By my count, we’re three days away from the start of training camp.
In other words, it’s time to start talking hockey for the next eight or nine months.
While there aren’t a significant amount of roster decisions awaiting Mike Sullivan when camp begins, questions concerning his Penguins persist. We finally appear to be heading into the final chapters of the greatest era of Penguins hockey. It should be quite a ride.
Given the price Evan Rodrigues signed for in Colorado, yeah, I think it was. He could be a maddening player, as evidenced by a wonderful first half that was followed by him scoring once a month — literally — in the second half of last season. You can’t trust Rodrigues to produce consistently.
But there is real talent there. He’s a heck of a good Swiss Army knife. Perhaps more importantly, he was a wonderful insurance policy should Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin get injured. He played his best hockey with the Penguins in the No. 2 center role.
