Pittsburgh Penguins fans who bet on NHL should not worry about any major roster shakeups. Why? Let me put it this way; remember the movie Major League? It was a good movie, good enough to spawn a sequel. However, when Major League 2 came out, Wesley Snipes was gone. And by the time they did Back to Minors, Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger were gone as well. Sure, it had Scott Bakula and Corbin Bernsen, but it just wasn’t the same. Let me assure hockey betting fans that this will not be the Penguins’ fate, at least as far next season is concerned.
That doesn’t mean there might not be departures, though. Defensemen Ben Lovejoy and Steve Olesky, forwards Matt Cullen, Kevin Porter and Kael Mouillierat, and goalie Jeff Zatkoff can all become unrestricted free agents in July 1st. For what it’s worth, Lovejoy said that he loves “the guys on this team. I love the way we play. I love winning. There’s no place in the NHL that treats players better than we’re treated here.” Still, if the Penguins can’t resign him – or future restricted agent Justin Schultz – they will find themselves in need of depth in their position. Derrick Pouliot could potentially fill that void, while forward Oskar Sundqvist could replace Cullen.
However, the debate among Pittsburgh fans who bet on NHL is whether rookie sensation Matt Murray has earned the right to be the starting goalkeeper since game 1 of the regular season, or if Marc-Andre Fleury should return to his erstwhile position, should he remain with the Penguins. After Murray’s postseason performances, most hockey betting fans will most likely agree that it’s out with the old and in with the new. The biggest concern lies with forward Evgeni Malkin, though. The Russian is scheduled to undergo an MRI to determine whether his injured elbow needs surgery. Also injured, Center Nick Bonino with an infection in his left elbow, and Forward Bryan Rust with a broken finger.
As for forwards Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist and Carl Hagelin, defenseman Olli Maatta and Murray, they’re all off to the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto, beginning on September 17th. The rest of the roster is looking forward to spending an entire day with the Stanley Cup trophy this summer. A day during which anything goes. And I do mean anything. If that trophy could talk… The bottom line is that the team was already revamped in the last two seasons; now that Coach Sullivan has found the proper balance of speed and aggression, fans who bet on hockey can be sure he’ll apply the old “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.”
