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Pittsburgh Penguins Around the Web: Pens Must Reads for 8/19

By Mike Necciai

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the few teams that continue to circulate web content despite the fact that it’s the middle of August.

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I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise considering the Pens were arguably the most active team this summer, plus built a new state-of-the-art practice facility for the team to utilize. That facility has earned interest from other players around the league as well, which we’ll discuss below.

We’re also nearing the point in which everyone gets a feel for how rosters will shake out. That means predictions and power rankings have either been completed, as we did with the Metropolitan Division and full NHL rankings, or they’re on the horizon.

Washington Capitals: Previewing the Pittsburgh Penguins – Kevin Marland, StarsandSticks.Com

Fellow Fansiders StarsandSticks.Com did a preview and analysis of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it provides insight on how this team is viewed around the league. Like Pittsburgh fans, Marland believes that the Pens will be one of the toughest teams in the league to matchup against, but still have their question marks in various areas.

Pens Rookie Sundqvist Suffered Severed Tendon – Alan Saunders, PittsburghSportingNews.Com

There was somewhat of an uproar when the Pens signed Matt Cullen due to his age and many looked at it as yet another hurdle for the team’s youth, such as Oskar Sundqvist. However, given the seriousness of Sundqvist’s injury, it’s pretty clear why the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jim Rutherford felt the need to add more center depth. It’s important to note what Jason Mackey of TribLive.Com tweeted today on this topic.

Sundqvist was present at the Pens’ new practice facility today and skated with the small group of players in attendance. So, while there’s obviously concern for the seriousness of his injury, things are still looking good for the youngster to be ready for training camp.

NHL Draft Analysis: Finding 500-Game Players – Sean Tierney, Todaysslapshot.Com

This article isn’t directly related to the Pens, but it’s an interesting read. In Pittsburgh’s case, the team has taken a beating from critics regarding their ability to draft successfully. As this article shows, from 2000-2008 they actually drafted quite well and fall right within average on the amount of 500-gamers they chose. Of course, the true test is revisiting this down the road to see how their draft picks from 2008 and on will do in the NHL. So far, they aren’t off to a great start.

Chris Kunitz By Comparison – Part of the Solution, Not Part of the Problem – Benedikt Baumler, ThePittBlog.Wordpress.Com

If you enjoy hockey analytics, this provides a pretty in-depth look at Chris Kunitz. Many have chalked him up as a loss after a very disappointing four months last season, but as I’ve also discussed previously, he may not be as washed up as some believe. If he doesn’t produce this season then he’ll become a $3.8 million anchor, but with good possession numbers. However, he could rebound in a big way.

What Events Could the UPMC Lemieux Complex Host? – Jonathan Bombulie, TribLive.Com

This one of a kind facility is attracting a ton of attention from around the league. In fact, Brandon Saad was skating with the Pittsburgh Penguins today at the facility and Tyler Kennedy has been on the ice the last two days. This is a trend that you’ll likely see increase in the future as players from around the league will look to Pittsburgh as a means for offseason training thanks to this building. Also, those that have trained with Gary Roberts will see it as a fitting destination for their summer routines.

There’s also the possibility that we see camps for juniors and countries using it to train for World Cup tournaments. Simply put, the building should really help to give Pittsburgh an even bigger footprint in the hockey community.

Next: Pens Mailbag: You Asked, We Answered

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