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Seth Rorabaugh of the P-G sports department blogs about the Penguins.

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Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09

TSN has just reported the Penguins have signed former Devils forward Mike Rupp and lost defenseman Hal Gill (above, quite literally, with Carolina's Chad LaRose) to the Canadiens.

Rupp is a big guy at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. He had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 72 games last season. TSN has him signed for two years at $1.65 million.

Gill, joined the Penguins through a trade deadline deal during the 2007-08 season and helped them get to two consecutive Stanley Cup finals. He had 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 62 games last season. TSN has him signing with Montreal for two years for a total of $4.5 million.

EN Says: We're not really sure what the Rupp signing is about. The Penguins seem to have their lower two lines filled out and have guys like Eric Godard and Paul Bissonnette who will drop the gloves. Rupp is a little bit more talented than either of those two, but he's not someone who will ever be a serious scoring threat. Seems like the Penguins could spend their remaining cap space on someone like Rob Scuderi or one of their unsigned second liners in Ruslan Fedotenko or Petr Sykora.

We're not saying Rupp's a bad signing. It's just an odd one.

It is interesting to note, should the Penguins lose Fedotenko, the guy who scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for Tampa Bay in 2004, they have "replaced" him with Rupp who scored the Cup-clinching goal for New Jersey in 2003:

Perhaps the Penguins felt Rupp was a safe signing with Colton Orr leaving the division:

Rupp's more than willing to drop the gloves, but he's hardly an elite fighter:

Rupp does have some Western Pennsylvania connections as he played three years for the Erie Otters of the OHL. He is a native of Cleveland.

Regarding Gill, $2.25 is a lot for a player who was a sixth defenseman last season, albeit on a Stanley Cup champion. Montreal overspent for Gill. The Penguins made the right choice not pursuing Gill at that price tag.

Gill's a nice player, but he's not $2.25 million nice.

That all but rules out a return of Mike Komisarek in Montreal.

Notes:

-The Columbus Dispatch is reporting the Blue Jackets have extended an offer to Penguins backup goaltender Mathieu Garon.

-The agent for Rob Scuderi was rather wishy-washy when discussing his client's status with Dave Molinari.

UPDATE: Gill is on TSN. He said he loved the city of Pittsburgh and the organization but both sides agreed it was time to part ways.

Posted Jul 01 2009, 04:48 PM by Seth Rorabaugh

Comments

kuba818 wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 4:52 PM

had a feeling Gill wouldn't stay with the Pens.  Pens I think need to re sign Scuderi now.

jdd40 wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 4:54 PM

I don't get the Rupp signing at all. Two years at 825k seems like a waste considering they have a bunch of 4th liners in the system.

kuba818 wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 4:56 PM

Yeah I would rather have Mike Z come back for that amount and win faceoffs

FireBettman08 wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 4:56 PM

Rupp plays D...

Michel Dion wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 4:58 PM

I'll miss ya Hal.  It always made me feel good to know there was one one Penguin I could actually beat in a race on skates.  No longer, I guess.

Disgruntled Goat wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 4:58 PM

Signing Rupp doesn't make any sense at all, unless Shero intends to move Cooke or Dupuis.  Zigomanis would have been greater.

I don't think Shero intended to bring Gill back, under any circumstances.

FireBettman08 wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 4:58 PM

I'm a moron, no he doesn't he's a LW.

Disgruntled Goat wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:00 PM

2.25 m. is way too much for Gill.  The Habs are throwing money around willy-nilly today.  (And yesterday.)

southernBURGH wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:04 PM

Keep Cooke, trade DUPUIS & GODARD...yeah the Rupp signing doesn't make a hole lot of sense, we have plenty of baby pens able to fill 4th line roles.............i'd like to see us go after Maxim Afinogenov, another buy low guy like satan & feds last season...

Kingsmill wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:05 PM

Rupp signed because Dupuis and Godard are likely to be traded to Calgary for a d-man. No, not Phaneuf.

tmkoval wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:06 PM

Good Luck in MTL Hal ! But thats way toooo much for him also I also dont get the Mike Rupp signing unless he plans on moving Dupuis. Or there planning on using TK as a top six winger.

dmcnerny wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:07 PM

My first thought was maybe Shero wanted a guy like Rupp to prevent Sid having to stick up for the team physically as he did during that ugly stretch in the regular season.

However, I thought that's why guys like Guerin and Kunitz were brought in (not implying Rupp is remotely close to a top 6 winger).

TommySnark wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:08 PM

Yes, strange, but perhaps something larger is in the works...

Disgruntled Goat wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:09 PM

"Rupp plays D".....Yep, Duane Rupp, so you're not (necessarily) a moron.

jdd40 wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:09 PM

I wouldn't be surprised if Dupuis is traded. 1.4 M cap hit for a fourth liner is way too much.

dmcnerny wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:12 PM

I'm fearing for Dupuis's new ink... I'm going to feel really bad.

Kingsmill wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:14 PM

If they want to keep Scuderi they have to get rid of Dupuis and Godard who make around $2 mill combined. Rupp is 6'5 230lbs so he can bring some size to the 4th line.

JP Connection wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:14 PM

i don't understand the signing either.

quick question: Is Mike Rupp related at all to Duane Rupp?

slapchop wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:19 PM

Good luck to the S.S. Gill. He had a nice run but with Go-Go and Lovejoy ready to move up Gill is expendeable.

Kingsmill wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:27 PM

Hal Gill had a fallback plan. PennDOT offered him a job as a traffic cone. He has the experience of things going around him and getting hit by plenty of rubber.

Seth Rorabaugh wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:28 PM

JP Connection, I can find no connection between  Mike and Duane.

cj457pm wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:36 PM

I'm gonna miss you, Harold.  Good luck and best wishes.

malkinshockeyskates wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:38 PM

Rupp is Shero's response to the Flyers getting Lapierre and Pronger - that is the only logic I can see out of the signing.

I can see Dupuis getting trading because of his 1.4 million, but not Cooke. Cooke was way more productive than Dupuis was - the third line of Cooke-Staal-Kennedy gave Detroit, Carolina, Washington, and Philadelphia nightmares plus timely goals. However, something is going to have to be packaged with Dupuis to sweet the deal - minor league player or draft pick.

JP Connection wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 5:41 PM

thanks seth.  i tried looking too but couldn't find much either.  thanks for the help!!

kpa42 wrote re: Penguins sign Rupp, lose Gill to Habs - 7-1-09
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 6:45 PM

Not a fan of potentially losing Godard, myself.  I thought he performed exceptionally as an enforcer and his cap hit isn't very bad at all.  Additionally, the guy is just great sportsman and a mad cool human being; in addition to dropping the gloves and clobbering people for the Pens on the ice, I recall hearing about him doing tons of charity/community involvement in the 'burgh.  

I think for a role player like that, he's a keeper.  But we'll see what Mr. Shero has cooked up, he seems to know a thing or two about putting a team together most of us armchair-type guys don't.

Mike Rupp wrote Mike Rupp
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 6:56 PM

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Mike Rupp | Hot Web Trends wrote Mike Rupp | Hot Web Trends
on Wed, Jul 1 2009 7:00 PM

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