nasty, hard shot), Kamloops center Scottie Upshall (smallish, gritty, good hands), Boston University defenseman Ryan Whitney (physical, good offensive upside) and Czech center Jiri Hudler (smallish, highly skilled, pro since age 15).

And there's always a chance they'll defy the thinking of almost every scouting service and gamble on someone like Chicoutimi center Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who is projected as a mid- to late-round selection.

Bouchard is undersized but highly skilled and has been compared to Wayne Gretzky by supporters in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The catch is, some less partial observers see him as a watered-down version of Montreal prospect Mike Ribeiro.

Regardless of how they use the pick, the Penguins don't have the luxury of squandering it. They rarely have a chance to make such an early choice and, with the franchise's modest financial resources, must focus more on identifying and developing talent than buying it on the free-agent market.

And, as proven by Joseph's undistinguished career, history proves that picking fifth does not guarantee the Penguins will land a productive player. Consider the 10 who have been taken in that slot since the Penguins got Jagr:

Darius Kasparaitis (New York Islanders, 1992) -- He's fearless and ranks among the game's most effective open-ice hitters, although he's prone to an occasional lapse in judgment, too. Good guy to have around when you need a goal in overtime of a seventh game, too.

Rob Niedermayer (Florida, 1993) -- At 6 feet 2, 204 pounds, has the size to be a high-impact center, but has put up more than 51 points in a season only once. And with six goals, 14 assists in 57 games with Calgary during the past season, doesn't appear to be on the verge of a breakthrough.

Jeff O'Neill (Hartford, 1994) -- Plays a rugged, efficient two-way game and fits in nicely on Carolina's No. 1 line. Can be counted on to produce 60-plus points per season.

Daymond Langkow (Tampa Bay, 1995) -- Was labeled an underachiever during six years in Tampa Bay and Philadelphia, but became Phoenix's top scorer during 2001-02, with 27 goals and 35 assists in 80 games.

Richard Jackman (Dallas, 1996) -- Shows no signs of being ready for steady work in NHL, where he has played a mere 40 games. Was hobbled by an ankle injury for much of the past season, when he played just two games for Boston. Last week, the Bruins sent him to Toronto for the rights to a prospect, Kris Vernarsky, whom the Maple Leafs were prepared to let re-enter the player pool for 2002 entry draft.

Eric Brewer (Islanders, 1997) -- Has developed into a force at both ends of the ice since being traded to Edmonton and has the potential to be a Norris Trophy winner someday.

Vitaly Vishnevski (Anaheim, 1998) -- Was inconsistent during the past season, plateauing after two promising years. Ranks among the league's nastiest players, as demonstrated when he elbowed Penguins defenseman Michal Rozsival in the head and speared winger Stephane Richer in the throat during a game in mid-March.

Tim Connolly (Islanders, 1999) -- Failed to score a goal during the final 24 games of season for Buffalo and, with two 10-goal seasons and one with 14 on his resume, hasn't developed into the significant offense force some scouts envisioned.

Raffi Torres (Islanders, 2000) -- A good bet to be in the NHL in 2002-03, and to have an impact -- literally and figuratively -- when he arrives. Has good speed and soft hands and plays a high-energy game that is complemented by a mean streak.

Stanislav Chistov (Anaheim, 2001) -- Undersized, but with enough speed and skill that backers have compared him to Mighty Ducks star Paul Kariya. Is coming off a disappointing season in Russia and might be a year or two away from contributing in the NHL.

It is, in sum, a collection of sizzles and fizzles, of big-time players and flat-out busts. And it underscores how the Penguins could help themselves with a wise choice next month -- and how they could set themselves back if they don't.

Tip-ins

General Manager Craig Patrick's refusal to speak to Robert Lang's new agent, Petr Svoboda, until receiving formal notification from Lang that Svoboda represents him sets an icy tone for their relationship. That might not sabotage the chances of Lang's re-signing with the Penguins, but certainly doesn't enhance them.

Bringing in a guy with limited head-coaching experience to run your team's bench always has an element of risk, but Dallas made a wise move by hiring Dave Tippett a few days ago. Tippett has an excellent knowledge of the game -- guys who fill the blue-collar role he did in the NHL generally do -- and he relates well to players. Why the Penguins never seemed to give Tippett serious consideration during one of their many coaching changes in recent years remains a mystery.

It wasn't so long ago that fans would demand trades and firings via talk radio or letters to the editor. Even that has gone high-tech, though, as evidenced by the Web site (clarkemustgo.com) unhappy Philadelphia fans have set up to call for the removal of Flyers GM Bob Clarke. Among its features are a petition that calls for Clarke to be replaced. Not surprisingly, no signatures of anyone associated with the other 29 NHL teams have shown up on it.

Former Penguins assistant coach Rick Paterson, Tampa Bay's pro scout in recent years, is the favorite to take over as the Lightning's director of player personnel when that job is filled, likely within the next two weeks.

The Erie Otters, just the second U.S.-based franchise to win an Ontario Hockey League championship, will begin their pursuit of the Memorial Cup junior title with a game against Kootenay, the Western Hockey League champion, today. Erie has embraced the Otters, although the franchise took a fairly circuitous route through Ontario before landing in the northwest corner of the Commonwealth. It was born in Hamilton, moved to St. Catherines, returned to Hamilton, was transplanted to Brantford, went back to Hamilton and did time in Niagara Falls before relocating to Erie.

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, front man for the ownership group that took over in Florida about a year ago, has pretty much been shoved to the sidelines there. Indications are that majority owner Alan Cohen has come to crave the spotlight he once rejected.

Mike O'Connell, the GM in Boston, is considering whether to take an unusual approach to negotiations with unrestricted free agents Bill Guerin and Byron Dafoe: Rather than making contract proposals to them, O'Connell might have Guerin and Dafoe come to him with their salary demands, at which point O'Connell could decide if he's inclined to deal with them. Interesting approach, but one that would seem to pretty much assure Guerin and Dafoe will have new employers next season.

Columbus General Manager Doug MacLean will be looking to sign as many as three unrestricted free agents this summer, with a defenseman and a big winger topping his wish list. St. Louis, too, likely will be in the market for a forward, although the Blues will have to try to scrape by with no increase in their $55 million payroll (a mere $20 million or so more than the Penguins' budget for salaries). That might well mean ex-Penguins Scott Young and Marc Bergevin, both of whom will be unrestricted, will play elsewhere next season.

Defenseman Zarley Zalapski was accused of looking lost numerous times during his NHL career, but he had a good excuse for it during the past season. Zalapski, who never lived up to the enormous promise he showed before the Penguins claimed him with the fourth pick in the 1986 entry draft, spent the winter playing in Slovenia.