Guerin Gone; Staal’s Right Foot

Well, it’s official: Bill Guerin won’t be back. The Pens decided not to re-sign the vet and will instead give the youngsters a chance. This is not a bad move. As I wrote earlier this month, I think Guerin’s best days are behind him. I could be wrong (he did score 21 last year), but I think it’s time to give Eric Tangradi, Dustin Jeffrey and Nick Johnson a shot at making the team.

Some far more disturbing news (as far as I’m concerned) is the fact that Jordan Staal is getting his foot re-examined by doctors next week. Staal had a second surgery on the foot in June, and there’s apparently concern that he won’t be ready for the start of training camp. Staal probably shouldn’t have come back and played in the Montreal series. It was a very serious injury, and he only missed two games instead of the anticipated multiple weeks. Let’s not make the same mistake twice. Don’t rush him into training camp – the Pens need a healthy Staal once the season starts.