Penguins Nation

Since he became the Pittsburgh Penguins general manager, Ray Shero has had a knack for making headlines at the NHL trade deadline and this year figures to be no different. With the loss of Pascal Dupuis to a knee injury, the questions surrounding Tomas Vokoun and Jeff Zatkoff in net, the need for more grit up front and the spector of free agency for five current Pens, Shero and his staff will have a lot to consider between now and March 5. As reports surface of scouts crossing the country to assess potential trade targets and as the rumor mill starts to crank up, let's look at ...

James Neal hasn't lit the lamp for the Pittsburgh Penguins since Jan. 10 and the end of the month marked the third straight time that the sniper scored fewer goals than he had in the month prior—he scored eight times in November, six in December and only three times in January. The pressure he's putting on himself to find the back of the net at this point is palpable, even through a television screen. Not only is Neal failing to post goals, he's also struggling to get the puck on net at all. All scorers go through slumps, and the 26-year-old is ...

James Neal hasn't lit the lamp for the Pittsburgh Penguins since Jan. 10 and the end of the month marked the third straight time that the sniper scored fewer goals than he had in the month prior—he scored eight times in November, six in December and only three times in January. The pressure he's putting on himself to find the back of the net at this point is palpable, even through a television screen. Not only is Neal failing to post goals, he's also struggling to get the puck on net at all. All scorers go through slumps, and the 26-year-old is ...

Just as any NHL season has its ups and downs, so too does a team's roster with some players warming up as some are cooling off. Sitting atop the Metropolitan Division with a double-digit lead, the Pens seem like a team firing on all cylinders, but a closer look tells a different story. As most of the country looks to warm up from subzero temperatures, let's look at who are the hottest and coldest Pittsburgh Penguins right now.Begin Slideshow

Just as any NHL season has its ups and downs, so too does a team's roster with some players warming up as some are cooling off. Sitting atop the Metropolitan Division with a double-digit lead, the Pens seem like a team firing on all cylinders, but a closer look tells a different story. As most of the country looks to warm up from subzero temperatures, let's look at who are the hottest and coldest Pittsburgh Penguins right now.Begin Slideshow

The number of defensemen in the NHL that can rival Kris Letang's offensive prowess are few in number. You have Erik Karlsson. P.K. Subban is on that same elite level, regardless of what Michel Therrien thinks or says. Alex Pietrangelo, Duncan Keith and Shea Weber are monsters with the puck as well. That's not an all-inclusive list—note the disturbing lack of Keith Yandle—but it expresses one idea quite clearly: Letang is one of the league's premier players when it comes to producing points from the blue line and is in unique company when it comes to his skill set. Prior to the start ...

The number of defensemen in the NHL that can rival Kris Letang's offensive prowess are few in number. You have Erik Karlsson. P.K. Subban is on that same elite level, regardless of what Michel Therrien thinks or says. Alex Pietrangelo, Duncan Keith and Shea Weber are monsters with the puck as well. That's not an all-inclusive list—note the disturbing lack of Keith Yandle—but it expresses one idea quite clearly: Letang is one of the league's premier players when it comes to producing points from the blue line and is in unique company when it comes to his skill set. Prior to the start ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have seemingly mastered the art of snagging blue-chip prospects in the later stages of the first round. Jay Heinbuck and Randy Sexton—the co-directors of amateur scouting for the team—know on a yearly basis that their chances of making a lotto selection are nonexistent. Barring a trade of some kind—like when Pittsburgh traded into the top 10 in 2012—the Penguins look to their scouts to find good, young players in the back half of the first round. While the first 10 picks or so generally make themselves with maybe one or two surprises, the field is typically wide open ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have seemingly mastered the art of snagging blue-chip prospects in the later stages of the first round. Jay Heinbuck and Randy Sexton—the co-directors of amateur scouting for the team—know on a yearly basis that their chances of making a lotto selection are nonexistent. Barring a trade of some kind—like when Pittsburgh traded into the top 10 in 2012—the Penguins look to their scouts to find good, young players in the back half of the first round. While the first 10 picks or so generally make themselves with maybe one or two surprises, the field is typically wide open ...

Until recently, the blue line of the Pittsburgh Penguins had been devastated by injuries. There was a highly publicized point in the season when the team was missing four of their top six defensemen, yet the slashes were still coming in the win column. The Penguins managed to remain one of the top teams in the NHL despite missing key defensive contributors like Paul Martin, Kris Letang and Rob Scuderi for extended periods of time. Logic would dictate that Pittsburgh would improve as these quality players returned but so far that just hasn't been the case. Pittsburgh's defensive core has been mostly ...