Yeah, I suck Posted October 8, 2002 Share Posted October 8, 2002 Penguins move Kovalev to center By ALAN ROBINSON AP Sports Writer October 7, 2002 PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Penguins showed off a brand new center Monday who figures to be one of their two top scorers, and they didn't need to make a trade or a roster move to land him. Alexei Kovalev, who broke into the NHL as a center but played on a wing since the Penguins acquired him nearly four years ago, spent practice centering a newly formed second line with Vladimir Vujtek and Ville Nieminen. The surprise switch apparently wasn't an experiment. Coach Rick Kehoe said he plans to keep the line together for Thursday's opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. ``He's really a center,'' Kehoe said. ``He knows how to play center. If you would want him to play defense, he'll play defense, he's that type of guy.'' Kovalev was expected to play right wing on a second line with center Randy Robitaille and left wing Alexandre Daigle. Instead, Kehoe kept Robitaille with Daigle and Wayne Primeau after they played well together in an intrasquad game played Saturday night before nearly 9,000 fans at Mellon Arena. Kovalev was a center on the New York Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup championship team, but has enjoyed his best offensive seasons as a right wing. He and Penguins teammate Martin Straka tied for fourth in the league with 95 points in the 2000-01 season, and he was 11th last year in scoring despite missing 15 games, mostly because of an injured knee. With Mario Lemieux centering the top line with Jan Hrdina at left wing and Aleksey Morozov at right wing, the Penguins go into the season with a scoring threat -- and more of a physical presence than usual -- on each line. ``We're trying to get a couple of different looks,'' Kehoe said. ``It's going to be different,'' Kovalev said. ``We're going to talk, see how we're going to play it. Sometimes there was some miscommunication, three guys skating in the same spot, so we're going to sit down and talk about who's going to do what.'' Still, Kovalev doesn't expect the line to need much more than a couple of days of practice to start feeling comfortable. ``It's just some little adjustments, it's nothing really bad or tough,'' he said. ``One or two practices I'll be back. ... As a center, there's always more space in the middle instead of being on the boards. Some teams put a lot of pressure on the half boards, so there's more space in the middle and I can move the puck around. I'm pretty comfortable anywhere.'' The move was another sign the Penguins weren't happy with last season's 28-41-8-5 finish, the team's worst record since Lemieux's rookie season in 1984-85. Another indicator was the demotion of nearly all the younger players who spent all or most of last season in the NHL, including Kris Beech, Toby Petersen and Milan Kraft. Prospects such as Brooks Orpik and Konstantin Koltsov also didn't make the team. Twenty-three players began training camp with one-way contracts -- meaning they are paid an NHL wage even if they spend the season in the minors -- and all are still with the Penguins. ``The younger guys, it might be better for them to go to Wilkes-Barre and play 20 or 25 minutes a night instead of 5 or 8 minutes here,'' Kehoe said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueNJ97 Posted October 8, 2002 Share Posted October 8, 2002 Well this is a pain in the butt. I have him as a wing on my fantasy team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJayDevil Posted October 8, 2002 Share Posted October 8, 2002 yeah me too...Oh well, he will still produce mega points there and will be on the PP with Mario and that just equals points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-Man Posted October 8, 2002 Share Posted October 8, 2002 Another team toying with the idea of putting their most explosive player at center, after years of great play at the wing position? Sounds like the Pens might be a little desperate. Let hope Burns doesn't do the same thing with Elias. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackjack Posted October 8, 2002 Share Posted October 8, 2002 lol Sue, that was the first thing I thought when I saw this thread, I have Kovalev on my team. It helps me too, because I also have Niemanen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias 2662 Posted October 9, 2002 Share Posted October 9, 2002 I don't get it. Why put their second best (best when mario is injured) with nieminen and some unknown. Sure he'll pile up points but will he get as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted October 9, 2002 Share Posted October 9, 2002 it really doesn't matter. pittsburgh's defense is terrible. if mario plays more than 50 games, i'll eat my hat. they'll be cellar dwellers all season and the c/lw kovalev will be on another team. trading jagr for bodies signaled a long, long rebuilding process for that team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted October 9, 2002 Share Posted October 9, 2002 What about Straka. Where do the pens have him in their plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted October 9, 2002 Share Posted October 9, 2002 straka's gotta get healthy first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBT Posted October 9, 2002 Share Posted October 9, 2002 Kovalev needs Straka to come back. SOON. In the meantime, the Penguins are completely hosed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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