Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Penguins Playing With An Edge?

09/05/2014 at 8:08am EDT

from Jason Mackey of Chipped Ice at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

If Carcillo makes the team, the Penguins’ third and fourth lines could feature Carcillo and Steve Downie, two of the NHL’s nastier players in recent years.

Charged with making sure those two play with an edge but still within the framework of the game is Tocchet, who himself played that style.

I asked general manager Jim Rutherford on Thursday whether having someone like Tocchet made it easier to bring in Carcillo, whose history as a player includes six suspensions over eight years.

“He’s played with a lot of different teams,” Rutherford said. “You wonder why that is. But at the same time, when I watch him with those teams, he’s a very useful player.”

And here’s most cryptic part: “I do believe that with the structure with our hockey staff, we’re very comfortable with any type of player.”

Carcillo acknowledged that he and Downie could form one annoying and physical pair — but admitted that he hasn’t gotten that far in his thinking.

It might be wise, Carcillo cautioned, to worry about making the team first.

“I know Steve’s there,” Carcillo said. “I know how he plays. I think we’d be great together, but I haven’t really thought that far ahead. I’ve just been trying to get myself in shape, mentally sharp and go in there with a good attitude and not look too far ahead. At the end of the day, it’s just a tryout.”

read on

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by calquake in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 21 minutes ago
Comment by StargateSG1 in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 26 minutes ago
Comment by Chet in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 35 minutes ago