Grading Ray Shero

On May 25, 2006, the Pittsburgh Penguins replaced long-time General Manager Craig Patrick… On May 25, 2006, the Pittsburgh Penguins replaced long-time General Manager Craig Patrick with Version 2.0: Ray Shero.

Shero came to the Pens following successful years in Ottawa and Nashville where he served as an assistant general manager. His duties on those jobs included overseeing the minor league teams, contract negotiations, scouting and various other day-to-day club operations.

During last off-season, Shero was considered one of the top prospective general managers on the market as six teams were vying for the then-Nashville assistant. Boston seemed especially interested, but talks broke off between the sides because of Shero’s desire to have total control over hockey operations.

Enter the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens quickly scooped up Shero and signed him to a five-year deal to be the ninth GM in team history.

Shero took over a team that hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2001. And under Patrick’s lead, the team had gone through a fire sale of top-notch talent in order to pay the bills.

Now 10 months later, the Pens and Shero sit in second place in the Atlantic Division, battling with New Jersey for the lead, and have already clinched a playoff position. They are now led by a core of talented youngsters that have been, for the most part, drafted by Patrick. Shero, however, made the necessary key personnel decisions to get this team to where it is today.

So let’s grade those moves.

Move No. 1 – Keeping Michel Therrien: While some speculated as to whether or not the first-year GM would fire the former Montreal head coach, Shero stayed on course and kept Therrien, who signed a three-year deal in December 2005.

Therrien has implemented a take-no-prisoners attitude that some may call brash, but to which his players respond with respect.

He may not be the right coach for these kids down the road, but he is perfect for them now. Grade: A-

Move No. 2 – Not retaining Alexei Morozov or Konstantin Koltsov: Some may question the Morozov issue as the Pens still lack a top-line winger. But Morozov only scored 50 points once in his seven NHL seasons. Granted, he is leading the Russian Super League in points with 83 in 53 games with the Kazan Ak-Bars but is also arguably the most polished player in that league. He’d be playing against much stiffer competition in the NHL.

As for Koltsov, the man has had speed to burn since breaking into the league in 2003. But his hands never caught up with his feet, forcing management to cut ties. Grade: B

Move No. 3 – Signing Mark Eaton, Ronald Petrovicky and Jarkko Ruutu: These players bring character to a star-studded lineup, and that is exactly what the team lacked. Eaton blocks shots like no other on the roster, and Ruutu and Petrovicky are the ultimate pests that any team would love to have and hates to play against. Grade: A

Move No. 4 – Signing, then trading Dominic Moore: The trade for Moore was great for the team as they added a speedy, gritty forward. But when Moore was traded for a third-round pick at the deadline, one has to wonder why. He was the team’s top face-off man at the time and a great third-line center. Grade: C

Move No. 5 – Bringing Evgeni Malkin over: We may never know if Shero had a part in “Project Stowaway,” which saw Malkin flee to America from his Russian team without a transfer agreement. But we do know it was a great move.

Malkin leads all rookies in scoring and is a potent power play performer. He also is starting to show the mean streak that he made famous over in Russia, so hopefully Shero will work some more magic to keep him and Sidney Crosby together for a long time. Grade: A+

Move No. 6 – Drafting and keeping Jordan Staal: “He is too slow.” “He can’t be consistent on a regular basis.” “He’s good, but he’ll never be his older brother [Carolina’s Eric Staal].” This is what scouts were saying when they watched the then-17-year-old center before he was drafted. Shero disagreed and took Staal with the second pick in last June’s draft, further enhancing Pittsburgh’s depth at the center position.

While Staal has gone between center and wing this season, he has prospered wherever Therrien has played him, especially on the penalty kill.

Staal leads the NHL in shorthanded goals, and his reach, which color commentator Bob Errey has dubbed “pterodactyl-like,” can break up an opponent’s passing play to spring an offensive chance. Grade: A+

Move No. 7 – Trading for Gary Roberts and George Laraque: The Pens needed toughness as the season wore on because their stars were getting abused. They gave up Noah Welch to get Gary Roberts, but the team needed toughness and playoff experience. Roberts embodies both of those.

As for Laraque, Shero added the premier heavyweight in exchange for a mid-level prospect and third-round pick that was recouped in the Moore trade. No one wants to fight him, and no one is taking liberties against Crosby and company. Grade: B+

Overall Grade: B+