Penguins Blog

It’s no secret that Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill are no longer with the Penguins after signing free agent deals with Los Angeles and Montreal respectively.

Now, as the 2009-10 campaign begins there are two new faces patrolling the blue line and both are playing together.

Jay McKee was brought in as a free agent from St. Louis and Alex Goligoski earned his spot on the roster during training camp.

While there’s no real comparison in style of play to Goligoski and Scuderi or Gill, I have heard some comparisons between McKee and Gill and felt compelled to insert my two cents.

It’s too early to tell if McKee will be equal or greater than Scuderi on the blue line and maybe he won’t. Time will tell, but I do believe he brings more to the table than Gill.

In stature, Gill has four inches on the 6-foot-3-inch McKee. However, McKee’s mobility is far greater and his shot blocking prowess is undeniably better.

McKee ranked seventh among NHL defensemen in blocked shots with 185 last season. He amassed that total in only 69 games. Gill was 69^th in the league with 112 blocks in 62 games.

Advantage: McKee.

Both players aren't exactly known for unleashing big hits like Brooks Orpik. McKee had 68 hits last season as opposed to the 78 Gill had. You can take that how you wish, but from general observation Gill was forced to put more hits on after catching up to people in the corner. However, McKee breaks up more plays with his quick stick.

The other thing that benefitted Gill’s lack of speed was his insane wingspan and the giant Redwood tree he used as a stick.

Advantage: Wash

As far as puck handling abilities go, no one expected a lot of points out of Gill and they shouldn’t with McKee either. However, puck possession leads to goals and the outlet pass out of the zone is something the Penguins utilize to generate offense.

Gill ranked fourth on the Penguins in giveaways last season with 45. The only guys ahead of him were Malkin (81), Crosby (80) and Letang (54).

McKee, on the other hand, only turned the puck over 21 times in seven more games played. That kind of calm attitude and good hockey sense to make the smart play, will only benefit his young defense partner playing in his first full season with the Penguins.

Advantage: McKee

Another positive sign for McKee is his plus-minus rating. For his career, McKee has a plus-50 rating and has only been on the negative side of things three times in 13 seasons and 741 career games.

Gill has a plus-68 rating for his career over 852 games and also has only been a minus-player three times in 12 seasons.

As stated in an earlier post, it would be very hard to try and compare the pairing of Goligoski and McKee to Scuderi and Gill.

The new pairing this season brings a new look and should give Goligoski a higher comfort level by playing with a veteran.

Critics will certainly try and compare them to the players who played a vital role in the Penguins championship season.

Granted those are some pretty big shoes to fill, but with five already-proven NHL defensemen patrolling the blue line and mentoring Goligoski, hold off on hitting the panic button.