Sunday, August 10, 2003

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

He is coming off a breakthrough year in the NHL. He posted a 2.64 goals-against average despite working behind one of the league's leakiest defenses. He was named to the NHL All-Rookie team, the first player on his team in six years to be so honored. He is only 23.

And yet, Sebastien Caron knows that, when people speak of the Penguins' goaltender of the future these days, they are talking about someone else.

"Yeah, I know. It was a surprise to me when it happened, and maybe I was a little disappointed," Caron said of the team's move up to No. 1 in the June NHL Entry Draft to claim Marc-Andre Fleury. "But after the day of that draft, I started thinking to myself that maybe it was the best thing that could happen. If they want to draft that goalie, there's nothing I can do. It's going to push me more. And maybe it will take some of that pressure off me."

For three years, Caron carried the tag of goaltender of the future for the Penguins. He was slow to develop, failing to firmly grasp the starting job in Wilkes-Barre for 2 1/2 seasons. But he more than made up for that by surprisingly extending what was supposed to be an emergency stay in the NHL in January into regular duty the rest of the way. By season's end, he was pushing veteran Johan Hedberg for the No. 1 job.

That is part of why Caron did not share in the Penguins' celebration on June 21, the day Fleury first donned a Pittsburgh sweater.

"I was happy with the way I played," Caron said. "And I just want to keep going the way I finished last year. I don't think anyone is the No. 1 goalie right now, and I want to try to be that."

To that end, Caron has worked to bulk up his wiry, 6-foot-1 frame, adding 15 pounds to reach 180. The emphasis of his unprecedented training, which began in May in his native Quebec and is continuing this summer in Wilkes-Barre with team trainer Patrick Steidle, has been strengthening his legs.

"I want to be able to play more games," Caron said. "And I have to get stronger down low to do that."

To play more games, of course, Caron also will have to outperform Hedberg, Jean-Sebastien Aubin and possibly even Fleury in camp. The Penguins have not ruled out that Fleury could make the team at age 18.

"That doesn't matter to me," Caron said. "I don't worry about who plays with me. Hedberg, Aubin ... it doesn't matter. It's not my business, for one thing, and I don't like to look behind me. I'm there to play the best I can and to play in the most games that I can."

Of Fleury, Caron added, "He's young, and he still has a road to go. I was thinking myself when I was his age that I would make the NHL in my first year. It's not easy."

Caron is one of the Penguins' two remaining restricted free agents, along with left winger Ramzi Abid, but he does not anticipate missing any of what figures to be a critical training camp. Caron had a $625,000 salary on a two-way contract last season, meaning he made a fraction of that in the minors.

"I'm not worried about that at all. I want to make the best deal possible with Pittsburgh and be there," he said. "And when I come in, I'm going to be really ready. I don't want to miss my chance."

Icy chips

Like Caron, those representing Abid are unconcerned about any complications in his being signed for camp. "Talks have only just started," agent Bob Sauve said. "I don't see any problems." Abid made $450,000 on a two-way deal last season, and Sauve made it sound as if getting a one-way was not a priority. That is because Abid would have to clear waivers to go to the minors, an action the Penguins are highly unlikely to take.

More contract details have emerged on some of the Penguins' recent signings: Milan Kraft's deal is for $935,000 at the NHL level with a two-way provision for time in the minors. Mike Eastwood's is for one year at an NHL-only $600,000. Kelly Buchberger's is for one year at an NHL-only $550,000.

More evidence that the Penguins will have great difficulty in moving Martin Straka and his $4.35 million salary: The Capitals this week acknowledged that there are no teams interested in acquiring Jaromir Jagr ($11 million) or Robert Lang ($5 million) and are resigned to keeping them for the foreseeable future. This despite Washington offering to pay a chunk of either contract.

More vindication for the Penguins' decision to deal Alexei Kovalev in February, well before the sellers' market was jammed with high-priced talent, from Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox: "As it stands, dumping Kovalev late last season makes it appear the Penguins were ahead of the curve, what with expensive players now available all over the league with no takers."

How much would Kovalev have cost the Penguins had he taken them to arbitration this summer? Take a look at the one-year, $6.5 million award the Blues' Pavol Demitra received this week. Kovalev and Demitra have quite comparable statistics and are a year apart in age.

One of the salaries dumped by the Penguins in the Kovalev deal was that of perennially injured Janne Laukkanen, whose ailment last season was an arthritic hip. A week before Laukkanen left Pittsburgh, in fact, he sounded like someone ready to leave the NHL, openly worrying that he might have trouble walking in 10 years. None of that apparently was enough to stop the Lightning from making the surprise signing of the summer Friday by giving Laukkanen, 33, a one-year deal worth $600,000 in base pay, as much as $1.2 million with games-played incentives. Two months ago, he had arthroscopic surgery on the hip to clean out some loose parts, and that, along with some ringing endorsements from his teammates in Tampa, convinced General Manager Jay Feaster to keep him.

Do not count Mario Lemieux among those skeptical that the NHL never will be able to deal with its obstruction crisis: "I think they made progress last year. As the year went on, it backed off a little bit. I think you have to be patient with it. It's going to take more than a season or two. I'm sure they're going to try to go back to where it was early last year and call the games as close as they can."

Mathias Johansson, whose $550,000 option was rejected by the Penguins July 1, has signed a five-year deal to return to Farjestad, his Swedish Elite League employer from 1990-2002. Of the 11 players the Penguins allowed to become unrestricted free agents this year, only three -- Ville Nieminen, Joel Bouchard and Lemieux -- have new NHL contracts.

Only 32 days to Southpointe.

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