The season is nearly upon us (and not a moment too soon!). With all the previews I've been seeing everywhere, I figured I might go ahead and do one of my hometown Penguins. The big thing everyone is saying right now is that the Penguins are set for a reality check. I can't begin to deny it, either. You don't lose almost half your team and not lose a step. With Marian Hossa, you lose a playoff performer (remember, he only played 12 regular season games), with Ryan Malone, a gritty winger, and with most of the other guys they let walk,(George Laraque, Jarkko Ruutu, Adam Hall, and Gary Roberts among others) they lost character and undoubtedly some team chemistry. But that's all in the past now. So, without further adieu, The Pittsburgh Penguins' Season Preview! Departures: Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Jarkko Ruutu, Adam Hall, George Laraque, Ty Conklin, Mark Recchi (Waviers), Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen (Trade) There's no denying that the loss of so many players will affect the team. How and to what level remains to be seen. Hossa leaving won't be as big a deal as people are suggesting. Malone's loss will hurt, but the team will recover. The physical element was also lost with the departure of Roberts, Laraque and Ruutu. Conklin can probably be replaced, Adam Hall can be. And the Penguins survived without Recchi, Armstrong or Christensen well enough. Arrivals: Matt Cooke, Ruslan Fedotenko, Eric Goddard, Miroslav Satan. Miroslav Satan was pegged by many as a subpar replacement for Marian Hossa. However, Satan is hardly a replacement. Penguins GM Ray Shero signed him because he has top-line talent, and wanted to play for the team. Fedotenko is not a replacement for Ryan Malone by any stretch as some have suggested he might be. He has more offensive upside than Malone, but is smaller. Goddard is pegged to be a possible replacement for George Laraque, and while he can hold his own in a fight, will probably have trouble finding the right place, as Laraque did last season (especially when Gary Roberts went down with his leg injury). The real impact player from this group should prove to be Matt Cooke. All reports generally agree that he will make everyone forget about Jarkko Ruutu pretty quickly. In fact, Going Five Hole's Sean Leahy created a fan club for Matt Cooke shortly after the Pens signed him. The Usual Suspects Ray Shero's plan with the Penguins is that if he can keep the core of the team together, the players around them can change. Crosby is signed until the new arena is finished. Malkin signed long term, as did Brooks Orpik. Ryan Whitney (although injured) is signed for a while, and Marc-Andre Fleury signed a deal to keep him in the 'Burgh for a while. The same players who are causing teams problems now should be around for a long time. Don't expect the Penguins to have trouble keeping a winning record for a while. Best Defense Okay, so maybe the Penguins don't have the best defense in the NHL. But, they have been getting better each year, and were really one of the unsung parts of the SCF run last season. And they didn't lose a player. And Alex Goligoski (Penguins' 2nd round pick in 2004) is just about ready for the NHL. This is a situation where, while goaltending may not be as deep as at it's best last season, and the team's offensive abilities as not quite as good, the team's defensive capabilities are much improved. Sleepers Just for you fantasy buffs out there, here are a couple of players to keep an eye on this season. First, Tyler Kennedy. If you didn't follow the Pens last season, you might not know the name, but suffice to say that one of my friends referred to him as the "Hyper Chihuahua" because he was fast, small, and hit everything. The reports out of camp are that he is skating even better. If someone on the second or third line goes down, and Kennedy moves up for a bit, he may put up some decent numbers. The other play you should keep an eye on is Matt Cooke. He'll get plenty of penalty minutes, one would guess, but with his offensive streak, he should be able to put up some decent numbers too, especially if he's going to be pulling third line duties with Maxime Talbot and Fedotenko, as projected. This could prove to be a career year if things go well for him. Bottom Line Penguins may win the division, with the Rangers giving them the biggest fight for it.

The big news in most hockey circles at the moment is about a player's retirement. However, this player is only 19 years old. Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Stefan Legein (selected in the 2nd round, 37th overall in 2007) decided that his hockey career is over. It's a curious decision for such a high pick. If he had been a late round pick, it might be a little more understandable, but for the 37th player picked in the draft it's just...well, confusing. Right now, there's no reason readily available as to why he decided to call it quits, but one would have to suspect that the game just wasn't fun anymore. Even if you're a great talent, if you don't enjoy doing something, you probably won't do it as well as you could. Interestingly, reports state that Legein's father, who hadn't heard about the decision until press contacted him for information, said that his son hasn't quit until training camp starts. Sounds like Stefan has a long talk with his father coming. So what are the Blue Jackets to do? Unfortunately, there isn't much they can do. They aren't entitled to any compensatory draft picks due to this retirement. They may have other prospects available to them, but still, losing a second round pick could hardly be considered helpful to a team (in most cases). Any thoughts on the situation? Will he change his mind? What caused the decision? Let me know what you think about this whole deal in the comments.

There's a new trend in the NHL that is starting to bug me a little bit.  A lot of players are thinking they are supermen and are trying to continue their careers into their forties.  Chris Chelios and Gary Roberts come to mind immediately.  These guys were both drafted to the NHL before I was born, and Chelios has been playing in the NHL longer than I've been alive.  These are only two examples of player who are still playing (and playing at an NHL level) well past their prime.  However, while these guys still love hockey, and I have little doubt they do, the consequences of such players continuing to impress people by coming back year after year to play a slightly more degraded game seem to be getting lost. 
Each season older players come back and decide to push it for another year, while they seem like warriors in most fans eyes, some even gaining a cult following (See Gary Roberts during his time in Pittsburgh), what few realize is that these older players not wanting to get old are preventing younger players from getting the chance to break into the NHL.
Of course, that's not always the case.  And it makes sense that if you have a situation where you have a couple proven, but ageing scorers, they will be a better bet that trying to bring in that rookie.  It also helps allow rookies more time to develop, and lets teams try and stay competitive while their draft picks take their time and develop into NHL level players.
Unfortunately, while these are good thoughts, they may not translate into results.  A player held from the NHL too long may be unable to adjust to the game, and may never develop as he would have been projected.  Also, when you have older players taking that spot, a younger player might not get to develop that team chemistry that is so vital towards building a championship team.  Chemistry is the reason I think the Red Wings beat the Penguins for the cup this year (well, that and the Pens spotting the Wings two games).  The Red Wings have kept the majority of that team together for years.  The Penguins, however, made some big trades, losing Colby Armstrong, team jokester and Sir Sidney's best friend, in the process.  It's no secret that Armstrong benefitted from playing on a line with Crosby, that's what chemistry does.  In free agency this year, the Pens lost Ryan Malone, a part of the "Steel City Line," another example of chemistry in action.
While it's nice to see players that I remember from my childhood, it's somewhat weird when I remember them as old, even in my childhood.  There's no denying that these players have taken amazing care of themselves.  They've persevered, taken special diets, and worked hard to reach this level of athletic ability so as to be able to play for so long.  That is quite admirable.  But sometimes, you have to know when to call it quits.  And then, if you get the itch for hockey, it means look into coaching.