Pittsburgh Penguins Include Notable Prospects in Roster Cuts
By Mike Necciai
As expected, the Pittsburgh Penguins are moving quickly with roster cuts heading into their eighth and final preseason contest in Carolina tomorrow night.
The most recent list of names that were sent to Wilkes-Barre Scranton are below. The roster moves followed an ugly 7-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings at Consol Energy Center.
Oskar Sundqvist – F
Conor Sheary – F
Scott Wilson – F
Matt Murray – G
While there weren’t many surprises in the first group of cuts yesterday, this group is quite opposite. All three forwards were viewed as possible answers for Pittsburgh’s few roster spots up for grabs.
Pittsburgh Penguins Choose Experience Over Performance
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As I’ve discussed multiple times on the site here and on Twitter at @Michael29Angelo, I thought Sundqvist had a pretty good camp overall. And, I didn’t see much from Matt Cullen in the preseason contests that he participated. I do believe that Cullen was a very good depth acquisition but it’s odd to me that Sundqvist isn’t getting a shot at fourth line center to start the year.
Like many of you, I’ve been quite happy with what the Pens did this summer. However, this is a peculiar move for me, as the Penguins had a chance to infuse youth into the lineup but decided to stick with a veteran presence. I’m not one for throwing young guys on the ice only for the sake of getting younger but in this case, Sundqvist has been the better player.
Sheary and Wilson Disappointing Down the Stretch of Camp
I thought Sheary started camp on a really strong note. He had a jump in his step and looked motivated to prove he’s an NHL-caliber winger despite his small stature. But, that quickly changed and he simply didn’t produce as you would expect from a guy with his skills. He’ll surely get some opportunities in the NHL this coming season but as of right now, he’ll stick with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.
Scott Wilson played very well for the Pens late last season when he was leaned on to fill in for their multitude of injuries. But, he didn’t stand out among his peers throughout camp as you would expect from a player that held his own so well in the NHL in 2014-15. A few months ago, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he had a place in Pittsburgh’s bottom-six but that obviously isn’t the case. And, he has no one to blame but himself.
Matt Murray – Ready, or Not?
Murray proved that he’s a capable NHL goaltender, at least capable enough to back up Marc-Andre Fleury. However, that isn’t what the Penguins want from him.
From a financial standpoint, Murray obviously wants to stay in the NHL. But, from a time-on-ice and development standpoint, he knows that his best option is the AHL where he’s ‘the guy’. He has plenty of time to earn his cash in this league and if he keeps improving, he’ll earn a lot of it.
The Penguins see Murray as the future netminder in Pittsburgh. At least, that’s what they’ve indicated thus far. But keep in mind, Fleury is approaching the first year of his 4-year extension signed last season. Will Murray wait around that long? Can the Pens keep him around that long or will they see a need to move him for other assets?
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