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Penguins lose Minard, Taffe - 7-3-09

Two more Penguins have jumped ship. From Jonathan Bombulie of the Wilkes-Barre  Citizens Voice, forward Chris Minard (above, center) has signed with the Oilers while forward Jeff Taffe has joined the Panthers.

Minard had three points (one goal, two assists) in 20 games last season while Taffe had two assists in eight games.

Minard and Taffe were vital parts of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins offense. Minard led the team with 34 goals. He had a total of 57 points in 54 games in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Taffe had 75 points (25 goals, 50 points) in 74 games.

EN Says: Fire Ray Shero.

Seriously, some folks in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton might be upset to see some of that team's best scorers leave, but neither player had much in the way of an NHL future with the organization.

(Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Posted Jul 03 2009, 06:35 PM by Seth Rorabaugh

Comments

Amerk15 wrote re: Penguins lose Minard, Taffe - 7-3-09
on Fri, Jul 3 2009 7:21 PM

This is huge for the Amerks (the AHL affiliate of Florida). The Panthers organization really put the screws to Rochester last year. They provided very little in terms of talent to the Amerks and the club really struggled last. Rochester is one of the oldest and most storied AHL franchises with a very proud fan base. The new owner has promised to bring in top AHL free agents with the help of Ted Nolan and the Panthers. This signing is a HUGE indication that they may actually put a real team of AHL caliber player out there.

Taffe may never be an NHL regular, but he is one of the best in the AHL. LET"S GO AMERKS!!!

Wraith wrote re: Penguins lose Minard, Taffe - 7-3-09
on Fri, Jul 3 2009 7:45 PM

With losing some of their depth, I think the Pens should look into a trade to get someone like Colby Armstrong back.  He is a group 3 UFA and I would love to see him back in the Black and Gold.

JC65 wrote re: Penguins lose Minard, Taffe - 7-3-09
on Fri, Jul 3 2009 8:52 PM

I'm now convinced that the Panthers are trying to gather up the entire roster of the 2002 NCAA Championship winning Minnesota Gophers.

Ballard, Leopold, Taffe;  the only guys left from that team still playing big-time hockey are Paul Martin and Barry Tallackson, both in the New Jersey organization.