First, I’m not sure if Janne Pesonen is planning on skating next to Sidney Crosby in 2008 or challenging Lance Armstrong’s record for Tour de France victories.  I expect his focus to be unreal once all he has to see on a jersey is a logo, name and numbers.  What others expect, well that’s a different story.  From the moment the news broke about Pesonen’s imminent signing with the flightless birds, he instantly found a nice spot in the Penguins lineup.  Right next to Sid the Kid.

Never mind coach Michel Therrien changes his lines more than Paris Hilton changes handbags – this kid is the answer to the Penguins wing issues.  At least some fans think so.  You see, the Pens are strong down the middle.  Crosby, Malkin, Staal and Talbot – an embarrassment of riches at center.  The problem is, when the money is spent, the centers will dominate the payroll.  A cold, harsh fact fans in Pittsburgh had to face in the first few days of free agency.  Sure, Marian Hossa would have been the exception to the rule.  Things seemed to be lining up perfectly for the Pens as suitors dropped out the race to sign Hossa.  Unfortunately, Rich Winter treated Ray Shero like Morrie Kessler in Goodfellas, giving him the veritable ice pick to the back of the neck by spurning the Pens multi-year offer in favor of the hated Red Wings.  At that point, panic set in across message board land.  Forget the fact Hossa’s long-term deal may have forced Pittsburgh to deal one of its young stars much sooner than later.  Thoughts quickly turned to other alternatives.  How about some mid 90s Penguin retreads?  After thoughts of the mullet heyday passed, Ray Shero made his moves.  One of the most intriguing was the kid from Finland.

The best player not in the NHL is a label tossed around quite often.  Does Pesonen qualify?  I don’t have the slightest clue.  When the news broke, the label was applied to the prospect.  Although the same label has been applied to Fabian Brunnstrom out of Sweden as well.  As Jerry Seinfeld once said, “Of course, I’m not really sure how official any of these ranking are anyway.”  So, the Penguins now have what exactly?  Well, their first line may be made up of a hockey God, Satan and the best player not in the NHL.  Then again, it would take a mathematician to calculate the array of possibilities for “the other winger.”

One of my best friends offers this advice each and every year as journalist try to blow a little sunshine on the joke that is the Pittsburgh Pirates: don’t be fooled.  I urge you to take the same approach with the young Finnish star.  Pesonen is not Shero’s first signing from Europe.  Oh, how quickly we forget about Mickey DuPont.  Sure, this kid has a better pedigree, but Mickey wasn’t so fine in his stint with the big club.  Who’s to say this experiment will end differently?  Maybe a more appropriate comparison would be Aleksey Morozov.  Yes, that Aleksey Morozov.  Drafted into a strong organization and anointed the next great player.  Morozov’s name still rings in my ear today.  That’s probably because my friend and fellow season ticket holder would scream “Morozov, you got POTENTIAL” over and over each game.  In the end, unless the Penguins faced the Devils, that’s about all Aleksey seemed to have.  Morozov would show flashes of brilliance, but could never put it together under the bright lights of the NHL.  Since leaving the NHL, he has been arguably the best player outside of North American hockey.  Less pressure and more money are an enticing elixir for some players.  Not everyone plays their best hockey on the biggest stage.

I, for one, hope Pesonen finds great success with the Penguins starting in October.  We all know Sidney Crosby deserves better than a few wingers on the back end of their careers.  We also know Crosby wants better after witnessing where his team could go with high end talent flanking him each shift.  For now, the right thing to do is dial back expectations and hope for positive things from Pesonen this season.  Until the puck drops, he truly is just potential for the Pens.  In the meantime, run out and grab a Penguins jersey with Satan on the back.  You know you’ve been waiting years for this kind of opportunity.

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