Penguins Wrap: Pettersson’s Plight; Murashov News; Goalie Intrigue

Another week has passed. Still no new contract for Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (although speculation is soaring with his birthday just days away). That does not mean the week was bereft of news, some of it tied to the Crosby situation.

There was a different signing, one that helped create its own intrigue.

And we heard from the latest player who hopes to rediscover his best game after joining the Penguins.

Catch up on the news, views and analysis in this PHN wrapup. Click the links to read the coverage.

Saturday: PHN took a look at which Penguins prospect might arrive in the NHL first (do you agree?), what other moves president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas might have made, and other thoughts in One-Timers.

Sunday:  It might be easy to forget that Crosby isn’t the only veteran Penguins player who is eligible to sign a new deal this offseason and is eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer. Read how Crosby’s situation is affecting that of defenseman Marcus Pettersson.

There might have been some criticism of the Penguins after they traded Alex Nylander to Columbus for Emil Bemstrom and a draft pick, especially when Nylander seemed to find himself and a lot of offense with a strong stretch of games with the Blue Jackets. But that criticism seems out of place now. It turns out the NHL isn’t so impressed. Nylander ended up signing an AHL contract.

Monday: An interesting name hit the trade block during the week. Might the Penguins be able to add the offense it craves? In a blog, PHN take a look at the situation surrounding Patrik Laine.

Tuesday: Another week, another interesting prospect signing. This time, the three-year entry-level deal the Penguins dished out means that it will be North America, not Russia, this season for promising goaltender Sergei Murashov.

In what has become an annual tradition, the Penguins will send a crop of youngsters to Buffalo to participate with three games in four days at a prospect tournament.

The Penguins’ prospect pool has been getting deeper after some lean years. That can be seen with names such as Brayden Yager, Tanner Howe, Owen Pickering, Tristan Broz and others on the list when the Penguins announced their prospects tournament roster.

Wednesday: Speaking of Murashov, the Penguins now have a lot of organizational depth at goalie. But that means they also have a lot of goaltending intrigue.

Hey, we know that guy. PHN’s Dan Kingerski hit all the pertinent topics when he appeared on TV on a popular Canadian sports talk show.

We know he has regained his popularity with the Penguins fan base. We know he’s remarkably training for another pro season at age 52. But will this be the final season for Jaromir Jagr?

Thursday: You asked. Kingerski answered. And answered. From Crosby’s contract, to the Laine situation, to what else Dubas might pull off this summer, he addressed several topics in a Q&A.

The Penguins have taken on plenty of reclamation projects in recent seasons, many with good results. We hear from one of the latest in that category, Anthony Beauvillier.