u/bi_and_busy

>“I remember a few years ago when Geno was coming up on being a free agent,” he said, referring to the summer of 2022. “It went into July. Hopefully, there’s something that gets done here before that.”

>When asked if he’d have a problem playing without Malkin on his team, Crosby thought for a moment.

>“I’ve just always expected to be playing with him,” Crosby said while shrugging. “I don’t know. After talking with everyone at the end of the year, it felt like it was in a good place in terms of getting something done.”

>“I’m a player,” he said. “If Kyle asks me for my opinion, I’ll share it. I’m comfortable with that. But I’m definitely not trying to pick our roster.”

>To Crosby, though, this Penguins roster wouldn’t feel right without No. 71. The players, who have been teammates since 2006, have authored a remarkable two decades in Pittsburgh.

>As he always does, Crosby lights up when he’s asked about Malkin. The two are as close off the ice as they are revered in Pittsburgh sports history.

>“I think everybody knows how I feel about Geno at this point,” Crosby said. “I think everybody knows what I think he means to our team, what he’s done for the organization for 20 years. It goes without saying.”

The WBS Penguins lead 2-1 in the series against the Thunderbirds. Here is how they are lining up tonight:

McDonough - Koppanen - Howe

McGroarty - Klassen - Hayes

Ilyin - Broz - Koivunen

Imama - Zonnon - Calvert

Alexeyev - Brunicke

Pickering - Pietila

Kemp - Harding

Sergei Murashov

No change to the lineup. Fernstrom is still injured.

>When Crosby met with reporters following the Penguins’ loss to the Flyers, he said that he would be taking a year-by-year approach to the rest of his career. It’s the first time he’s ever spoken of his career in such a short-term window. Does that mean that there’s a possibility that next season could be his last? Crosby, after all, is only under contract for one more season.

>“Not at all,” Crosby said. “I said year to year because of where the team is at,” he said. “It just makes sense, whether it’s our cap, who we have coming in and out, just to have that flexibility. It’s important.” Crosby didn’t mean that he would be considering retirement after each season.

>“Yeah, I’m saying year to year based on contracts,” he explained. “It just seems to make sense. I mean, it could change. We’ll see. Kyle (Dubas) and I haven’t even talked about it. But I’ll talk with Pat (Brisson) and Kyle later this summer. We’ll talk about it and do what makes sense. If it does make sense to sign for a couple of years, then we’ll do that.”

>“It’s pretty obvious why I would just go year to year with the contracts,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m just going to do what’s best for the team. It’s got nothing to do with how long I want to play. It’s not like that at all.”

>Signing shorter contracts, Crosby has concluded, gives Dubas more options and the Penguins more flexibility moving forward. Crosby has stated, time and again, that he only ever wishes to play for the Penguins. This season’s resurgence has emboldened that desire.

>“I definitely want to keep playing for as many years as possible,” he said.

On Murashov:

>“The goal is to have Sergei take us on a run this spring,” Spezza said. “We want him to get on a run at that level. That’s what we want to see. So far, so good. The defense around him has been pretty good, but he’s also made timely saves, which is exactly what you want to see from your goaltender. He’s just got a determination about him. To me, there is absolutely no cap on the ceiling for him and what he can do moving forward.”

>“You’re looking for exposures,” he said. “His athleticism jumps off the charts. It always has. It’s one of the things that has the goalie people in our organization so excited about him. The way he moves, the way he catches pucks, it’s impressive. He’ll need to still refine his game a bit in certain ways, certain things around the net. The NHL has a way of exposing any weakness that a goalie may have. But this is incredible practice for him, an incredible opportunity. You want to see a goalie’s game look good in the biggest moments of a season, and that’s exactly what he’s done so far in the playoffs. It’s great to see, and we just want him to keep playing the way he has for longer this spring.”

On Zannon:

>“It’s not going to be a quick road for Bill,” Spezza said. “I think we need to be patient with him so that he can reach all of his potential. That’s the goal here. But the hockey sense, the competitiveness, it jumps right out at you. And we love to see that. To be a kid that young (19) and to jump into the playoffs in the American League and make that kind of an immediate impact? That’s impressive. It really is. And it’s just not the scoring. Maybe that will dry up, maybe it won’t. But when you watch him, you see the assertiveness in his game. That’s what we love about him.”

On McGroarty and Hayes:

>“We understand that for fans, and for everybody. It’s hard to have patience with players sometimes,” Spezza said. “Rut had a phenomenal summer, came into camp in great shape. Then he got hurt, and it really wasn’t anything he could control. He’s playing better in the American League right now than he was last spring. He’s growing. It’s coming. He’s better offensively and defensively than he was. It’s a matter of patience with him.”

>“We just need to show them the way, show them what to do,” Spezza said. “They’ve both played very well. The goal is to have players from within get to Pittsburgh and make a real difference, and we think they both are absolutely capable of that.”

On Brunicke:

>“He’s been really, really good,” Spezza said. “The maturity in his game is really there now. There’s still a level for him to get to, in terms of simplifying things in his game. But physically, he’s been really, really good. He’s playing 25 minutes or more most nights. For sure, there was a (lapse) in his game (at the NHL level). It’s a tough league. And it’s a really tough league for young defensemen. He’s going to need time. But he’s going to push to be back in the NHL soon because that’s just the attitude that he has. That’s just him. We’re going to help him refine his game. There’s so much subtlety to playing defense at the NHL level. He’s learning stuff in front of the net, when to jump into the play, when not to jump into the play, when to make simple plays. I think he understands it all now. So, it’s just a matter of him getting the reps he needs now.”

The WBS Penguins are tied 1-1 in the series against the Thunderbirds. Here is how they are lining up tonight:

McDonough - Koppanen - Howe

McGroarty - Klassen - Hayes

Ilyin - Broz - Koivunen

Imama - Zonnon - Calvert

Alexeyev - Brunicke

Pickering - Pietila

Kemp - Harding

Sergei Murashov

Imama rejoins the lineup in the place of Ansons. Fernstrom is still injured.

The WBS Penguins lead the series against the Thunderbirds 1-0. Here is how they are lining up tonight:

McDonough - Koppanen - Howe

McGroarty - Klassen - Hayes

Ilyin - Broz - Koivunen

Ansons - Zonnon - Calvert

Alexeyev - Brunicke

Pickering - Pietila

Kemp - Harding

Sergei Murashov

Ansons joins the lineup in the place of Imama. Fernstrom is still injured.

The WBS Penguins start their Round 3 series against the Thunderbirds (St. Louis Blues’ affiliate) tonight. Here is how they are lining up:

McDonough - Koppanen - Howe

McGroarty - Klassen - Hayes

Ilyin - Broz - Koivunen

Imama - Zonnon - Calvert

Alexeyev - Brunicke

Pickering - Pietila

Kemp - Harding

Sergei Murashov

The only lineup change in Zonnon joining the lineup with Huglen sitting. Fernstrom is still injured.