Pitt Student "Experts" Give Penguins Insight

Penguins "experts" from The Pitt News (student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh) give their insight and analysis of the upcoming season.

Here are a few of the questions that Nick LaMantia (NL) and Jay Huerbin (JH) cover in this artice posted last week:

• What do you think of the Finnish sensation Janne Pesonen? Will he be a big contributor in 08-09? NL: Pesonen, who won four Finnish championships in five years, has a history of winning. With his 2008 SM-Liiga scoring championship, he brings secondary scoring that should help offset the loss of Malone. JH: I have not seen much more than a few highlight videos on YouTube, but what I’ve been reading about him, he seems to be the perfect no-risk, high-reward type of player the Penguins organization needs. As he has shown playing in the SM-Liiga, Pesonen can score and play some defense. He looks to be a quick skater, but his size might come back to hurt him — literally, actually — in the NHL. Considering the potential he brings, I would not be surprised to see him skating alongside Sidney Crosby sometime this upcoming season.


• Pittsburgh might start to rely more on younger players like Alex Goligoski, Jonathan Filewich, Ryan Stone, etc. Who do you expect has the early inside track on a breakout season? NL: With Malone, Laraque and Roberts on the outs, Stone, a checking-line forward, should be given an ample opportunity to step up and fill a role on the team’s bottom two lines. Filewich, who needs top-two line ice time, will probably start the season in the minors. Goligoski, however, can succeed at this level, but should start the season in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton because of a crowded backend in Pittsburgh. JH: If he continues his rapid improvement through the minor leagues, look for the Penguins fourth-round pick in 2007, Luca Caputi, to begin to make an impact in the NHL. A tough player to get a read on since the draft, Caputi seems to be the perfect mix between Jordan Staal and Maxime Talbot. After finishing fourth in the OHL in scoring in the 2007-08 season, the Penguins signed Caputi to a three-year contract. He jumped right into the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ playoff run and had a solid appearance.

To read the entire article, visit The Pitt News.