Edmontons ineffective defence prompted thi

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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins have insisted during their extensive front office overhaul that the on-ice product doesnt need to change much for the franchise to return to the NHLs elite. Small tweaks, not big ones, are required. Mike Johnstons job is to figure out which ones to make and -- perhaps even more importantly -- how to make them work. The Penguins hired the well-travelled Johnston to replace Dan Bylsma on Wednesday, charging the hockey lifer with creating the right system for stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to thrive in both the regular season and beyond. Considering the talent at his disposal, the 57-year-old Johnston likes his chances. After spending the last six years with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League preaching an uptempo attack, Johnston welcomes the opportunity to work with one of the most explosive offences in the NHL. "The core group is exactly where I want it," Johnston said. Good, because theyre not going anywhere. Instead, its everything around Malkin and Crosby -- who earned his second Hart Trophy as the NHLs Most Valuable Player on Tuesday -- that is changing. Johnstons hiring ends a tumultuous six weeks in which the Penguins were bounced from the Eastern Conference semifinals by the New York Rangers after blowing a 3-1 lead, fired Bylsma and general manager Ray Shero, and brought in longtime Carolina Hurricanes executive Jim Rutherford to clean up the mess. Rutherford settled on Johnston after a lengthy interview process that included an ill-fated run at Willie Desjardins, who opted to take the vacant job in Vancouver. Regardless of the path taken, Rutherford is confident he ended up at the right destination. "I feel very strongly that weve got the right coach," Rutherford said. One whose success will depend on his ability to take Pittsburgh on extended playoff runs. Bylsma won more games than any coach in club history but was fired on June 6 after going just 4-5 in post-season series since leading the Penguins to the 2009 Stanley Cup title. Johnston understands the onus to win on a given night, but stressed the focus will be on preparing Pittsburgh for the challenges of hockey in May and June, not October or November. "The bottom-line expectation for me is that, from training camp through the first part of the season, everything we do is setting the table for the playoffs," Johnston said. "The score is relevant but its not as relevant as the habits that we are going to have to make us successful in the playoffs." Pittsburgh is Johnstons first NHL head coaching job, though he spent two previous stints as an assistant with Vancouver and the Los Angeles Kings. He said he has a bit to learn about the challenges of an 82-game NHL season, which is one of the reasons the Penguins also brought in Rick Tocchet to serve as Johnstons top assistant. Tocchet played 18 years in the NHL, including two seasons in Pittsburgh, where the four-time All-Star helped the Penguins win their second Stanley Cup championship in 1992. The 50-year-old Tocchet also spent more than a season as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2008-10. While Tocchet said that his old team has underachieved in recent springs, he doesnt see that as a stumbling block. "There are teams that wish they had (Pittsburghs) problems," Tocchet said. "The way Mike is going to coach this team, the way these guys play is high tempo. Its something guys are going to enjoy." Tocchet replaces Todd Reirden and Tony Granato, holdovers from Bylsmas staff who were let go on Wednesday. The Penguins retained goaltending coach Mike Bales and video co-ordinator Andy Saucier. Assistant coach Jacques Martin will also remain with the team in an undetermined capacity. Johnston is hardly a novice when it comes to dealing with pressure or highly skilled players. He was a part of Canadas coaching staff at the 1998 Winter Olympics, the first Games in which NHL players were allowed to compete. It led to nearly a decade as an assistant with Vancouver (1999-2006) and the Kings (2006-0 before he landed in Portland, where he spent six years helping young players navigate the choppy waters of professional life. The seas will be only more tumultuous in one of the NHLs most high-profile jobs. Johnston is OK with the pressure. With the 26-year-old Crosby and the 27-year-old Malkin in the midst of their primes, there are worst places to start. "This group wants to win," he said. "Theyve won the Stanley Cup, and I believe they want to do it again." Bruno Caboclo Raptors . The Michigan lineman faces three assault charges stemming from an incident in December, according to a report from ESPN. The report states Lewan is scheduled to be arraigned in April on one count of aggravated assault and two counts of assault or assault and battery. 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The Argentina striker produced clinical finishes in the 60th and 79th minutes to level the score before Aleksandar Kolarov put City in front in the 87th.The Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers swapped a pair of blueliners, moving a puck-mover for a stay-at-home defensive defenceman. Numbers Game breaks down the deal. The Wild Get: D Tom Gilbert. Gilbert, 29, is a skilled defenceman whose production has fallen since his first couple years in the league, to the point that he has modest totals of three goals and 17 points in 47 games this season. Gilbert also has a minus-4 rating, while playing nearly 23 minutes per game. To his credit, Gilbert ranked best among Oilers defencemen in shot differential this season (plus-0.1, per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play; www.behindthenet.ca) while facing the second-highest level of competition. While Gilbert has size (6-foot-3, 206 pounds), he tends to play a passive game (his 1.15 hits per game this season was lowest among Edmonton defencemen), but his strength is in a puck-moving role and the Oilers have developed a couple of replacements this season, as Jeff Petry and Corey Potter have played significant roles for the Oilers. As a rookie, in 2007-2008, Gilbert scored a career-best 13 goals, then followed up with a career-high 45 points the next season, but his numbers have declined since. Going to Minnesota is a good opportunity for Gilbert, a Minnesota native. The Wilds defencemen have been the least productive group in the league this season, with 10 defencemen combining for 11 goals and 74 points on the season. Gilbert will play a prominent role for the Wild, offering improved puck skills. Gilberts cap hit is $4.0-million for the next two seasons (www.capgeek.com), making him the highest-paid member of the Wilds defence, but a fair price for a player that is capable of playing in all situations and will log 22-23 minutes per game.dddddddddddd The Oilers Get: D Nick Schultz. Schultz is a 29-year-old defensive defenceman that has established his credentials as a stay-at-home shutdown-style blueliner. Hes struggled somewhat this season, managing three points with a career-low minus-10 rating in 62 games. He also had the worst shot differential (minus-8.5 per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play) among Minnesota defencemen. Admittedly, Schultz tends to face quality opposition and has a long track record (plus-8 in 743 career games) to lean on, but Schultz offers a defensive presence that the Oilers sorely need. His 19:43 average ice time per game this season is his lowest since 2005-2006. Signed for two more years, at a cap hit of $3.5-million, Schultz will be counted on to provide stability to a unit that has been shaky, at best, in recent seasons. Edmontons ineffective defence prompted this move, but the Oilers may have overpaid, given the relative skill sets of the players involved. Since Schultz contributes so little at the offensive end, he will have to be substantially better than Gilbert defensively in order to provide equitable value. The bottom line is, individual value aside, that the Wild and Oilers both add players with skill sets that they sorely need. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys Soni Mustivar Jersey ' ' '