LeClair goes to the Pens

The Pittsburgh Penguins seem to be making a serious push not just towards respectability, but may have an eye towards pushing Philadelphia, Ottawa and Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference with their additional pickup Monday of John LeClair. The three-time 50 goal scorer may be well past his prime, but even as a niche power play specialist, he can add significantly to the Pittsburgh offense, at was is likely to be a rock-bottom cost. Remember that LeClair was bought out of his prior contract by the Flyers, so he's already got $4.5 million in his pocket before even signing with Pittsburgh.

What this means is that the Penguins can boast two dangerous scoring lines, which prevents opposing defenses from simply focusing on Mario Lemieux or Ziggy Palffy in order to shut Pittsburgh down. Over the course of a long season, that depth could prove enough to lift the Penguins back into the playoffs, perhaps even earning home ice in the first round.