Penguins make cuts; Jeffrey, Tangradi & Despres survive

When the Pittsburgh Penguins chose not to re-sign veteran winger Bill Guerin, head coach Dan Blysma announced they would play the kids.  The only question was which kids would make the cut.

According to William DePaoli of Inside Pittsburgh Sports, the team cut eleven players including Chris Connors, Nick Johnson and Brett Sterling.  All of the aforementioned players auditioned for a spot alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but will now need to impress in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

It looks like Eric Tangradi and Dustin Jeffrey lead the pack in gaining those remaining spots with the former being the Pens’ top prospect.  Jeffrey actually ranked second on the list last season but slipped down to ninth due to his lack of physical play.

In addition, top defensive prospect Simon Despres also survived the cuts which should intrigue most fantasy owners.  His combination of size and skill would be a welcome addition to the Penguins blue line and could play without any pressure to perform considering his supporting cast.

We will continue to monitor this situation as it evolves, but the kids look good to go.