Almost Flower Power Time

MAF is about to...pet your dog.

And by pet your dog, I mean make his first AHL start in nearly two years. Now, normally I'd be pretty pissed about MAF playing in the minors, but I'll make an exception seeing as how he's recouping from a nasty high ankle sprain.

With the recent play of Ty Conklin, some people might not care about MAF's return. I am not one of those people. They'll tell you that MAF was a mere 9-8-1 before getting injured. I'd be quick to point to this stat, mentioned in the above link:

[Fleury] was 4-0-0 with a 1.00 goals against average, .955 save percentage and a shutout in his four starts before the injury.

Eat it.

And MAF's all about the team. Seriously. Listen to what he said about a possible battle for the starting spot with Conklin and his league-leading 9.26 save percentage:

“I’m not going to go there and try to steal the job back,” said Fleury. “I just want to play my best and as long as the team is winning, that’s the main thing.”

Solid. Stanley Cup > starting too early and risking a recurring injury.

Norfolk better watch their backs tonight.

More Therrien Ahead!

Michel Therrien has a little wiggle room, now that the Pens have extended the coach's contract another year through 2008/09.

Therrien's contract was to expire after next season.

Its only a one-year extension, so the Pens are keeping Michel on a short leash. They want to make sure this past season was no fluke. I personally would've liked to see a longer extension. Michel has been a great instructor to a young team that desperately needed discipline after the Eddie Olczyk experiment.

Did you see what Michel did last year? Finalist for the Jack Adams award...in his first full season in the 'Burgh.

Remember when Eddie Olczyk posed as a coach? Remember the 47 point jump from the season Therrien replaced Olczyk to last season? Remember that its the 4th best points jump in league history?

Am I asking too many questions?

No financial terms were discussed, but a raise is likely. Therrien's old contract called for him to make $600k.

Oh, and the Pens also signed defensemen Mark Ardelan and Deryk Engelland. Both guys played in the AHL last season, and are expected to hit up the Wilkes-Barre club this season.