NHL Betting: Pittsburgh Penguins 2012-13 Odds

Pittsburgh was one of the hottest teams in the second half of the regular season and came into the playoffs as the odds-on-favorite to win the Stanley Cup. But the Penguins couldn't carry that momentum into their first-round matchup against Flyers, exiting in six games.

 

 

Maatta is ready to make is mark

When Pittsburgh decided to trade Jordan Staal to Carolina for the eighth overall pick in the draft, it realized it had a chance to make a major mark on its future with two first round picks. The Penguins selected defenseman Derrick Pouliot with their first pick, but all the while had their eyes on another defenseman with their original pick at No.22. They quickly snagged Olli Maatta at that spot as part of a long-term plan to further shore up their defense. The 6-foot-2, 206 pound Finnish prospect does not even turn 18 until Aug.22, but Pittsburgh realizes it may have gotten one of the top steals in the draft in terms of future potential.

 

 

Crosby to remain in Pittsburgh for a long time

One of the biggest moves this offseason was signing the face of the franchise, Sidney Crosby, to a long-term deal that should keep him in a Penguins uniform for the remainder of his NHL career. Crosby and the team came to terms on a 12-year contract extension worth an estimated $105 million. While the deal carries some risk given the captain’s past history with concussions, it avoids any distractions given that Crosby’s current contract was set to expire at the end of next season

Free Agent Update

Pittsburgh’s primary goal going into the offseason was keeping its current roster intact while adding some young talent to bolster its minor league system. The Penguins started by re-signing forward Steve MacIntyre to a two-year deal on July 1, but they were far from done on Day 1. They went on to sign contracts with goalie Jeff Zatkoff, forwards Trevor Smith, Riley Holzapfel, Warren Peters, Tanner Glass, and defenseman Dylan Reese to add some depth to their overall organization. Since then, Pittsburgh came to terms with forward Philippi Dupuis from Toronto on July 5. The only players to leave the fold have been forward Aaron Asham, who signed with the Rangers, and forward Steve Sullivan, who reached a deal with Phoenix.

Tomas Vokoun and Brandon Sutter added through trades

Penguins’ goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had a stellar season in net for Pittsburgh with a goals-against-average of 2.36 and a solid .913 save percentage, but it never hurts to have a quality netminder waiting in the wings. That is why the Penguins decided to trade their seventh round pick in this year’s draft to Washington for back-up goalie Tomas Vokoun in early June. They immediately signed him to a two-year deal worth around $4 million. Last year with the Capitals, Vokoun ended the regular season with a 25-17-2 record while posting a respectable GAA of 2.51 and .917 save percentage.

When center Jordan Staal decided to reject a 10-year extension with the team, the Penguins decided to pull off a trade with Carolina in exchange for the eighth overall pick in the draft and center Brandon Sutter. Pittsburgh went on to select defenseman Derrick Pouliot from Portland of the WHL. Last season with Carolina, Sutter recorded 17 goals and 15 assists in 82 games. In three seasons with the Hurricanes, he tallied a total of 107 points.