Bye, Tangradi!

The Pittsburgh Penguins have just announced that forward Eric Tangradi has been traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a a 7th pick at the 2013 NHL Draft.

Originally drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, Tangradi was traded to the Pens, along with Chris Kunitz, in 2009 for Ryan Whitney.

In 40 NHL games played, Tangradi had scored 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists).

It’s no secret that Tangradi struggled a bit with the Penguins, so maybe a change of scenery in Winnipeg will help him.

Good luck, Eric! See you on Friday, when the Pens take on the Jets!

Show us what can you do, Eric

The Penguins announced today that they have re-signed forward Eric Tangradi, and defensemen Brian Strait, Robert Bortuzzo, and Alex Grant to one year contracts.

All four contracts are 2 way contracts. Tangradi will make $726,000 at the NHL level; Strait will make $605,000 at the NHL level and both Bortuzzo and Grant will make $525,000 at the NHL level.

Tangradi split last season between the NHL and AHL. He played in 24 regular season games with the Penguins and played in 2 playoff games against the Flyers.

Strait played in 9 regular season games with the Penguins and 3 playoff games. Bortuzzo, meanwhile, played in 6 regular season games.

Grant spent all of last season with Wilkes-Barre, but didn’t go unnoticed. He lead all WBS defensemen in goals, assists, points, power-play goals and shots  – all personal bests – while appearing in 61 regular-season games.

Congrats to them! Let’s see what they can do!

Tangradi (#25) at the Rookie Tournament just a few weeks ago.

Earlier today, the Penguins trimmed their roster by seven players. Six of the players (forwards Ryan Craig, Nick Johnson, Colin McDonald and Eric Tangradi; goaltenders Scott Munroe and Brad Thiessen) were assigned to the Penguins’ AHL affiliate: the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Baby Penguins. D-man Scott Harrington will be returning to his OHL club, the London Knights, for another season of seasoning.

As difficult as it is to see skilled players like Johnson and Thiessen be sent down, it’s no surprise. The Penguins carry top of the line players in every department, making it difficult for prospects to crack the NHL roster. Nevertheless, many were surprised to see veteran Eric Trangradi assigned to WBS for another season. Many were banking on the skilled forward to make the team this year. Perhaps this will mean the return of his Twitter account? There is only so long any sane person is able to go without Tangradi Trivia.

In the end, our AHL team will only be that much stronger for when we need them the most.

Tonight the Pens take on the Pens in the Black vs. Gold game in Wilkes Barre, PA (home of the Penguins AHL affiliate). Although Sidney Crosby is not participating, there are many players to keep your eye on tonight (or ears if you are listening to the radio broadcast).

1.) Evgeni Malkin- Okay this may seem like a simple answer because, next to Crosby, he is the one people look for, but Malkin has a lot of proving himself to do. Well he may not give it near 100% tonight in the intra-squad game, this week of preseason game is crucial to seeing how Malkin has progressed over the season after his surgery and less than par performance before the injury.

2.) Eric Tangradi- I’ve said this before and I will say it again, this week is the most important week in ‘Big Dog’ career. He has been given numerous opportunities from prospect camp over the summer to rookie camp last week. Other than proving himself as a leader, he needs to prove himself as the big body the Pens need in front of the net. If camp is less than stellar, he will find himself back in ‘Wilkes Vegas.’

3.) Alex Picard- Signed as a free agent over the summer, Picard is currently on a two way contract, but still has a chance to impress coaches at camp. Although the Pens are stacked throughout their system defensively, Picard has the chance to be on the opening night roster if the Pens decide to go with seven defensemen.

4.) Richard Park- Back with the team that drafted him, Park also has a chance to impress management tonight while playing on a line with Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy. Who knows, that could be a future line.

5.) Jason Williams- Another free agent signee from this summer is playing with Chris Kunitz and Jordan Staal tonight. Coach Bylsma is setting him up to succeed tonight and hopefully he will take advantage of the opportunity.

With 21 players with one way contracts currently on the roster, there are only two spots open for competition. That means tonight’s game might be much more intense than we ever thought. Jobs are on the line and I bet we will see them fighting it out tonight. Play nice boys.

With the season quickly approaching, many Penguins prospects are looking forward to the Rookie Tournament in Ottawa as a chance to make their mark. The past couple of seasons, the Penguins have been competing against the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Chicago Blackhawks prospects. The tournament in Oshawa, Ottawa is a great way for some of hockey’s best prospects to compete against one another before attending their own team’s training camp.

Wilkes Barre-Scranton coaches John Hynes and Alain Nasreddine will lead the 26 Pens players in the tournament. The most well-known name on the Pens roster is forward Eric Tangradi. Tangradi is the player on the tournament roster with the best chance to make the Pens lineup out of training camp. Playing in the tournament is a great chance for Tangradi to prove his worth to the coaches. Being the player with the most NHL experience, it is also a good opportunity to show his leadership by taking younger players under his wing and showing them the expectations of being a Penguin, as well as a professional hockey player. Tangradi, who also was considered the veteran player in July’s rookie camp, has high expectations given to him by Coach Bylsma and GM Ray Shero. If he is unable to stand out during the tournament in Ottawa, Tangradi might know his fate before regular training camp even starts.

Another player to watch in the upcoming tournament is defenseman Simon Despres. Despres ,20, was one of the last cuts of last season’s training camp. During the 2010-2011 season, Despres was one of the top defenseman on the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. He helped the Sea Dogs win the President’s Cup on the way to a championship victory. He also represented Canada in the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where they won silver. As he has evolved into a dominating figure on the ice and also by exceeding many expectations, Despres will be another star on the ice for the Penguins during training camp. Although many people believe Despres will start the season in Wilkes Barre, it might not be that long until we have to wait to see him with the big club.

Some other players to watch include Joe Morrow, Tom Kuhnhackl, and Philip Samuelsson. Morrow, 18, was the Penguins first pick in this year’s draft. He played in the WHL last season racking up 49 points in 60 games. He is just another name to add to a solid Penguin defensive lineup. It will be interesting to see how he competes against other team’s highly rated prospects. Kuhnhackl, 19, played last year for the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL. Although it is odd for prospects from the European area to move to Canada to play Juniors, this was a good decision for Kuhnhackl. Being the son of arguably the best German ice hockey player ever may come with a lot of pressure, but Kuhnhackl lived up to the hype by scoring 68 points in 63 games and assisting the Spitfires in the playoffs. As a player who continues to get better, it will be fun to watch his progress. Samuelsson, 20, will be attending his first camp since leaving Boston College. A second round pick with the Penguins will most likely join Wilkes Barre-Scranton where he will join another fellow Eagle, Carl Sneep, on the blueline. Since Samuelsson’s game is said to be similar to his father’s, we will all be on the edge of our seats waiting to see what he will bring.

Although we don’t know what kind of players these prospects are going to be, there’s one thing I know for sure: training camp is two weeks away and the excitement is just beginning.

Filed under NHL | Tags: Eric Tangradi, Joe Morrow, Philip Samuelsson, prospects, Simon Despres, Tom Kuhnhackl

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