Despite their 3-2 win over the Isles tonight, Kevin Allen of USA Today has a good article about the Pens, basically advising everyone to calm down since the Pens are a young team. All this semi-panic reminds me of last year when rumors of Therrien's firing were running rampant before they went on that unbeaten streak.
The part I like most of Allen's column is this:
The most fascinating aspect of the Penguins' struggle is that it provides us the first opportunity to gauge what kind of administrator general manager Ray Shero will be. Because this is his first GM job, we have no history to review.
But my hunch is Shero will be able to walk the fine line between aggressiveness and panic. I believe he will continue to look for scoring wingers, and I believe he will continue to be patient with Fleury. I believe he will be more patient with Fleury than his coach seems to be. I think if Shero believed Fleury needed an older goalie playing beside him, he would have acquired one last summer. The most interesting aspect of the Fleury debate is that it seems like everyone has forgotten that he won 40 games last season at age 21. It also seems like the hockey world has forgotten that Carolina's Cam Ward won the Stanley Cup two years ago, struggled mightily last season, and now is back performing effectively again.
If the Penguins did want to deal Fleury, there would be a long line of suitors, and it's entirely possibly they would feel the aftershocks of that trade for years to come.
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