Bucci's Back - Offers Pens Thoughts

Bucci's new column is up at espn.com, and he offers some new insights and thoughts about the Pens:

• I went through all of the remaining games in the East and came up with these final standings:
  Pittsburgh -- 103 points
  Montreal -- 102
  Carolina -- 94
  New Jersey -- 99
  Rangers -- 98
  Ottawa -- 96
  Philadelphia -- 94
  Washington -- 93
• Dupuis has good speed and defensive awareness, which will serve the Penguins well in the postseason. He won't score many goals and may, at times, look a little afraid. The Penguins are still a little green and will have difficulty winning road games against veteran teams. That's why finishing first in the East is so important. They will be difficult to beat at home. What I also like about the Penguins is the play of Jordan Staal. He is growing into a man before our eyes. He is getting quicker and better with the puck. This is why I picked the Penguins to win the East in this space before the season -- because they have a group of good players with room to grow.
• In my eyes, the only thing the Penguins gave up for Hossa was a first-round pick. Everything else was gray matter sprayed with Axe body spray. Getting Hossa for that, paying him for two months, and then seeing how he fits with the talent and culture of your team is far more intelligent than blindly giving him a six-year, $40 million contract in the summer. If I am the Penguins, I offer Hossa six years at $36 million. If he says no, let him walk. That negotiation would take five minutes. Do you want to be a part of a perennial power where everyone takes a little less than they could get on the open market and play with the game's best playmaker AND make $6 million a year for six years? No? Later, dude.
• Malkin has talent dripping from his ear holes. Ovechkin has that, and a spirit that envelops an arena. They are different players and different people. I also think Ovechkin would explode in the playoffs. I'm a little concerned at how Malkin will react -- during last season's playoff series against Ottawa, he had no goals in five games. He is a year older and the Penguins won't be playing against a Stanley Cup finalist in the first round this season, but I do think it is something worth monitoring.